Progress!

Posted on August 08, 2006 by knittingpatterns4you | 7 Comments

I finished knitting and sewing up the grey cardigan on Sunday! Adam spent the weekend fishing with his friends and I managed to knit an entire sweater while he was gone. He came home and I showed it to him and you could see the shock on his face. I'm sure he was thinking "If you can finish a sweater in a weekend why is there so much yarn everywhere!"

Here's a sneak peek:

grey cardigan

You can see the neckline with the button loop, and the fancy shoulder decreases of the grey cardigan. I still have to weave in the ends (obviously), sew on the button, and do the pattern writing. I am aiming to have this pattern up by next weekend, with any luck.

On top of the grey, you'll notice something else. That's what I started after finishing the grey cardigan (this project monogamy thing really works!). I've finishing the back and that's a sneak peek of the left front. This one will be a funky cropped pullover, with peekaboo details framed by the cables you see here, and extra-long sleeves. This yarn couldn't decide what it wanted to be, so I spent most of yesterday's knitting time flipping through my idea books and scrapbooks, looking at sketches and swatching, before I fell upon this idea. Now I'm completely obsessed with it and am zipping right along!

Both these projects required a lot of thought and planning up front but the actual knitting isn't too hard, which is how I prefer to do things in general. I want my knitting to be relaxing and meditative. While I don't mind ripping out to fix mistakes, I hate having to stop every other row to make sure everything's going as planned. I've found that by being really careful with planning, and developing certain preferences and sticking to them, a lot of the uncertainty in knitting goes away, and you can enjoy the knitting with a fewer interruptions.

Thinking this while knitting both the projects gave me an idea to write a series of articles on "details." Things that make finishing easier/neater, ways to add a little something extra to a plain sweater, that sort of thing. As with almost everything in knitting, there is no right or wrong way to do anything, there's just personal preference, trial and error, and "what you always do." I've developed a certain style and preference through the years, but I'm not sure all the tiny details come through in finished project photos, so maybe no one sees they're there. I don't believe it's appropriate to write these things into knitting patterns because of the personal preference issue, but it's nice to know there are options out there, and maybe to try them out.

Would anyone be interested in seeing a series of informative articles like that? I'm going to try to write a new one once or twice a month, and post them here and over at the Chiagu Resources section.
I have a few issues in mind to address already, but if you have something you'd like to see, dealing specifically with small details/techniques, drop me a comment or email me at yivich@gmail.com. Thanks!

Posted in knitting


7 Responses

vanessa
vanessa

August 10, 2006

yes, i’d love to read them!

jess
jess

August 08, 2006

s/do/so/

I should proofread better! :) sorry about that.

Shana
Shana

August 09, 2006

Those articles are a great idea! You should definately go for it. Can’t wait to see the entire gray cardi. I love the armhole decreases. Can’t wait to read how to do that.

LESLIE
LESLIE

August 09, 2006

Yvette,
I just don’t know how you have the time to do everything you do…this blog is UNBELIEVEALBE!!!!…what do you think about the vneck shawl collar from larok for my stormy project? would love your opinion as you know you are my favorite knit stylist!

Savida
Savida

August 09, 2006

The articles are a great idea! I would love to see info about:
1) choosing a cast-on and bind-off method, given the nature of the project
2) choosing selvedge methods, given how the edge will be seamed, or if it’s a free edge, or if stitches will be picked up
3) making the transition in a cabled sweater from body to ribbing “pretty,” and also, given a sweater’s stitch pattern, the ratio of body stitches to ribbing stitches so that the ribbing doesn’t flare out or pucker.

Maria
Maria

August 08, 2006

I really love this idea of articles on details. Knitting is the fun part, but the small details in finishing the piece is what makes or breaks the completion of the project. I have been looking for articles on seaming sleeves…very hard to find.

jess
jess

August 08, 2006

I love technical posts, do I would be interested in informative articles like that. :)

can’t wait to see the grey cardi!

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