first time for everything
Wednesday, August 10, 2005 at 10:52AM Knitting? Oh yes, there has been knitting. This past week, while work was a great big creative frenzy, I started knitting for fun. Not a fun way to earn money- just fun. It has been... ages. And wow, knitting? It really is fun! The 
hourglass-esque sweater, it is beautiful- the royal blue tweedyness, the raw silk smell, the super thin fabric... the fact that this is the very first sweater I have ever knit for myself. Did you read that right? Yes, you did, and I can hardly believe it myself. All the other sweaters I have ever made have been shop models, commission knitting jobs, or baby sweaters for sale or gifts. Never, ever have I knit a sweater for myself, despite the fact that I have bought copious amounts of yarn with which to do so. So this sweater will forever be a special one. I started over on Thursday, after I realized that the sturdy tweed Trinity and my idea of a delicate picot hem didn't go well with each other. A simple purl row for a turning ridge, that is all it needed. Over the weekend, I got up to the body-meets-arm part- this thing is flying, despite the size 4 needles! Ya gotta love knitting in the round, right? It flies. At the armholes, I had to do actual math (um, should I confess that I did the waist shaping without any sort of math at all... just deciding to decrease every 20 rows, then increase every 16, and holding it up to myself as I went along to make sure it looked alright?) in order to figure out how many stitches to put aside for the sleeves, as well as how many to cast on for the sleeves in the first place. I turned to Knitting Without Tears, and I'll be using Elizabeth Zimmerman's percentages for the top of the sleeves. The bottom, with the bell shape, I'm kind of winging based on the number I want to get at the top. So this sweater is a total hybrid- inspired by the Hourglass Sweater in style details, with pattern and shaping devised by me based in part on Elizabeth Zimmerman percentages. Fun, nearly mindless knitting. Just what the doctor ordered. I'm warming up for my next big project- it's about time I earned that Summer of Lace button on my sidebar, right?
In little knitting news, I'm making a baby sundress for my cutie-pie niece! Blue Sky Alpacas Organic Cotton... mmmm... good grief, I love this yarn! This is destined to be a little button-strap tank dress to wear over a onesie. I'm hoping it is a little big for her, since she grows every time I blink, and I'd love it if it fits her for more than two seconds. The color (who knew the early morning light in my bedroom was so very blue and misty?) is a gorgeous warm lavender. She is flying (with her parents, of course) to Tulsa for a family visit in just over a week, so I'm going to finish it in time for her to wear it during her trip.
Tomorrow at Knit Cafe we should be getting a great big box of clothes- a trunk show for the Teva Durham book, Loop-d-Loop. I can't wait to see these clothes in person- some of the designs were really interesting, and I'm excited to be able to inspect them up close. I love to turn knitwear inside out...
Reader Comments (4)
i look forward to seeing your hourglass completed.