Milam Gap Boatneck Sweater

I have found that I enjoy designing sweaters more than any other item.... at the moment. That can change at anytime.  I try to find inspiration from fashion magazine trends, but most of all, the landscape around me.

Milam Gap Pattern Via Ravelry $6 (psst... read on for discount code below)


The Milam Gap is my recent self-published sweater.  The inspiration came about the summer of 2011 when my family and I spent our vacation in the Blue Mountains of Virginia. While in Virginia, we spent a day on the scenic and winding Skyline Drive. This sweater is my memory of that day trip. The intricate details of the cables on the front of the sweater is reminiscent of the slow winding path of the Skyline Drive, while the plain stockinette back is a reminder of the calm of sitting on a porch in a rocking chair with a glass of local wine on a cool evening watching the mountain lines fade into darkness.


CONSTRUCTION NOTES:
The boatneck sweater is worked in one piece in the round from the bottom up to the armhole opening, then separated for the back and front.

Shoulders are seamed and sleeves are picked up and worked in the round from the top down with short rows shaping the sleeve caps.

PATTERN INCLUDES: chart and schematics

Yarn: Knit Picks Swish Worsted (100% Superwash Merino Wool; 110 yards/101 meters; 1.76 oz/50 grams); Lemongrass Heather; 9 (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16) skeins.
Needle: US 6 (4.0mm) & US 7 (4.5mm) 32" Circular (cir),
& double-pointed needles (dpn) or Magic Loop for the sleeves; or size to obtain gauge.

Gauge: 20 sts and 32 rows = 4" in St st; 30 ½ sts = 4" in Counterpane Cable Patt on larger needle.

DISCOUNT - Get 10% OFF this and any other pattern in my Ravelry shop using coupon 01BLOG2013 ending March 31, 2013.

Special Thanks to photograher E F Ruegsegger - Leahnari.deviantart.com

ERRATA:

Front decrease should read - Dec Row (RS): K1, *k2tog, rep from * to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1 – 52 (60, 68, 76, 84, 92, 100, 108) sts.

Sleeve Row 2 should read: Sl1, p15 (19, 23, 27, 31, 35, 39, 43) sts, W&T

Goals, NOT Resolutions for 2013

I don't do resolutions. Personally, resolutions do not work. For me resolution has a negative unattainable

connotation - what will I give up and what will I not do in the new year.  However, I love, love setting

goals and challenges which is a little different from resolution in that it is usually more attainable and involves mapping out ways to accomplish these goals and to adjust those end goals as situations change.

2012 has been an amazing year for me and my family in so many ways. We have been so blessed... I guess it's to compensate for a horrid 2011. As we close out the old year, we enter the new and unknown, filled with endless possibilities. I think the start of the new year for me is a time to open up to the endlessness of untapped potentials.
       
The new year is a time to envision what can be, to open yourself up to the many possibilities of the future that lay ahead ready to be uncovered, to shake off the past and all it's disappointments, and to face a new day where anything can happen. Because so many wonderful things happened to us in 2012 (don't get me wrong, last year was not all sunshine and puppies. We had a lot of difficulties and trial, but in the end, we pulled through as a family and came out stronger) for me and my family, 2013 will be a year of giving, a year where we pledge to give back even more. In 2012, we became active in our local community; giving of ourselves even when it was difficult. This new year we are taking it a step farther to give even more of ourselves, beyond our my local area. To embrace causes we feel strongly in, not just by writing a check, but to lend a hand whenever possible. While there are a lot of organizations that need monetary assistance, there are those that need a human touch and time even more. I challenge readers of this blog post. Look around your local area, there just might be an organization that needs you. Spend an hour or two helping out at the library or at the senior center. Volunteer to teach your craft to kids during school breaks. How can you give back to your community?
       
To start the new year off right, as part of my pledge to give more, in addition to my current volunteer activities (at the library, senior center, and elementary school) I will be choosing individuals at random to gift copies of my patterns. These people will be chosen at random each Tuesday in January (starting Jan 8-29) , then the first Tuesday every month for the rest of the year to coincide with Knit Purl Gurl's Random Act of Pattern-RAP. The recipients will be selected from those who have favorite, queued, or purchased one of my patterns. This will be one of the ways I plan to give back this year. What do you plan to do in the new year to help a fellow man in need?