Once upon a time, not really all that long ago, the thought of finding a new knitting project was always a little bit of a crisis. This was not due to any shortage of available yarn but because usually I would have some vague fancy of what I might feel like knitting mixed with some niggling suspicion that there was some other project that I really wanted to wear but I couldn't remember what it was or where I might have put either the requisite yarn or the pattern. Although I might start off with calm assurances that I knew exactly what I wanted to do, what usually happened is that, in some fit of overconfidence, I put off pulling out the yarn until I was suddenly desperate for something to work on "right then" and I ended up running around the house like a banshee strewing yarn in my wake.
But I have been attempting to find a more rational path. And I have also decided to actually think about what I knit and how it fits into my existing wardrobe and what I want to wear.
I have had great plans in the last six weeks or so: Plans that I would try on the garments in my closet to find out what things fit me now and what things I have or need to make to build a functional wardrobe around those pieces. It has not gone smoothly. After the fiasco with the
Gedifra vest, when I discovered that I don't play sort-through-the-wardrobe well with an audience, I haven't really found much time to work on those closet issues. I had ideas of what to wear with that vest, but I didn't manage to try any of them out. It appeared I had already violated my vow not to create any new orphan garments. I was also increasingly frustrated that my closet did not contain the things I wanted to wear, or if it did they no longer fit.
I was determined that whatever I knit next, it would be something that would fit into my life now. And I knew that this time, I was at least on the path to being more organized.
When we cleaned out G's old office and turned it into the library it quickly became evident that there was going to be enough room for me to have at least a partial fabric or yarn closet. I decided that it would hold both. As I put yarn into the closet I thought about what projects I might want to knit with the yarns that I was putting aside and I would make a list with references to the yarn and the requisite patterns so that everything would be in one place. I actually haven't finished the indexed list yet, but I do have all the yarn together, sorted and with notes as to patterns. It was enough to work with.
I knew I wanted a cardigan, a winter cardigan, and probably a fairly casual cardigan that I could wear with jeans because at this point my life has settled into a rather quiet routine. But even when I wear jeans I am a person who likes a certain amount of coordination in what I wear so I still had to think about the form of this next cardigan. Upon looking at my list the choices were quickly narrowed down to three that could be worn almost immediately and would tide me over until I could get myself a little more pulled together in terms of pursuing my own interests in wardrobe, knitting, and sewing.
When I went to the yarn stash, it was obvious that only one sweater was perfect. Of the three, one was too complicated for my current state of mind and one required too much alteration and fiddling and decision-making considering size. The perfect sweater was
Linden by Véronik Avery from the fall issue of Twist Collective. I had the yarn and the pattern together. I have everything else I needed, or almost everything else I needed.
As usual, I still panicked a little bit with the starting of the new project. I had believed that I would finish the scarf Wednesday or on Thursday, and I wanted to have all the planning work completed so I could just start the new sweater at our Thanksgiving knit-together. But it didn't work out that way. I have been working out some allergy issues and Wednesday saw me needing another IV steroid and benadryl infusion with the result that I was knitting my gauge swatch on Thursday morning, and I just managed to wash the swatch and block it, then gather up enough yarn and needles to begin before we departed for the Thanksgiving celebrations.
In the end I didn't start until Sunday.
Yarn Over is a rather bulky yarn which makes a firm fabric at the requisite 4 1/2 stitches per inch. In my usual way, I have had to go down two needle sizes from the recommended needle size and this is a tight knit on size US 6 needles. The resulting fabric is also quite firm, almost stiff, although it softens up considerably upon washing. I think the body of the fabric will really enhance the shape of the sweater. In the meantime, it seems like a rather slow knit, but not difficult.
In fact I am progressing faster than I would have thought. Even though the back was stockinette it went fairly quickly. Of course I have a cold, which may be enhanced by my continued reliance on a course of steroids until a certain allergen gets out of my system.
Even though I am not knitting quickly, I am knitting consistently every day. And I am actually enjoying knitting this project despite the rather tight gauge.
Here is the back on the blocking board. I have lengthened the pattern about 3 inches due to my height and long torso. I really don't need any extra length along the shaped part of the sweater, just greater length at the bottom so this was a really simple alteration. I am guessing that I don't need extra flare at the base either, as I am not really adding that much extra length.
I am slightly annoyed at that one small section of the bottom where my gauge was slightly off and I see a ridge in the knitting. I am not annoyed enough to rip it out. It simply adds character to the sweater and reminds me of what was going on in my life during the knitting.
I will start the front tonight.
