Beaubourg | Begun.

I shared with y'all last week that I was going to swatch and cast-on for Beaubourg. Yes, that happened!

going for 4 stitches and 6-1/2 rows to the inch

First, the swatch. I've used Heichi several times before at the pattern suggested gauge, most recently in May, 2012 when I knit Element. on size 8's. I'm glad I knit a new swatch; my gauge has loosened up a bit! With the 8's, my stitch gauge was about 1/4 stitch per inch too big (maybe workable?), but the row gauge was about one row per inch too big. Row gauge matters for Beaubourg because the sleeves and shoulders are shaped with short rows. If I followed the pattern with my too-big row gauge, the 32 rows of shoulder shaping would be 6" long instead of nearly 5". On a piece that's already oversized, I didn't want to go there. So I swatched again on size 7's. My stitch gauge is a smidge tight, but I got the row gauge closer. Now I'm only 1/2 row per inch too big (six rows to the inch). I can live with that. I cast on with size 7's.

This sweater is knit in pieces; the back and front are knit separately and then seamed together. That means the back and front need to be the exact same length. When I'm knitting pieces that need to match exactly, I like to count rows instead of measuring. I converted the measurements to rows by multiplying the number of inches by 6 (my row gauge). For example, I needed to knit 13" before I started the underarm shaping. 13" is 78 rows. Easy!

The underarm shaping started on row 79. The pattern says to cast on stitches at the beginning of the next 6 rows. I used the knitted cast-on and then worked the new stitches as part of the row. I'm now more than halfway (I've worked 33 of the required 54 rows) to the back shoulder shaping.

Love that i-cord along the sleeve edge!

and now that pile of yarn looks like this.

on skein #4 (of 12)

New from Julie Hoover.

We hinted about Julie's new collection for Manos Del Uruguay on Pinterest a few weeks back (remember?) ...then we saw all the details on her blog. and finally, today, our favorite three patterns have arrived in the shop.

Beaubourg, Palette and Flore

...and now we can share them with you!

Flore, with Manos' Silk Blend in Nickel, Natural, Coffee and Pewter

First up, Flore (because Julie says it's her personal favorite...and honestly, it's mine too!)  , a relaxed fit seamless raglan pullover knit from the bottom-up in stockinette stitch and then turned inside out. The pattern calls for two colors of Manos' Silk Blend (a DK-weight wool/silk blend). It's shown in Natural and Nickel. We also love the rich brown (appropriately named Coffee) and the blue (Pewter). These four colors would work well striped in any combination.  Depending on your size, you'll need 4-5 skeins of the main color and 3-4 skeins of the contrast. The pattern suggests a size 9 needle to get 4 stitches and 7 rows to the inch.

Beaubourg, with Lorna's Laces, Madelinetosh Vintage, Chadwick and Cascade Eco Cloud

Then there's Beaubourg  , an oversized dolman pullover worked in reverse stockinette (purl stitches on the right side) with exposed seams. The silhouette reminds us of Chaleur (Julie lists differences between the two designs on her Ravelry project page here), but with easier stitches and construction (meaning this would be a great first or second sweater for a newer knitter, or a "social" project for those with more sweater experience). The pattern suggests Manos' Maxima, a worsted weight single ply merino yarn that's similar to Juniper Moon's Chadwick. We also think Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted, Madelinetosh Vintage and Cascade Eco or Eco Cloud would all be great substitutes. Look for a wool (or mostly wool blend) that suggests 4-1/2 stitches to the inch.

Palette, with Sulka and Voyage

And finally, Palette , a chunky double-wide cowl with yummy textures of garter and rib stitches. It's fully reversible and can be worn doubled or hanging straight down. The pattern suggests Manos' Wool Clasica, an aran weight single ply merino. We love all the yarns suggested above (for Beaubourg) and also Mirasol's Sulka, a lovely merino/alpaca/silk blend and Berroco's Voyage, an alpaca/polyester (93%/7%) blend with a chainette construction similar to Cascade's Cloud. The alpaca would make a toasty warm hug for someone special! The cowl takes about 400 yards of yarn, seven to eight skeins of the Sulka or two of the Voyage.

photoshoot outtake. those flowers always make me smile!