The main difference between a process knitter and a finished
project knitter is their goal. For process knitters it is enough to have
something in their hands – preferably warm, soft, and beautiful yarn – but for
some any yarn would suffice as long as they are making something, anything from
it. The first obvious choice of a project for this kind of knitters is a
blanket: no particular shape, no decreases/increases, and almost no finishing.
Pure mindless knitting. And if it is done for a good cause (charity, gift for a
new born, or any gift for that matter) it makes the whole process much more
meaningful and gives you moral satisfaction, a considerable bonus to your
previous mindless knitting.
The other group of knitters’ main goal is to make something
that could be worn by a human being therefore it must have a particular shape
and fit the aforementioned human. This path is thorny, full of traps, and
ambushes. Sometimes it reminds me of a minefield where a knitter, a de-mining
specialist, a bomb diffuser, slowly and painfully gets to the end. I am not
surprised anymore by the high level of anxiety and fretfulness exhibited by
many knitters that I know – after all they put a lot of time, effort, and a
good deal of money (we all love expensive yarns, don’t we?) into a project that
might turn out a complete disaster.
Over the years I’ve been a process knitter and a finished
project knitter depending of the circumstances of my life and I definitely can
see the appeal of both ways. Yet, I don’t think that the process knitters would
be interested in my ramblings here. Today I am sharing some of my “knit-hacks” that
can prevent disappointments and help with “troubleshooting” in case you pick
the same patterns as I did in January.
I bought the yarn - Rowan wool cotton – years ago because of
its color. It was the time when I was knitting mostly to feel something in my hands
and when seamless projects just started popping up in knitting magazines. I
picked this cardigan by Carrie Bostick Hoge from Classic Elite pamphlet # 9096
and made it in no time. It was worn only once because the fit was horrible. It
made me look like a hunchback and a dwarf without legs. Everything was wrong –
the length, the width, the flopping and awkward fronts that I was never able to
close or at least to straighten (they kept curling like on the Ravelry pattern picture).
The whole cardigan was a mess but the color was still great. It was obvious
that this yarn with its wonderful stitch definition should become something
completely different, with shape and form. So I unraveled, washed, and balled
it, and then started looking for a perfect project for it. Finally, last
summer, when Grey by Kim Hargreaves was first published, I decided that Silver
– a fitted cabled jumper from this book – could be the right choice.
Being a knitter with many years of experience I could tell
right away that this pattern was tricky. Why? Because of the cables, of course.
They are beautiful and not too difficult to make, but they add bulk to the
garment. And this one is supposed to be fitted. So it would cling to your tummy
and the beautiful cables would give it more volume than you need. No matter how
fit and trim you are, this kind of jumper will give you a bumpier belly than a
plain one. Plus its length was a real problem for me. If I want to wear
something fitted and accentuate the waste area the garment must be no longer
than 36 cm/14.5” otherwise I look like a tiny sausage with short legs (I am 5”2’).
I came to this formula after many unfortunate knits that I had to get rid of
for only one reason – they looked awful on me.
In a way it was a gamble and my level of anxiety went
through the roof. I was weighing each finished part and the leftovers of the yarn
all the way till the end. It made me work faster because I wanted to be sure
that I’ll have enough yarn to finish the garment.
Thankfully, all went well and now it is finished, stitched together,
and washed. I call it Bronze because… it cannot be called Silver in this color, right?
What would I change if I knit it again? First, the armholes.
I don’t think they are deep enough. And there are 4 weird remnant stitches from
the rice stitch border that have no business of being there. If you make this
pattern, decrease them while shaping armholes. The sleeves would look better
when you put them in.
One more thing. My yarn is exceedingly soft and stretchy
(it’s 50% cotton). Yes, the cables give it some shape and keep it in place but
still. Use wool, or something stiffer, not too stretchy.
And make it one or even two sizes bigger (with sleeves your
normal size) and 2-3” shorter (if you are, like me, not tall).
My second January project was Ivory by Helga Isager. I
decided to make it the minute I saw it for the first time – it looks, as Kim
Hargreaves usually describes it, elegant, classy, and understated. Moreover,
the possibilities of wearing this little jumper seem to be endless. It would
look great with everything – a skirt or a pair of pants, under a cardigan or
without it.
While in London, I bought some yarn specifically for this
project – Debbie Bliss Fine Donegal. Yes, I’ve had many problems with Debbie Bliss
yarn before, but I decided to give it a try one more time. The yarn looked
practically edible – tweedy and silky, the color of oatmeal with little brown
and black specks. Perfection!
I wanted to make Ivory and this cardigan (that was never
finished because I ran out of yarn) ready for our trip to New York. But, as it
frequently happens with plans, a lot of things went wrong. First, as I already
said, the cardigan wasn’t finished. And instead of unraveling the finished
parts and starting over with another pattern I decided to knit Silver. Because…
well, who wouldn’t? And I felt cheated of my perfect cardigan and angry at my
own stupidity, so, yes, I just tried to push this major blunder out of my
conscience.
Then, I started Ivory since it seemed to be such a simple
straightforward pattern. Wrong again! If you are looking for something mindless
to make this is not a project for you. True, up to the armholes there is only
reverse stockinett, but as soon as armhole decreases start the directions get
more and more obscure.
Actually, I don’t mind complex patterns. The best patterns
are usually not that easy. What bothers me though it’s when a pattern is not
explained well and you as a knitter have to decipher directions like an ancient
papyrus. One of the knitters who also had problems making Ivory thinks that it
was translator’s fault. She may be right and some things were lost in translation,
but the layout of the pattern is determined by a tech editor. And there was a
major trouble with the pattern’s layout. Things that are supposed to happen “AT
THE SAME TIME” are explained on different pages and it was rather an acrobatic
trick to actually follow directions and knit AT THE SAME TIME. The front has
eyelets at neck opening and shoulders. Plus you make decreases for armholes and
a neck opening. Everything is explained and the math is there but it is given
in four separate chunks on different pages and thus gets confusing.
To solve this problem I calculated all four sets of rows and
made myself 4 lists with numbers. I decided to put them here but it can be
helpful only if you, like me, are making the smallest size and your row gauge is
the same as in the original pattern (or you can just use the same system for another size):
1) armholes decreases - rows 115, 117, 119, 128 + 8
= 136;
2) neck opening eyelets from row 133 (= Row 1(RS) on page 43)
till row 141 (= Row 9 on page 43 where you separate the front in the middle of
the row), then, while working two parts separately rows 145, 151, 157, 163;
3) neckline shaping decreases – rows 167, 169, 171 – 3 sts, 173 –
2 sts, 175 – 2 sts, 177 – 1 st, 179 – 1 st, 181 – 1 st;
4) eyelets on the right shoulder from row 135 (=Row
1 (RS) on page 44) till row 141 (= Row 7 on page 44), then continue with
eyelets from row 142 (=Row 8 on page 44) till row 165 (= Row 14 on page 44
second column).
Mirroring the eyelets for the left shoulder wasn’t easy as
well, so it took me a while to get through this unexpected hurdle. Plus I got
sick with flu and wasn’t knitting as much as I usually do. Anyway, I managed to
finish only the front and back before our New York trip. Actually, instead of
finishing a sleeve I decided to put the pieces together and deal with the neck
edge instead.
In the original pattern the neck opening is worked up with a
crochet hook. From the beginning I knew that I needed to find another solution.
I don’t like crochet finishes on knitted garments except in folk costumes. In
my opinion, they look too much like arts and crafts, an easy way out when you want
to cut corners and cannot really bother with finishing. So I spent several
hours experimenting with different finishes till I found the one that I liked
the best - picked up stitches around the
neck opening + 6 additional sts for the buttonhole and made 4 rows in reverse stockinett.
I sewed down my pearly button the wrong side up – this way it blended better
with the fabric. I was determined to get to the point where I really liked my
neck opening and am proud to tell you that I did.
Since I spent so much time on the neck edge I didn’t finish
Ivory before our trip. Sleeves were knit while we were traveling and in New York.
I made them long because 1) I had enough yarn left; 2) I thought that I’ll have
more use of a wool jumper with long sleeves than of one with short sleeves. For each sleeve I picked up 57 sts and made increases in every 14th row
8 times = 73 sts total, as per pattern.
When we came back and I finally washed the sleeves they
looked too narrow to me so I blocked them rather aggressively. Big mistake!
They stretched too much and stitching them together was a nightmare. Plus they
became too long and wide for my liking. Unravelling and knitting them again
wasn’t an option so I put both sleeves under hot water for a while, shaped them
as best I could and let them dry. You can see on the pictures that they are
still a little too loose at the top but otherwise fit me well.
Some knitters noted on Ravelry that there are too many
things going on at the front of Ivory. I disagree. In my opinion, everything
that is going on there has a right to be there. This top is feminine and
versatile and can be a staple in any wardrobe. I might even knit it again. Next
time with short sleeves and in a brighter color. Just for fun.
Overall, I am pleased with my January projects and I hope to
wear them for many years. If you are interested in needle sizes and yarn
requirements, you can find all the specs for both projects on Ravelry. I
described the process of making them in such details so you can avoid my
mistakes and be totally zen while knitting these patterns.
Meanwhile I figured out how to remake the ill-fated garter
stitch cardigan (the one that couldn’t be finished) and have been working on it
for a while now. For the first time I literally deconstructed a pattern because
I wanted a top down (to make sure that I have enough yarn) but at the same time
it had to have seams (because garter stitch is extremely stretchable and I don’t
want a cardigan to lose its shape after its first washing). I’ll post its
pictures as soon as it is finished. Stay tunedJ
Best,
Anna
I enjoyed reading your thoughts on process vs FO knitters -- I am both simultaneously, and perhaps FO knitters have to be also process knitters, no? Anyway, beautiful sweaters!
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree, it depends on circumstances and or mindset, but the process is always the most important thing. And thank you!
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