The Unluckiest Halloween Ever

All that's left of Halloween now is the candy, and of course the pictures. This year I did something I don't normally do, a big involved project straight out of horror movie history. I designed and hand knitted Pamela Voorhees' sweater from Friday the 13th. The protective, murderous mother who started Jason's numerous killing sprees around Camp Crystal Lake.

Here I am with my doppelganger Betsy Palmer.

If it weren't for my inability to make a scary face, you could hardly tell us apart!

I became interested in this design when Google revealed that no one else (I could find) seems to have made one. I found my calling! Then I only had to buy a comparable yarn, figure out all the cables, determine a gauge that would space them correctly, and design the sweater shape and fit. No problem, right?

Did I mention this was my first time designing a sweater?
Yep.  I do like to make things as complicated for myself as possible.

To match Mrs. Voorhees' classic silhouette, I went for a loose and boxy design, with about 3" of ease around the bust and 2" around the arms.

A loose fit keeps you mobile for murderousness

The yarn is Lettlopi, an Icelandic wool I picked up from Craftsy, in the colorway Ash Heather. It's a slightly fuzzy wool, variegated in white and gray. The recommended needle size is 8, but I found that too loose, and used size 6 instead.

One particular struggle I had was the the rather flat looking cables in the center panel. It took a few experiments before I discovered the wonder of uneven cables. Though I've made more than a couple projects with cables, I'd always used the "even" method—crossing 2, or 3, or 4 stitches across the same number of stitches. For this project I tried a variety of number of stitches and rows, but whatever I tried, it didn't look quite like the original. They stood out too much and didn't have the softness I was looking for. A little research revealed that uneven cables can achieve the look I was searching for. The very simple solution was crossing 3 stitches over 2! 

I used another new-to-me method on the cuffs. They appeared to be folded over in the original, so I made the cuff twice the length I usually would, then folded it up and stitched it into place. 

This required that I seam it so the right side of the cuff was opposite to the right side of the sleeve body. 

The seam is on the outside of the cuff.

It become invisible once the cuff is folded up.

The collar was made using the same method, giving it a thickness that keeps it very stable.

I had a lot of fun with this project and looking forward to wearing my very unlucky Friday the 13th sweater all winter long.  I hope to have the full pattern up for sale in time for next Halloween!

Ready for anything.

Halloween! What are you making?

Boo! It's only two days until Strung Out Fiber Arts' favorite holiday. Though my shop is always busy in the months before Halloween, the number of orders that came in this year caught me off guard. I have been busy busy making many little Snow Whites, many little Cinderellas, and many, many, many little Elvises. Now that Halloween is right around the corner, I have a bit more time for my own projects.

 

If (like me) you're still in the Halloween mood and (unlike me) have finished your Halloween costume,  check out this great list of free patterns for Halloween Decorations compiled by Moogly.

I particularly enjoy the Spider in a Jar on Fun and Fang and the Zombie Phone Case on Cult of Crochet, which, let's be honest, I would rock all year round. All these last minute goodies look like tons of fun, but what I really want to tell you about is the super-secret project I'll be showing off on Halloween night.

It's quite a bit different from my usual Halloween projects, which run more along the line of these extremely classy wigs (warning: shameless plug for a pattern available in my Ravelry Store).

The Mod Bob with Devil Horns

The Mod Bob with Alien Antennae

My project this year isn't a hat at all. There are no horns or antennas involved. No blood shot eyeballs. No vampire teeth.
 
In fact, it's a sweater.

Scary right? If you're too afraid, you can stop reading here. I won't judge.

It is in fact a very specific sweater from a particular classic horror movie, and I am very much looking forward to sharing my terrifying new look with you all (just as soon as I get the darn thing finished). Any guesses?

No, it's not this one.



Too Easy!

I can't tell you just yet, since it's still in it's final stages of seaming and finishing, but I will tell you it involves cables. A terrifying number of cables! Haunted cables.

Do you recognize it?

Tune in for the exciting conclusion...coming soon.