Tag Archives: The Shepherd and the Shearer

Amber’s Shepherd Hoodie — Body and Sleeves

Shepherd in the sunset

It grows! Judging from these pictures I took in my front yard, one of several things happened after the right front was done:  A) I lost my head amidst the lanolin fumes and thought I had a lap full of sheep that needed to graze, B) I have a thing for tossing lovely white sweaters on the dirty ground, or C) There was no light and/or no clean spot on the floor in my house at the moment I felt like taking a picture. (I’m leaning toward both B & C personally…)

Shepherd progress

Sadly, the other front was finished late in the evening a few days later when it was much too dark outside for a picture, so I had to settle for throwing it on my dirty floor instead.

Shepherd 1-21

Then yesterday the back was finished (AND I FORGOT TO TAKE A PICTURE CRAP CRAP CRAP),

{ see? no picture of the back and front flaps laid out flat here }

and today the shoulders were seamed.

Shepherd

I was so excited to finally try it on today and it’s a nice fit (or will be once it’s blocked of course), but I will admit to having a momentary twinge of wishing I had made it a little longer. Actually, I almost did make it a few inches longer, but with not being sure about yarn amounts and all that, I didn’t think it would be smart to risk running out and having to sacrifice the hood at the end, so I only went over the length the pattern called for by a teensy smidge.

Shepherd

But ANYWAY, enough of my incessant public hand-wringing. I know it will block out a little bigger in all directions, and I will still love it no matter what, so that’s all I need to say about that.

In the realm of real regrets though, I do wish I had more sleeve progress to share this week. It took me so long just to get to the point of starting them, I’m afraid I didn’t get very far in time for today’s post.

Shepherd

And in the spirit of full disclosure (yes, one of my all time, most-overused phrases, sorry), I had some difficulty understanding the pattern directions when it came to the sleeve stitch slipping and picking up part. I’m not going to write it all out here due to specific pattern discussion and all that, but I will direct you to the ever helpful Juniper Moon Farm KAL thread on Ravelry in case you’re having a similar problem. Or perhaps you just want to have a chuckle at my apparent ineptitude, either way is good.

So. I leave you until next time with this picture of my wee sleeve baby, and the hopes that I have two full ones to share in my next post. Happy Shepherding, friends!

Shepherd

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meAmber resides in sporadically idyllic Berks County, PA with her husband and three children.

This time of year, she can most often be found knitting, baking, sewing, or DIYing her house to heck and back. She definitely should leave that house more often.

Amber’s Shepherd Hoodie — Moving Along

Well, trying to move along, anyway…

Shepherd again

Between a million house projects (full disclosure: I am dreaming up some shoe shelves for our coat closet as I type this) and a vigorous jump start on “spring cleaning,” I’m afraid my knitting time has been somewhat cut into as of late.

Shepherd

I had hoped to be done with the entire body by this post, but I’m afraid it was not to be. In fact, it was just yesterday that I added in my fifth ball of yarn and finished my fifth chart repeat.

The Shepherd

Oh! And because I apparently like some degree of public humiliation, I will share a close-up of my crappy buttonholes.

The Shepherd

Not only do I totally stink at making these Tulip buttonholes (my edge is really pulled in at each one, despite trying very hard not to over-tighten), I also messed up the spacing between TWO holes now, by like two rows each time, and it is super noticeable. You’ll forgive me for not sharing that this time — a little shame goes a long way…

On a brighter note though, I gave my fabric a little tug sideways to see how it will block out eventually and I am quite pleased! The texture of these cables is so dynamic, you’d never suspect that it is such an easy knit.

The Shepherd

Late yesterday evening, I finally made it to the dividing row,

The Shepherd

and got a tiny start on the right front.

The Shepherd

Next time I certainly hope to have a finished body to share, and maybe even some sleeve progress. How are your Shepherds going? I’ve seen a lot of gorgeous projects in various stages of completion in the project gallery on Ravelry and the finished ones are making me want to pick up the pace here!

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meAmber resides in sporadically idyllic Berks County, PA with her husband and three children.

This time of year, she can most often be found knitting, baking, sewing, or DIYing her house to heck and back. She definitely should leave that house more often.

Amber’s Shepherd Hoodie — Getting Started

Before folks received their yarn, we all goaded Amber into sharing her The Shepherd progress on the blog. Fortunately she’s holding true to her our bullying and is sharing her journey with  is. After being sick to death of this yarn, I love being able to see it through fresh eyes. If you missed out on this opportunity, come back later this week for more info. And come back later today for more giveaways and some of the giveaway winners! — Lauria

The Shepherd and the Shearer yarnIt may come as a surprise to any of you who read my Tags post a while back that I have seen the error of my ways and am now knitting with the packing material (or “yarn,” as people keep calling it) rather than the tags themselves. Learn something new every day!

The Shepherd and the Shearer yarn

Seriously though? This stuff is the yarn of my dreams. Even before I (finally) successfully learned to knit a few years ago, I yearned for a yarn like this for my someday knitting hobby. I dreamed of creating hard-wearing garments, durable things I could treat with the usual tough love I subjected my clothing to, but things that would actually hold up under that duress. And therefore things I wouldn’t mind knitting in the first place, knowing they wouldn’t be falling apart a year or two after I put all that effort into them. If anything, this is even more important to me now that I do know how to knit, and I really understand what it takes to create a finished garment.

The Shepherd and the Shearer yarn

So for me, everything about it is perfect: the look, the feel, the smell. I mean, come on, in the sunlight, it actually glows!

The Shepherd and the Shearer yarn

As far as the patterns go, I will be knitting both The Shepherd and The Shearer; The Shepherd in the actual The Shepherd and the Shearer yarn, and The Shearer in 2013 Colored Flock share yarn.  Were I not already in possession of a cabled pullover in a natural off-white yarn, I very well may have waffled for quite some time on which one to do in which color, so I was rather lucky to have the color decision made for me.

After what amounted to an elaborate game of Eenie Meenie in my head, I started with The Shepherd. I knew I was head over heels in love the moment I swatched. Even in its unblocked state, the cable pattern was something very special, and the pattern was such a pleasure to knit.

The Shepherd swatch - unblocked

Blocking it only made me love it more.

half-heartedly blocked

I tried to finish up a few other projects, or at least get a little farther on some of them before I couldn’t stand it anymore and finally cast on, and it has been hard to put down since then.

quiet moment

Seriously, that GLOW!

seed stitch

The Shepherd progress

The Shepherd progress

I’ve heard people worrying that the cables look too complex for them, and truthfully? I was even a little intimidated at first glance, despite having cabled before. But once you get started, you will find it is actually a rather simple pattern, and one which is very easy to follow. Written with Kate Davies‘ usual flair for making even the most daunting knitting goal seem attainable (*cough* remember my steeking?), The Shepherd is sure to pleasantly surprise even the most trepidatious knitter with its simplicity and its fluid, rhythmic pattern.

This is how serious I am about this: I drink wine and watch All Creatures Great and Small while I knit it (by candlelight) and I have not made a mistake yet. (Well okay, not any that I didn’t catch a few stitches later, but I do those in broad daylight too.)

a little nighttime knitting

The Shepherd

I feel my Shepherd is growing a little more slowly than I would have liked, but it is growing nonetheless! It is so exciting seeing the cables unfurl as I go, and I really cannot stress enough what an enjoyable knit it is. The only thing better will be to wear it someday.

The Shepherd

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One other thing I will share that helped me immensely was the Shepherd KAL thread in the Juniper Moon Farm Ravelry group. A discussion on the tulip buttonholes proved to be a lifesaver to my number-addled brain, so if anyone is having trouble, I encourage you to check out that conversation for some great tips and suggestions.

Until next time, fellow Shepherd enthusiasts!

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meAmber resides in sporadically idyllic Berks County, PA with her husband and three children.

This time of year, she can most often be found knitting, baking, sewing, or DIYing her house to heck and back. She definitely should leave that house more often.