23 August 2010

Get Back To The Yarn

At The 2009 TTC Knitalong I treated myself to some beautiful cotton and linen from Americo.  It was enough to knit their Rose Sweater and came with the pattern.  I immediately bought all the required needles, at a fair expense, and cast on.  The body went along like wild fire until it got to the shaping.  It was odd.  So I left it alone and I cast on a sleeve on the prescribed needle, a short circular for knitting a tube shaped sleeve in the round.  It was awkward.  I was fighting the needle.  None of the measurements or yarn requirements were working out either.  Slowly, it dawned on me that this was a very badly written pattern. Bad math combined with awkward techniques equals unsatisfying knitting experience.  In frustration the whole project got tossed in a bag and onto the closet floor where it has languished ever since.
Guilt drove me to pull it out last week.  I studied it for quite a while and knit a bit more.  No good.
Then I remembered the reason I bought the stuff in the first place.  It's the yarn.  I love the feel, the colour and the drape of these two types of cotton.  I love the way they play off each other.  I want a droopy sweater made from this fibre.  I needed to get back to the yarn.
Basically, this is just a stocking stitch pullover with a round neck.  I've knit one or two in my day so why was I becoming a slave to the pattern?   I ripped back to the armhole shaping and started doing my own math.  I added length and then shaped the armholes the way I like them.  I dislike shoulder shaping so I just didn't do it.  The body and neckline are now done.  The stupid, ill fitting sleeve has been ripped out and I've cast on sleeves the way I prefer to knit them - two at a time on straight needles, top down.  When I run out of yarn, the sleeves will be done.  Then I can insert them flat and seam.  See?  Simple.
Funny how just looking at a project differently turns it around completely.  I'm enjoying this project again because I remembered that ultimately it's about the knitting.  And the yarn.

3 comments:

Heddy said...

pretty yarn ... looks soft! Glad you found something that makes you happy to make with it :)

also - I recognise that little pot on te window ledge :)

Yvette said...

Love the little pot! It's lived there on the ledge since it arrived.

knitterbeader said...

Love the yarn, and your story about the pattern from Hell. Look forward to seeing your own designed sweater. I recognize the pink plate in the window. I have several pink pieces of the same pattern in Fostoria!