Tag: Lace and Fade Boxy

Updates from the Knitting Front: The Sweater Upcycle Project

Do you see this sweater? I really liked this pattern, knit it in a non-conforming fashion, and then engaged in a hack to make it wearable. I blogged about it at the time.

This sweater is the Lace and Fade Boxy, by Joji Locatelli, and I was trying to make it work with the yarn that I had in my stash. I was really pleased with it when it was finished, but I never wear it. The sleeves aren’t comfortable. I don’t like the lace on the bottom any longer.

I’ve been watching upcycle videos lately as I consider making a coat from an old quilt (that is a whole other post…), and I thought of several sweaters that I no longer wear. Hmmm… time to upcycle some knitted items.

I knit a lace with a color that would go well with the original color of the sweater. This is why my stash is soooo large. I never, ever throw any old yarn away!

I ripped out the lace at the bottom of the sweater; I had added the original lace to make the sweater longer, but it didn’t look all that, well, lacey. This is what it would look like with this new lace, slightly purple, knitted lace substituted for the original stuff.

Oh, yeah. I decided that this lace looked better. I mean, purple, right?! Feeling pretty encouraged I ripped out the lace band on the sleeves and swapped in the new lace. Then, wanting to pull the look together, I ripped out the edging around the neckline and reknitted in the new color.

I will wear this sweater!!

I’m kind of fussing about how to knit some arm warmers to go with the sweater. Lace? No lace? Use some of the lace from the body of the sweater? Which color????? Yeah. I have parked all of those ideas in the corner for now, and I’ve gone back to knitting on my Weekender Crew sweater while I ponder my options and consider what to do with another sweater that I unhappy with and never gets worn.

This sweater is being knit from the bottom up and inside out. I know that it messes with your head, but it does work. The body of the sweater is purl stockinette, but I’m knitting.

The cat themed arm warmers are still parked in a corner but not forgotten. I keep fussing over colors and the order of the colorwork bands. Hannah is anxious to see what I come up with. I think that I will next knit mice, but I am reversing the direction that the mice face.

Sometimes the Mother of Cats can be exhausting…

Notes about the knitting:

  • That yarn is Tosh Merino Light by Madeline Tosh.
  • The pattern for the lace is from Juju’s Loops, and the original sweater that used it was called Swoon.
  • My original sweater was knit in a limited issue color called Ironwood. Since I could not locate any more of the original color I hunted for something that would work with the sweater and my wardrobe. Enter Penumbra, that dark dusty purple layered on grey.
  • What is a penumbra? That is the part of the shadow cast by celestial bodies like the earth or the moon. When we see an eclipse of the moon, the penumbra of the earth is on the moon. This yarn captures that color.
  • This new sweater is, obviously, now called Shadow of the Ironwood Moon.
  • The yarn that I am knitting the Weekender Crew with is from Spun Right Round in a colorway made specifically for the local yarn show where I go. It is called “September”.