Some Finished Sweaters

I'm back at school... and, one day in, I'm already exhausted! It feels like it's been weeks! I know this semester -- my LAST semester! -- is going to fly by. Could it just, um, start flying a little faster? I'm conflicted in that I'm looking forward to my classes this semester, but also looking forward to them being done. And my senior fashion show. And graduation. And the trip to Europe I'm taking with my brother. So many exciting things to do (and to wait for!). 

A week ago, I was deeply entrenched in cleaning my room. I'll spare you the details, as well as the before photos. (And, apparently, I'll spare you the after photos too, for a little bit longer! I'll write up a new post about my studio space soon.) However, my mom came to help, and it took us over a day to clean out, pack up, and reorganize my little apartment bedroom into a functioning, clean studio space to work in. And boy, was it worth it. Above, you can see some of the materials I'm using for my collection! It's so inspiring to work in this clean, bright space. I can feel the creativity flowing!

Speaking of! I finished three sweaters over break. I was hoping to get at least four done, but I'm still really happy with the amount I finished. It puts me that much further ahead for the semester! As of right now, I'm planning to make 13 garments: seven sweater knit garments, three coats, two pairs of trousers, and one blouse. Having three done is going to help me keep my sanity! I found the process of knitting them over break to be so enjoyable. Honestly, it was some of the most fun I'd had in a long time. Is that silly? It felt great to be productive and get lots done, and it was so pleasant to sit and knit without any sources of stress.

I'll show photos on my models once all my garments are complete, but in the meantime, here are some flat shots of the finished sweaters. The intarsia turned out great! I'm so stoked about it!

Mostly successfully matched up the triangles on the side seams. Good 'nuff!

Everything in the yarn looks so luscious. I'm really happy with this one, and how very classic it turned out! I did have to re-do the neckband last night. I seam things really tightly, which had eliminated all of the stretch. It actually fits over heads now, while still maintaining a tight crew style!

I don't think I even posted about this sweater at all! After the intarsia took me two weeks, this felt like a breeze to whip up in five days. It's a shawl collar cardigan with a saddle shoulder and some pretty terrific shaping. I also did a cool feathery stitch on the sleeves that I am pretty excited about!

Here you can see I did the back in panels to create a little bit of a flounce. It was so cool to see it actually turn out as I had envisioned it!

I have only done strictly set-in sleeves before this, so I was unsure as to how the saddle shoulder would turn out. It went pretty okay, and I love the extra detail! I read that this style is used more in menswear, but the lacy stitch adds more of a feminine touch to this sweater.

How delicious is this stitch pattern, seriously?

So that was my break! Now, I have to catch up on reading textbooks!