I have a deep problem.
I cannot seem to actually make something for myself!
I make stuff for my family, my friends, people I don't even know, their children - especially their children. But when it comes to following through to making something for myself, I have good intentions. I start - I buy the materials, the pattern and I think through the process. But when it comes time to actually craft - to get to work - I procrastinate. I stop doing for myself and go through a manic phase of making something for someone else.
Here is my most recent example.
The Beautiful Red Cardigan I'm Supposed to make for myself.
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| the super cute cardigan I AM going to make myself |
The pattern is from
Knitty. If you are a knitter and paying for patterns, you need to check out Knitty. It is a close fitting cardigan in red with little bobble flowers that go up the sleeves and one side of the cardigan. Seriously cute, right?
I bought the yarn - Bamboo Ewe - 55% bamboo, 45% wool TOTALLY ON SALE at Michaels - $2.99 a skein - I bought all that yarn out of the bargain bin!
And then do you know what I did next?
I made an impossibly pink sparkly scarf for a friend and then two little baby hats (same yarn, I still had more) for someone at work who recently had twin girls.
REALLY Sandra? You had all the stuff ready to go to make yourself a super cute cardigan and you started making impossibly pink scarves and baby hats? Yes. Yes, I did. I confessed this to someone at work yesterday and she gave me the impetus to make this super cute sweater. For you - and for her. I am going to chronicle my process and put it on here so you can see what a big pain in the ass it is to knit a sweater!
A Sweater Tale - Part One
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| a skein of Bamboo Ewe - the color matches the sweater pattern! |
The Yarn. Bamboo Ewe - cute name, eh? It is a mix of bamboo - who thought they'd make yarn out of bamboo? But they do. And Wool. That's the stuff! I have a very strong opinion that if you are going to spend literally dozens of hours knitting a sweater it had better be made of the very best materials you can get - because you want that SOB to last FOREVER! I knit myself a sweater in the late 80's - a
lopi cardigan. The yarn cost a small fortune and my dad helped me pay for it. I still have that sweater and I wear it when it gets cold. More on that sweater very soon...
Knitting the Swatch
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| the swatch I finished this morning for the super cute sweater! |
You must, Must, MUST knit a gauge swatch before you knit your sweater. If you do not, you will suffer, as I did with my Lopi cardigan. I did not knit a gauge swatch, I just grabbed that yarn and some needles and started knitting the pattern in my size. What I did not know - being a neophyte knitter at that time - was that people knit differently. The writer of the pattern I used was a tighter knitter than me. I am a loose knitter. Not only that, I am a
combination knitter. (more on that later - seriously the fodder for an entire blog post) So my sweater turned out HUGE! I had to buy more yarn because I ran out before I finished! In retrospect, it was a good thing, because if it had fit, I wouldn't be able to wear it today with the weight I've gained since college! LOL! Also I wore it when I was 8 and 9 months pregnant in November and December 1990 and nothing else would fit - and it was frikkin cold! SO - to reiterate - take the time to knit a swatch.
That is all I've done so far...
Here is what I'll be doing as soon as I publish this post:
Calculating the difference between the swatch I knitter and the gauge on the pattern. This will involve measurement and mathematics. So wish me luck!
