Erin's OAL

44 comments

HAHAHAHA remember that time I thought I could not only finish one sweater for the Outfit Along (OAL), but two?!?! HAHAHA By the time I got my act together everything was a month behind schedule and a sweater less than originally planned, but better late than never?

For the OAL I chose to sew another version of the Sewaholic Saltspring in a black merino wool from The Fabric Store in Los Angeles. The modifications are thicker straps stabilized with twill tape, the bodice pieces (including the lining) were cut on the fold, so the zipper was omitted. The fabric is really beautiful and comfy, but I should have went down a size because the weight of the material weighs everything down and is a bit loose on me. Oh well, I still love this dress! My last version gets worn soooo much, probably the most out of all my dresses, and I have no doubt that this one will be the same... once I hem the dress an inch or two, that is.


Let's talk about the sweater, the From A to Z cardigan by Andi Satterlund. It's the second sweater I've knit (I never posted about the first one because I am weird) and was really fun to make. In the last year and a half of knitting I have really enjoyed learning new techniques and this project was no exception. Intarsia and short rows still kind of confuse me, but this was a really good introduction. The stitches around the armhole are farrrrr from perfect (not really clear on doing short rows), so any tips are greatly appreciated if you have any.


The yarn is from Knits Picks and is the Swish Worsted in Copper. The photo above makes it look a little more orangey than it is in person. At first I hated the color, but it really grew on me, which is funny because initially I LOVED the yarn for my first cardigan and ended up hating it when it was time to sew on the buttons.

One hand in my Saltspring pocket and one hand in my cardigan pocket :)

From start to finish the knitting took around four months. During that time I became 100% obsessed with Ravelry and love to lurk on people's projects and patterns that I would like to knit. Are there any beginner friendly sweater/cardigan patterns you can recommend for me? I'm on a roll. But a slow roll because I am a slow knitter.

Oh, and one would almost think I was trying to promote the Cat Lady Sewing Challenge with the amount of cat hair I have on my dress, but sadly I'm not. And what's even more sad is the fact that I used a lint roller before these photos were taken. The hair seems like it's permanently glued to my life! Last week my husband and I went to a concert and the black lights were making the white hair on my black dress glow. Embarrassing!

44 comments :

  1. Love your cardigan and have added it to my ridiculous Ravelry queue. Hannah Fettig's 'Featherweight' is a good pattern - very useful cardigan, but there are just so many great patterns to browse.

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  2. Who cares about the fact that you're late, when you've made such a lovely outfit ;)? Congratulations!
    If you want another easy cardi pattern, you might try Andi's Hortencia.

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  3. I am (re)starting knitting myself and learned a lot from Miette (posted) cardigan, and now I am attempting a made-to-measure raglanify - you can customize it, make it harder or keep it simpler, I am enjoying it.

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  4. Definitely better late than never--my OAL was several weeks behind! This outfit is fabulous, and the dress is sure to be a wardrobe staple.

    I always recommend Knitting Pure and Simple patterns to beginning sweater knitters because most have a really simple (obvs!) construction, but if you've mastered one of Andi's patterns, which are just a step up and really well written, you're just fine.

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  5. Oh I already miss your beautiful face! And I can vouch personally for the high kick-ass-ness of this sweater - brava! :)

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  6. What a great cardigan and the colour is perfect for fall. I am constantly covered in pug hair (even when I travel) so I can relate. I love your dress too!

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  7. OOPS, I just sent my comment to your contact form. #smackshead


    To summarize, I love both pieces. Job well done! :)

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  8. This is an adorable outfit! It's got a cool "back to school" feel to it. Love it!

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  9. I am always guilty of totally under-estimating the amount of time it will take me to complete a project. But hey, better late than never! Your outfit looks so comfy! I bought some merino wool at The Fabric Store, but haven't used it yet. I've been concerned about how the weight of the fabric will alter the fit of a dress, so it's good to know that I will have to take that into account.

    I just ordered my fabric for the Cat Lady sewing challenge and I can't wait till it arrives so I can get started on my outfit!!

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  10. cat hair under black lights, LOL :D Your outfit looks fantastic, and I can't believe you knit a sweater!!!! You did a beautiful job, and I am in awe of your knitting skills. I had to buy a lackluster cardigan at Gap the other day (because I can't make myself a cool cardigan like you!) One day, I'll take up knitting, I hope :)

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  11. You look fantastic!! I love the copper yarn on you :) Miette is one of my favourite cardigan patterns. It's simple and pretty.

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  12. Looks so good! I like the casual school uniform feel of the sweater. Who cares how long it took to make!? :)

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  13. I really like this pattern, so I'm glad to hear it wasn't too tricky for a beginner! I'm currently working on my second sweater (haven't finished the first because I need help with short rows actually, lol), and so far, this one has been very enjoyable. It's the "Effortless Cardigan" from Hannah Fettig/Knitbot. It's not completely my style, but it looks easy enough and will be dubbed my movie theater sweater because it's basically a sweater blanket. Penoloping has made a few cute versions, and that's why it caught my eye.

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  14. Oh, and your caption totally has me singing Alanis Morrisette now...."Cause I've got one hand in my Saltspring...and the other hand is in my cardigan!"

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  15. You didn't post your first Cardigan? But I wanna seeeee! This looks so great and comfy! So happy someone else caught the knitting bug! :)

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  16. Sometimes when I sit down to knit I actually just browse Rav for an hour. I keep thinking I'll get around to a sweater, and I scored just about enough yarn at a thrift store, but for now I'm devoted to socks (and I also have a lot of finished projects that haven't been blogged). KnitFreedom.com has some really great tutorials, and Liat's method of explanation really works for me, so maybe that's your key to short rows.

    Is the dress neckline gaping forward a tiny bit? I can't tell if it's just the black fabric playing a trick on my eyes. A tiny bit of barely stretched elastic would take care of that, but I'm sure you already know that. I also use elastic on empire waists and plunging necklines for jersey garments to keep things from getting flappy.

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  17. I am really wanting to get started knitting socks. Do you have a favorite pattern? I'm going to take the Craftsy class on socks and then (hopefully) branch out from there. And thank you for the info on KnitFreedom, I'll definitely look into it!


    My dress neckline is definitely gaping, so your tips are helpful! I had never thought of using elastic, good idea! Thank you for all your help, Julianne! xo

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  18. Wellllllll I never blocked it or added buttons haha, so it's not 100% finished.

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  19. Alright, I HAVE to check out that pattern because I am all about wearing anything blanket like whenever possible.

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  20. hahaha I should have made that my post title!

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  21. Thanks, Sarah! The first sweater I knit was Miette. Maybe one of these days I will actually post it!

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  22. WOW, thank you SO SO much for all these great designers! I lurked each and every one and added some patterns to my never ending Ravelry list. You're feeding my addiction, Mary! And hell yeah, I'm down for a yarn crawl. Where should we go???

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  23. I think the merino wool is just extra heavy because the skirt is so long, so if you're doing something shorter you might be safe.


    I'm so happy you're joining the challenge, your outfit will be awesome! xo

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  24. Thanks for the e-mail and the comment :) xo

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  25. Thanks, Heather. I didn't plan it for fall, but I should just pretend like I did haha

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  26. MISSSSSSS so much!!!! I need to post pics from our awesome weekend!

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  27. Thanks, Cheryl. Those patterns sound interesting, so I will look for them on Ravelry.

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  28. That custom cardigan sounds awesome! Is it difficult so far?

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  29. Oooh I bought that one when it was on sale. Thanks for reminding me!

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  30. Thanks, Dilly! Tasha's post is so good and helped me a bunch, but I am still confused on picking up that wrapped stitch....

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  31. Ooooooh thank you for the recommendation! That looks like a cute basic that I would get a lot of wear out of!

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  32. You're welcome! My queue is full of simple top down cardigans and sweaters, most where you don't need to pick up sleeve stitches. If you want to see some my Rav name is the same as this one.

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  33. You'll post it when it's done right? Or is it not going to get finished?  :) which reminds me, I have a garment I need to frog haha!

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  34. I would love to see! Andi is hosting a Marion KAL on her blog - maybe that appeals?

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  35. I think your sweater looks great! All of Andi's patterns are pretty good for new knitters. I really like patterns by Amy Christoffers - she has tons of great options from simple to complicated.

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  36. I learned with KnitFreedom's free online sock making course. Between the pdf pattern and YouTube videos I never felt overwhelmed. I've made 6 pairs so far, and the only changes I've made are using kfb as my toe increase, I substitute an afterthought heel because I like the contrast colors, and my ribbing is k1tbl, p1 because I think it looks much neater stretched out.

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  37. Santa Barbara or LA? I'm game for anywhere!

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  38. I'm part way through my second Shapely Boyfriend cardigan by Stephanie Japel. It's knitted top-down like an Andi Satterlund one. The only thing I don't like about the first one is the length, so I'm fixing that on the second. I'm dichohecho on Ravelry if you'd like to see :-)

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  39. I always have cat hair on my clothes - call it an accessory!!
    Love the style of your jumper - who cares how long it took?!

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  40. Erin I can't believe how amazing your sweaters look! You haven't even been knitting that long! It's really incredible and definitely an inspiration to me. Maybe one of these days I'll graduate from hats ;)

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  41. LOL! I hear ya - I thought (naively) that I'd be able to participate in OAL as well, and I did actually finish my dress in time, but then things happened and I STILL haven't finished the cardi i started (sigh) LOL.


    I think I am coming to steal that dress, and no one would ever know this was only your second sweater… short rows??? Come on girl, I'm still chicken to even try them let alone as part of a big project like a sweater! Nicely done :)

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