Welcome to a knitterly celebration of Isabell Kraemer’s delightfully wearable designs featured in MDK Field Guide No. 10: Downtown.
If you’re currently at work on your Isabell Kraemer project, guess what: you’re already in.
If you’re ready to embark now, we’re here to welcome you with a big hug and a festive beverage (virtual but delicious).
And if you’ve already completed a project, way to go! Bragging is encouraged.
What We’re Making
The options for the Great Isabell Knitalong are three designs from MDK Field Guide No. 10: Downtown . See them all here. The featured yarns are by Jill Draper, the masterful hand dyer. (All yarns are welcome, of course. But we do love a Jill Draper color.)
We invite you to share your choices, problems, progress photos, everything.
The knitalong will officially draw to a close on Friday, May 24, at which point we will give prizes to a few fabulous knitters for their efforts.
You can get all your Great Isabell Knitalong fixings in our convenient one-stop pop-up shop. We can set you up with a fresh-baked Field Guide, the Jill Draper yarn of your choice, and notions up to and including the bag in which you will tote your project.
I just finished a test. Just need to sew in ends. My books are hidden away in the construction destruction and yarn is hidden away but hope to start before the end, even if I can’t finish in time. I think I’m going for the fingering pullover, whatever it is called!
OK. My plan is a Bottom Line Pullover in Jill Draper’s Mohonk Light. The shade? Spinach. Spinach is SUCH A GREEN. Green is my favorite color, so to have this yarn that goes from almost-black green to Crayola green to new-leaf green is completely my jam. I cast on a couple of weeks ago in a frenzy and am at this point almost done with the yoke. Will scrounge some pix. Working a size medium with size 3 needles, which gave me gauge when I worked and blocked a flat swatch. Hoping for a slouchy Isabell fit. Hoping somehow to magically transform into Isabell. We’ll see how that goes.
I’ve never made a sweater and I’ve never done a KAL, but there’s a first time for everything! I actually had some DK yarn saved for a different sweater, and I had planned out all my projects for the year on a schedule, but I just fell in love with Petula and I think it would be really nice to make my first sweater as part of a KAL. I’ll be making a size extra small instead of medium based on my gauge, and I’ll be knitting Portuguese to help my wrists. I can’t wait to cast on tonight!
I’m knitting the Bottom Line pullover. Right now I am just knitting the swatch (very boring). I’m using Knitpicks stroll tonal. The color is called Raven. I’m excited. I will post a photo tonight.
My cardigan mods for Bottom Line: I’ve added 5 stitches to each end for built-in, garter stitch button plackets. I’m working small (yo, k2tog) buttonholes every 20 rows two stitches in from the edge on one side. I have placed a marker in the center to guide me when I work the short rows. I’m knitting all rows for garter stitch (except in the lace panel) because I’m faster at knitting than at purling and I like the way it looks.I moved the bottom line of eyelets up beneath the lace panel.
I hope so! I have heard that Portuguese knitting is great for colorwork because the piece is knitted inside out, and it’s easier to maintain healthy tension. I guess I’ll find out I have a silvery grey for the body and a deep blue for the contrast color.
i’m going to knit petula using cascade venezia sport in a creamy color with mohonk, shell pink, in the yoke. very excited! am already in isabell’s anniversary kal on ravelry so will jump in here when i finish my wip. looking forward to seeing everyone’s progress!
Hello, All! I’m a long-time MDK lurker, first-time poster. I am very excited to join the Isabell KAL after watching from the sidelines as everyone banged out gorgeous Nora Gaughan sweaters in February! Because I’m going “cold-sheep” for 2019, I hope to knit the Bottom Line pullover with some light fingering I have in my stash. It’s a giant skein (1750 yards/ 397g!) of superwash BFL called Katahdin from Miss Babs. Does anyone have any yarn substitution wisdom for me? Obviously I will be diligent about swatching.
It’s lovely to see all these beautiful projects! Keep the photos coming…
Question: I happen to have three skeins of Madelinetosh Twist Light in my stash (1260 yds). It’s so hard to tell from the previously made projects I have looked through in Ravelry, but do you folks think I could get a size small Bottom Line Pullover out of them? If so, I am joining a knitalong I had no plan to join!
So, here’s my confession:
I’m knitting the Mohonk Light at a little looser gauge and knitting one size smaller - I’m sure you can get a nice fabric at 6 stitches to the inch with your MTL and that will extend your yardage and lighten the sweater and take less knitting time. All winners.
As for the yardage, I think it will work, esp if you bump the gauge.
The reason I decided to bump the gauge is that I want a lighter and more open fabric to extend the wearing window.
@nellknits I am not a super experienced sweater knitter, only 3 so far, and all to pattern, and I want to make sure I am picking up what you are putting down. Basically, I could knit an XS in at 6 Sts to the inch instead of 6.5 for all the benefits you mention above? Thanks btw for the help!
I have a silvery grey for the body and a deep blue for the contrast color.
