Saturday, March 03, 2012

Antidote

I mentioned that there was an antidote to those unfortunate hats I showed you.
This is my new favourite sweater.

Oranger and Oranger
Yarn: Brie, from Artfibers, bought when I was in last back at home
Needles: I don't remember, probaby 4.0mm circulars
Pattern: my own

I realized I was sabotaging myself by thinking I wasn't doing "enough" designing and getting more stuff out there. Every time I wanted to knit something, I would feel guilty because I wasn't finishing off designs, or swatching to submit new ones, or doing a thousand other "more useful" knitting work, so I just wasn't doing any at all. I gave myself a mental slap and thought any production, any knitting, was better than nothing at all. So I threw off all guilt and knit something just for myself. No plans for a pattern, no thoughts of "but how would I do this for 9 sizes", no compromises to make it easier for others to knit or easier to explain in a pattern. Just for me.

Two delicious cable patterns are the only ornamentation for this sweater. I used a wide boatneck to mimic the neckline of a favourite store-bought sweater.

The yarn is beautiful- lovely to work with and gorgeously soft. The only worry I have is that since it's a very loosely spun 2-ply, I will have to watch the pilling carefully. Hmm, must dig out that sweater shaver.

One thing I have very proud of with this sweater is that I tried doing bottom-up sleeves in one piece for this.
I knit the sweater up to the armholes, then knit the sleeves to the same point. Put a few stitches from both on holders and joined just as you would for a raglan sleeve. Instead of the raglan decreases, I decreased as if for a set-in sleeve. Once I got to the shaping at the top of the sleeve, I did bind off for the cap, so had to seam a couple of inches at the top. But, I could just as easily have done the shaping with short rows and kept the stitches live, then knit each stitch together with the shoulder stitches, and thus have no seaming except for at the underarm. I plan to do this with the next sweater.

I really love this- it's what I've been wanting to wear for ages.