Jan 05
To get to the question, we must first explore the reason for it's asking. The reason- A Cardigan for Arwen, by Kate Gilbert, which I started knitting in December of 2008. I had many roadblocks with this most beautiful design, which included:
1. 6 sks of Malabrigo in one dye lot and 1 sk of Malabrigo in another very different looking dye lot. Good Job Yarn Shopper!
2. Pooling of the above mentioned Malabrigo, which resulted in using 2 or 3 sks at one time in order to keep the colors from pooling.
3. Tendonitis in the wrists, which got really bad while working the reversible cables, which are basically worked everywhere except the back.
4. Tons and tons of seaming, which I absolutely do not love. I have come to accept it as part of knitting, but I do dread it.
1, 2, 3, and 4 resulted in my cardigan being stuffed back into the project bag repeatedly and shoved in a corner to be forgotten. Well, not forgotten as it was sitting up there in my WIPs on Ravelry. Every time I logged on, I would see it up there and cringe and then quickly move on to something else.
For some reason in November of 2009 I decided that I was not going to let myself start any more sweaters until Arwen was complete. I have had to use this motivational tool several times over the years and find it very effective, as I am relatively compulsive. I dealt with the dye lot issue by blending the very light skein with a darker one and knitting 2 rows of one and 2 rows of the other on the back. I continued this technique, sometimes adding a 3rd skein to deal with the pooling issue. I got mancake to give me massages for my wrists and arms in order to work through the cables and then bam, I was done with all my pieces and the seaming was upon me. I started looking at how this whole sweater was going to go together and realized that the seaming was just not going to be fun. I am a knitter, who still thinks knitting is supposed to be fun!
Kate Gilbert designed Arwen so that the cables running up the front and the cables on the sleeve could be worked on the same rows by having the knitter cast on sts for the sleeve and work short rows for shaping the shoulder. The knitter then binds off the sts for the sleeve and works up the hood. Seaming sts end to end, one side from a cast on edge and one side from a bind off edge takes a lot of patience and can end up looking just awful if you are not diligent about it.
So, back to the question of why? Why is it that after I finished knitting this most beautiful sweater did I decide to go onto Ravelry and read all the fantastic notes that knitters before me had posted up about their experiences and ideas for knitting this sweater with less seaming? As a knitwear designer, I have come to appreciate how the knitters of the world can take what you have put out there and come up with some fantastic ideas for different ways to knit a design or enhance something about your design. I am not offended by this at all. I think it is flattering to see that someone has been inspired enough by your design to try something different and perhaps enhance it or modify it in a way that works for them. I also know that sometimes with magazine deadlines, you just do not have time to think through all the different combinations of how to create something, so I really appreciate the constructive comments and ideas that are shared.
So back to the why? I think it has something to do with my desire to just get it done! I am a finished goods knitter. I am not a process knitter- a knitter who knits for the process of it. I am a project knitter. A knitter who knits for the end result. This is not just true of my knitting by the way. I often think to myself, "hey I should go on Ravelry or do some research on knit-alongs before I knit this to see what others have to say", but when it comes down to it, I just want to knit whatever it is, so I cast on and go to it. I also spend a lot of time doing research for my designs, so when I decide to recreationally knit, I just want to zone out and knit.
I am happy to report that on Christmas Eve I finished my Cardigan for Arwen and blocked it Christmas day, which is a year and a couple of weeks later from the original start date. I am also happy to report that I was very careful with how I did the seaming and it looks very nice.
I have also decided that I am going to be better about using these amazing internet tools we have as knitters before I embark on big projects and I am going to try to be better about posting up the modifications that I make to items I am knitting. I am not saying this is a resolution, as I do not really like resolutions. I am just saying that perhaps, I have learned a lesson in the process of knitting Arwen and that makes it worth the wait and worth the many hours of seaming.
Author: bluegirl - Visits: 191Comments: 2
1. 6 sks of Malabrigo in one dye lot and 1 sk of Malabrigo in another very different looking dye lot. Good Job Yarn Shopper!
2. Pooling of the above mentioned Malabrigo, which resulted in using 2 or 3 sks at one time in order to keep the colors from pooling.
3. Tendonitis in the wrists, which got really bad while working the reversible cables, which are basically worked everywhere except the back.
4. Tons and tons of seaming, which I absolutely do not love. I have come to accept it as part of knitting, but I do dread it.
1, 2, 3, and 4 resulted in my cardigan being stuffed back into the project bag repeatedly and shoved in a corner to be forgotten. Well, not forgotten as it was sitting up there in my WIPs on Ravelry. Every time I logged on, I would see it up there and cringe and then quickly move on to something else.
For some reason in November of 2009 I decided that I was not going to let myself start any more sweaters until Arwen was complete. I have had to use this motivational tool several times over the years and find it very effective, as I am relatively compulsive. I dealt with the dye lot issue by blending the very light skein with a darker one and knitting 2 rows of one and 2 rows of the other on the back. I continued this technique, sometimes adding a 3rd skein to deal with the pooling issue. I got mancake to give me massages for my wrists and arms in order to work through the cables and then bam, I was done with all my pieces and the seaming was upon me. I started looking at how this whole sweater was going to go together and realized that the seaming was just not going to be fun. I am a knitter, who still thinks knitting is supposed to be fun!
Kate Gilbert designed Arwen so that the cables running up the front and the cables on the sleeve could be worked on the same rows by having the knitter cast on sts for the sleeve and work short rows for shaping the shoulder. The knitter then binds off the sts for the sleeve and works up the hood. Seaming sts end to end, one side from a cast on edge and one side from a bind off edge takes a lot of patience and can end up looking just awful if you are not diligent about it.
So, back to the question of why? Why is it that after I finished knitting this most beautiful sweater did I decide to go onto Ravelry and read all the fantastic notes that knitters before me had posted up about their experiences and ideas for knitting this sweater with less seaming? As a knitwear designer, I have come to appreciate how the knitters of the world can take what you have put out there and come up with some fantastic ideas for different ways to knit a design or enhance something about your design. I am not offended by this at all. I think it is flattering to see that someone has been inspired enough by your design to try something different and perhaps enhance it or modify it in a way that works for them. I also know that sometimes with magazine deadlines, you just do not have time to think through all the different combinations of how to create something, so I really appreciate the constructive comments and ideas that are shared.
So back to the why? I think it has something to do with my desire to just get it done! I am a finished goods knitter. I am not a process knitter- a knitter who knits for the process of it. I am a project knitter. A knitter who knits for the end result. This is not just true of my knitting by the way. I often think to myself, "hey I should go on Ravelry or do some research on knit-alongs before I knit this to see what others have to say", but when it comes down to it, I just want to knit whatever it is, so I cast on and go to it. I also spend a lot of time doing research for my designs, so when I decide to recreationally knit, I just want to zone out and knit.
I am happy to report that on Christmas Eve I finished my Cardigan for Arwen and blocked it Christmas day, which is a year and a couple of weeks later from the original start date. I am also happy to report that I was very careful with how I did the seaming and it looks very nice.
I have also decided that I am going to be better about using these amazing internet tools we have as knitters before I embark on big projects and I am going to try to be better about posting up the modifications that I make to items I am knitting. I am not saying this is a resolution, as I do not really like resolutions. I am just saying that perhaps, I have learned a lesson in the process of knitting Arwen and that makes it worth the wait and worth the many hours of seaming.
Pattern: Interweave Knits, Winter 2006 A Cardigan For Arwen
Yarn: Malabrigo 7 sks, #224 Autumn Forest
Needles: US 8 (5.0 mm)
Yarn: Malabrigo 7 sks, #224 Autumn Forest
Needles: US 8 (5.0 mm)
Latest Comments