Alchemist Pullover – Yarn, Books & Roses

Updates from the Knitting Front: Meet the Alchemist Sweater

I finished the Alchemist sweater (design by Wool & Pine) and I am really happy with it! This was an interesting knit for me and I learned new skills as I worked my way though the pattern. I’d like to unpack the whole process a little for you.

It all started with this DK yarn from Hue Loco called Razzle Dazzle.

Look at that yarn!! I had to have a sweater made from it and as soon as the Alchemist pattern hit the Ravelry pattern stream I thought that it would be a good fit. As I knitted along, I felt better and better about the match between the yarn and the pattern. There was a lot to appreciate (and some YouTube watching as I got new skills) along the journey. The first big “aha!” that happened was around the shoulder shaping.

That shaping at the top of the picture is a top-down, seamless, set-in sleeve with a saddle shoulder. It all messed with my head at first until I understood what was happening, but it was absolutely worth the headache. The sweater fits beautifully and there isn’t extra bulk in the sleeve as often happens in my sweaters. Pretty cool, right?

Then there was the ribbing that finished the neck opening. The back of the sweater was a little wonky, and I was not exactly thrilled with how the shoulders were looking at the neckline. I figured that all would become more clear in time, and that’s what happened. The directions on how to pick up the neckline stitches were a little open-ended as the designers give you flexibility in how many stitches to pick up and how deep to knit the ribbing. I picked up the number of stitches per row as suggested, and as luck would have it the stitch count was right on. As I reached the bottom of the front “V” I realized how to balance the ribbing around the center stitch (as it turns out, as long as you mirror the ribbing on the other side everything will be fine…) and the whole neckline pulled things together. The top of the shoulders became perfect, and the upper back of the sweater is formed by the ribbing. Oh. That’s why there weren’t any short rows to shape the upper back. The ribbing takes care of that.

Then there was the side slit in the deep ribbing at the bottom of the sweater. Before it was blocked the ribbing pulled in and the gap in the side was… not flattering. Blocking fixed that.

I did have to do some tidying up at the top of the slit when I did the final finishing, and now that the sweater hangs well, I’m happy with that divided ribbing. I wear long sleeve shirts under my sweaters, and the ease of the open sides is surprisingly comfortable. Who knew?

Finally, the pattern called for a sewn bind off. Ugh. So slow. So much stitching. So much whapping by bothersome kitties while doing it. It is really tidy and stretchy while keeping a nice edge.

Here’s the final sweater, all blocked and ready to head out on a new shopping spree at the yarn store. The color is a little off (too pink) as I took the picture in the room with my grow lights, but you can see how nicely that ribbing and neckline came out in the end.

So, what am I up to now? I cast on some yarn to make arm warmers and started playing with my cat doodle pattern. It’s fun! I’m not sure how to handle decreases at the bottom of the warmer, but that what ribbing is for, right?

Was it fun to knit with four colors at once? No. It was not. Was it worth it? Absolutely!! I also cast on for another Weekender Crew sweater, but that is another post… Next on in the pattern sequence is some toy mice and then cat paws. The next time I go in for medical testing, these will be the arm warmers that I wear!!!

p.s. I am including some jade plant extras.

From left to right: a bloom on a jade plant, a bonsai plant, and the miniature jade plant that I bought to maybe make into a bonsai myself. I thought I would give it a few weeks in its new home before I put it into a smaller pot.

Hannah and the CoalBear: Things are Growing

Hi. I’m Mateo.

Do you see my new winter coat growing in?

The Mother of Cats has been kind of amazed to see my new coat growing in this year. I do have to say, it is looking pretty good! Every year I make some adjustments to my coat, and this year I’m thinking that silver is a nice color. Here, I’ll show you what I’m talking about:

This is my coat in 2021. I was just a little guy, only 8 months old.

I was mostly a black cat, and the Mother of Cats was pretty amazed to see all the long fur growing in as she didn’t expect it. Last winter my coat was kind of brownish-grey, and it was really pretty long.

The picture on the left is how I looked in about April this year. The all black coat is what I looked like in June: big difference, right? Do you like the way my winter fur doesn’t grow across my shoulders? That is what makes the Mother of Cats think that I am partly a Maine coon kitty. Maine coon kitties are usually really large, but I’m really tiny and cute.

Okay, that is enough about me. I really want to show off the sweater that the Mother of Cats is working on. She has been knitting on it for a couple of hours every single day, and it is starting to look like a sweater!! Hannah really is a big help with this, and I sometimes hang out, but mostly I hang in at the front window hoping to see a bunny or two. We even saw a mouse in the back yard this week!!! Knitting is kind of boring when there is wildlife, don’t you think? Anyway, here is the sweater.

We really like doing the sleeves, Hannah and I, because the sweater can get draped over us as we sleep on the Mother of Cats legs.

Well, that’s about all that is going on here. The Mother of cats has been sewing (yawn) and going out for some errands (nap time!), and that has been the whole week. I sure hope something interesting happens out front soon…

Why does the Mother of Cats call me silly?

This is Mateo, signing off.

>^..^<

Notes from the Mother of Cats:

The sweater is the Alchemist Pullover. There is going to be ribbing added later around the neckline, and I am already worrying about yarn chicken…
I am wondering if the silver fur growing out now is related to Mateo’s medical misadventures over the summer. Poor Mateo did have a tough time there for a few days.
I saw a jade plant at the nursery with a few little flowers on it, and then I saw I jade plant bonsai tree. I have a huge jade plant that I have been growing for years, and now I’m thinking about taking some cutting at the next pruning so I can start a little bonsai tree of my own. It will be an adventure! Also, has my plant bloomed yet? No. No it has not!

This plant goes outside every summer, and some of the leaves on this plant have hail damage.

Why grow a bonsai from cutting off this plant?

That big boy is almost 3 feet tall and is getting heavier every year. Suddenly a bonsai seems really… cute. Besides, it isn’t blooming now, so maybe a bonsai will decide to bloom.

Hannah and the CoalBear: The Mother of Cats is out of control!!

Hi. I’m Hannah.

I’m in the yarn stash with the Mother of Cats.

The Mother of Cats is living in CrazyLand these days. She is knitting like there is no tomorrow, and she found some more patterns that she absolutely, positively needs to knit this winter. She is full of ambition. She is making even more yarn kits for knitting projects. She is happy. SHE BOUGHT MORE YARN!!!! Like I said, CrazyLand!!!

It all happened with some new pictures and patterns that appeared on her Facebook feed and led her to Ravelry. Oh, my goodness. She found a sweater that she thinks would be perfect for her tubs of collected yarn. She has been sorting and sorting yarn, and dreaming the dreams, and look at what she has put together for a Hearthside Cardigan:

The Mother of Cats is pretty sure that these yarns can be combined to create that marled cardigan. Goodbye Sea Glass sweaters. The Mother of Cats (that fickle creature) has switched all of her affections and attachment to this new sweater. She is on fire to get started!!!!

That means that she is knitting away at her Alchemist Pullover every night and she is almost to the point where she can start the ribbig.

Then the Mother of Cats found a picture of socks knitted with the Cat Doodle patterns. Oh, oh. More craziness in the yarn stash happened right away…

But I think that she really should make some socks with tuxedo cats on them right away!!!

I thought that things were kind of settling down and we hadn’t dug around in the yarn for a few days when the Mother of Cats went to her favorite yarn shop to buy some cookies. Yeah. I thought that the story was a little fishy myself (hey… I think that it is almost time for my nightly TUNA snack. I’m hoping that the Mother of Cats puts a tuna onto the socks…), and sure enough, the Mother of Cats came home with more yarn for another sweater.

She said that the store had just restocked this color and that if she didn’t buy it RIGHT NOW she wouldn’t get the chance to get it later. She plans to make another Weekender Crew out of it.

I’m pretty sure that the Mother of Cats is out of control, but I’m supporting her the best I can.

So that has been the week. The Mother of Cats has snapped out of her inability to start a new project to this new (CrazyLand) version where she is lining up the projects up faster than they can be knitted. She is happy, knitting away on the sweater that is on her needles at the moment, and dreams of the new sweaters-in-waiting while she waits for the first snows to come.

Speaking of snows… Look at Mateo!! He is starting to grow out his winter coat and his ruff is looking like a ridiculous halo at the moment.

This year his new undercoat is coming in silver colored, which makes him look a little more elegant, but I have to say… he is still a silly boy!!

Guess that is all for now. This is Hannah, signing off.

>^..^<

Notes from the Mother of Cats:

Here is the link for the sweater that I am kniting on like crazy right now, the Alchemist Pullover.
I haven’t forgotten about the Colorica cardigan and the Renaissance sweaters. They are also dancing in the yarn stash trying to get my attention. My hands are doing pretty well with the size needles that I’m using right now, so I’m sticking with them for the moment, and the Weekender and Hearthside patterns use the same (size 7) needles.
I’ve made some good effort with the books that I’m reading over the last two weeks. I finished The Wedding People, stalled on Buckeye, read Nightshade by Michael Connelly, and I’m now listening to The Black Wolf while knitting.
The Wedding People is engaging, and a little hard to explain, but I do recommend it. In a nutshell: people are a little crazy around weddings, and there is perhaps too much focus on the wedding, and not enough on the marriage. At the heart of all relationships, people need to learn to identify and respect who they are, and to build authentic lives and goals based on that.
Nightshade is a police procedural thriller, and it is set on Catalina Island off Southern California. I know that part of the world fairly well, and the setting of the book was like visiting an old friend. The story was okay… there is a mutilated buffalo… a dead body is found… the investigator is at odds with the system… some rules are circumvented… our hero solves the murder in spite of the system and animosity of coworkers… there isn’t a wedding in sight.
The Black Wolf returns me to the world of Three Pines, somewhere in Quebec, Canada, and to Inspector Gamache. Another thriller of a sort, but gentle, introspective, and socially conscious with a huge cast of memorable characters. I’m enjoying the journey so far.
Hey, I want to say that I really did buy those cookies!!!

Thoughts on the Night of the Beaver Supermoon

The supermoon just cleared the trees behind my house. It is really bright tonight, shining through my window, joy from the east. This moon is both special and hilarious at the same time: the Beaver Supermoon.

Oh, we have beaver here in Colorado! I used to go with my children at dusk to a local state park looking for them in a pond with a beaver lodge. The kids and I have seen adults and youngsters (kits) over the years. Sometimes they were in the shrubbery by the water, sometimes swimming across the pond, and I’ve even seen one chomping on a tree. I’ve accidently startled them (those tail slaps on the water will get your attention), and I’ve glimpsed them swimming across the water with a branch in their mouths. One summer we could see the drag marks in the wet earth as large sections of trees were dragged down to the water; these woody treasures provide both food and building material for the lodges and dams. Beavers are pretty special as their work in waterways create essential habitat for other species. This moon gets its name from the increased activity of beavers preparing for winter. It is also a larger moon this month, hence the name Beaver Supermoon.

This poster was on the wall in my classroom for years!

I’ve been simultaneously busy and stalled out lately. I have finally recovered from the absolutely horrible flare of never-ending tendonitis that forced me to abandon my knitting for almost a year. This is what my right wrist looked like last year at this time.

I tore the house apart as best as I could hunting for painkillers that I could take with this one!

The x-ray report after this adventure had the word “severe” sprinkled throughout it. My rheumatologist tested me for gout and pseudogout: both negative. She did write me a prescription for emergency prednisone and painkillers in case this happens again. Then the flare dragged on, and on. Then there was the car wreck and other adventures. I kept hopefully buying more yarn, and stockpiling new patterns, hoping that someday I could return to knitting.

Two weeks ago the pain finally stopped and I started knitting in earnest again. Look at what I managed to accomplish!!

My Extra Lite Bright is off the needles, finished and blocked. This sweater will become a layering staple for me this fall.

And just like that, I stalled out, consumed by endless yarny possibilities. I have all of this yarn! I have all of these dreams of new sweaters dancing around in my head; so many possibilities. What should I knit?????

As fate would have it, I also finished a book on the same day that I took that sweater off the knitting needles. Help! Double indecision!!! So many books waiting for me on my Kindle. Help. I’m on fire to get going, and unable to make a decision. Help me Supermoon, help!!!!

That’s how I ended up spending the day as busy as a beaver, kitting up yarn with patterns to make new sweaters. Yarn was wound, and a sweater was cast on… but I have two more sweaters that I have located needles for and I’m going to cast them on too. Three sweaters at once? Sure. Why not?!

The grey/pink yarn combo will become a Renaissance Sweater. The yarn in the middle (there are 5 colors there) is destined to become a Colorica cardigan. The yarn on the right has already been cast on and is becoming an Alchemist Pullover. There are some kits for more sweaters, but those are the ones that are seeing action right away. Why these three? Well… one is colorwork, one is a cardigan that will involve some lace and purling, and the third is just too cute to not get made right away. My hope is that no matter what my hands and wrists are up to, I will be able to get some knitting done.

Then there are the books. So many books. If I’m knitting three sweaters at once, maybe I should have several books going at the same time too. In that spirit I am reading and listening to all of these.

I’ve started reading Buckeye, listening to The Wedding People, and I’m pretty sure that I need a little Three Pines action right away, so it is going to be in action soon, too.

There are several other books nagging at me. I told them to go hang out with the yarn stash overflow. Still, they call to me. The yarn calls to me. I have fought my way through the indecision of making choices when surrounded by great possibilities. Is this what beavers feel when faced with a new stand of aspen? Whatever. I have made the decisions, I have made a start on the first sweater and the first books, and like the beavers that gave tonight’s moon its name, I am full of purpose and I have big plans.

There is a lesson here. A year ago, I was in a terrible flare, unable to knit or even read. The best I could manage was an audiobook, and even then, I had to play it over and over as I had trouble concentrating and following the story. I sought help, I tried new drugs, I stuck to my special diet, and I did my physical therapy. I came through that time, and now I am here, shining bright again. Just as the moon returns to full force at the end of each cycle, I have managed a comeback too.

In my excitement over the knitting and books I haven’t forgotten the chemo hats, port pillows, and zipper pouches that I also have to get done. Saturday, I get to meet up with all of my friends again for a sewing extravaganza to produce more zipper pouches, and one of my friends wants to take the three quilts that my sister started; they will go to a program for children getting their first bed. Who knew that this was a thing? Like the beaver, I hope that my work will ripple out and bring change in my community around me, supporting lots of new life.

Shine on Beaver Supermoon. Shine on.

Hannah and the CoalBear: All the Glimmers of the Week

Hi. I’m Mateo.

I’m the most handsome boy ever! I’ve been helping the Mother of Cats knit this week.

The Mother of Cats was really busy and happy this week, and she says that all the new things are called glimmers: little moments that bring joy and peace. I think that she needs to maybe take another nap, because I don’t know what she is talking about, but there have been a lot of new things going on. Let me show you the best, most important one first!!!!

We got this new toy!!!! The blue line is moving on the pulleys, and it makes a little mousie race around the room. It changes directions and speeds, and no matter how many times the Mother of Cats makes it run, I need MORE CHASE TIME!!!! I love to chase this!!!!! Even Hannah is playing with it!!!

The Mother of Cats has started knitting again, and look at she managed to do this week.

That’s right. The Mother of Cats got a pair of socks done this week, and she took out her sweater and started knitting on it again. She was SO HAPPY when she tried the sweater on this week and it is going to fit just fine. Well, with me helping her, how could it not? She says that her wrists aren’t hurting all that much lately, so it looks like we will be spending more time knitting. Yay. I love to chase the yarn while she works. Why is the Mother of Cats so mean about sharing her yarn?

Also, she went out and bought this new yarn!!! Can you believe it? She says that she is going to make a sweater, but I think that she may have gotten carried away a little. She should spend the money on tuna and cat toys, right?!

Then there was all of the sewing. Hannah took over and helped the Mother of Cats at the sewing machine because she likes it a lot. They made little zipper pouches and these crazy little things called port pillows that are used by cancer patients who have ports (duh!!) when they ride around in their cars. Why anyone would voluntarily get into a car is completely beyond me, but the Mother of Cats says that there is a big need for these little things, so Hannah and she made a whole bunch of them and delivered them this week to an infusion center. She asked if I wanted to go along for the ride, and I was like…NO!!! That is just CRAZY TALK!!!!

Yesterday the Mother of Cats went to her community knitting group, and while she was there a couple of ladies came in with huge bags of yarn to give away. When they were asked how they had learned about Frayed Knots, the group that the Mother of Cats belongs to, they said that they got the name from the paper insert that they picked up with their new port pillow at the infusion center. The Mother of Cats says that this was a huge glimmer!! The ladies were so happy to get the port pillows and the hats; they wanted to give to other patients too with their yarn. Luckily other people took all of that yarn because WE HAVE LOTS OF YARN HERE ALREADY!!!!! I think that it would have been better if they had brought some more toys for me to chase (or even some little bunnies that want to play chase…), but the Mother of Cats was happy, so I guess I am too.

So that was the week. It was warm and sunny, and the Mother of Cats managed to get the leaves off the lawn with her new leaf blower and vacuum/mulcher. She brought in all of the plants from outside, and now the knitting room is happy and full of flowers.

New clothes came, and you already know about the yarn. She went to her knitting group and had a wonderful time, especially since the lady who took those cats that stayed with us for a few weeks was there, and she said that the cats were happy in their new home, and even gave her a new toy for me.

That little ball with the tail on it races around the house and I chase it the whole time!!!

This is Mateo, signing off.

>^..^<

Notes from the Mother of Cats:

This is the cat toy that Mateo can chase for hours: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FLV7JB5K?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1
The socks are the Scrunch Sock on Ravelry.
The sweater is Extra Lite Bright knit in just one color. I may make another that is a fade with the new yarn that just came in. That will be fun, right?
What do I want to make with the heavier weight yarn (DK) that just came? I’m thinking that I need an Alchemist Pullover in my life!
That jade plant that I brought in is at least 10 years old. Has it bloomed yet? No, no it has not!
I’ve been steadily losing weight for the last few months (It is a scleroderma thing) and I finally broke down and bought some new clothes. Yay! They fit great and I’m happy with the new colors.