Believe it or not, I could not find one sweater project on Ravelry, having a 7 or 8 and 11 gauge, for fingering weight yarn, that appealed to me in the slightest. I'm fussy about knitting projects. It's difficult to keep them from looking "crafty" and my love of making things is only equal to my distaste when things look like I made them.
Think about it. How often, in this generation, do you see a hand-knit sweater that doesn't seem vaguely bulky (even if it's knit in thin yarn), observably novel and, dare I say it, boxy? For a culture of lovers of the form-fit, somehow it's challenging to make a sweater that hugs the body in a modern (or even classic) way. I like to think I have a good eye for what will work on me to look a) flattering and b) timeless.
So far, the McCardell Convertible sweater is still my best bet.
(To switch gears, very slightly, are you aware of this book? Written by Claire McCardell, and published in 1955, it was hugely successful, though now it is out of print. No mind, an Amazon vendor will sell it to you for $320.00, before shipping, and I'm sure you can find it occasionally on Ebay or at a garage sale. Note: The copy I found on Ebay still cost over 100 bucks.
I would LOVE to own a copy. Even just to borrow one. Hopefully they'll bring it back and then we can all enjoy it.)
Back to the sweater - I've continued on and now I have a whole new set of concerns. For starters, there's no technical drawing so I have no idea of what I'm knitting at the moment. I mean, I know it's the "Left Half of Sweater", but despite my math, it looks like it's meant for a 'tween.
What I've learned about knitting is that I frequently have no idea of what I'm looking at until I'm 2/3 of the way through. I'm inclined to continue because, if it's going to be way off in terms of sizing, I'll confirm it at some point, and then decide whether to rip it back - or to give it to M.
Keep in mind that I have pages of musings to show that a) the size 32" chest (objectively very small, I realize), should knit at 36", given that my gauge is 1 stitch off per inch. As I've never knit a sweater - till the recent City Cardigan, Take 2, that didn't seem too big (if only slightly) I now aim for 3" of negative ease with every project. As my bust measurement is 37 - 37.5", 3" of negative ease means I want to knit something that comes to 34.5" at the full bust. By my calculations, this thing should currently be bigger than I want it to be. Sure, my plan may fail, but these things can fail for so many reasons. From past experience, it's a risk I'm willing to run. And you know how I end up making everything twice, to perfect the fit on the second try. If only there were a schematic, to advise me about proposed dimensions at key places, I'd be on much more solid ground. Freakin' vintage designers?!?!?
Of course, the fact that this design has a surplice neckline, could work entirely against me. I sure as hell don't want gaping or excessive space between the V wrap.
I guess I'm in an interesting place. I truly don't know how this is going to shape up (literally), but no one else in the world, as far as I can tell, has written about making this sweater so I'm totally in uncharted territory.
Any advice? Commiseration?
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Oh, so you use 3" negative ease? That's very interesting!
ReplyDeleteI've been trying to figure out the whole "ease" equation lately (especially with knitting) and I'm finding information rather thin on the ground actually..
It sucks how vague vintage patterns are. I found some super cute ones but they seem pretty scant on helpful info. Actually I wish even modern designers had more info. Why do we only get given the ease at the bust?? (Maybe some modern patterns have more info? I'm still pretty green.)
Okay, enough rambling.
Umm, do I have any advice? I'm way too new to hand out any, lol! I hope it sorts itself out. As long as you can trust your maths, surely it will...?
Don't ask me how I've come up with 3" of negative ease. It seems like that's how much I end up wanting to remove from the projects I've made, I seem to recall reading that Andi S designs with 3 inches of negative ease (or maybe she just wears a a version of her design which has 3 inches of negative ease). It's really more of an intuition right now, but I'm going to check out mater's link, below...
DeleteJohanna, you might be interested in knowing that Jared at BrooklynTweed posted recently on fitting and design, showing patterns from the latest Wool People book on two different models, one of whom preferred negative ease, the other positive. http://brooklyntweed.net/blog/?p=1044
ReplyDeleteK: you defy my attempts to classify you as a process knitter because you are also very focussed on the product -- Interesting, for you the Process is all about getting to a very clearly envisioned Product. Suspect you should have been a designer, no?!
Bonne chance!
Oooh, thanks for that link!
DeleteIn truth, I've been trying to figure out what kind of knitter I am since I started. :-) I do feel that both sides of the coin are equally fascinating and necessary. And I wonder if, one day, I will begin designing. I suspect yes, because I love to make every pattern my own. When I have adequate experience and skill, I suspect I won't be able to stop myself from developing my own designs, using my own sloper. Of course, it's likely I have a far way to go before all the pieces of the puzzle converge.
I've never been a knitter, but my mum was. It's true, the eternal problem of homemade sweaters seems to be the 'square torso'. Your recent cardigan was great though! Look forward to seeing your next project.
ReplyDeleteThat's just what I mean! I suspect it has much to do with the instructions sizing vs. the kind of look we tend to appreciate today. And thanks so much for your kind words.
DeleteI guess it comes down to taste. I don't really 100% agree with the idea that all modern sweater patterns look boxy, although I will admit to being a fan of the loose sweater myself. But I'm always amazed on Ravelry with the spectrum of different styles. I'm totally with you on not wanting my stuff to look homemade - at the same time, I'm also not terribly inclined to knit something at so fine a gauge that it could have been done by machine. I don't find those finer-gauge sweaters hard to find mass-market in stores, and made from real wool no less... however, I do find it to be next to impossible to find heavier weight sweaters in RTW that aren't made of either cotton or acrylic (or some blend of the two). So I suppose that's one of my main motivations for knitting... because I find my handmade stuff looks better than store bought, because of the quality of the materials. But this is moot if you just don't like heavier-weight sweaters!
ReplyDeleteK: You're always presenting the other perspective! :-) I have to say, you make some gorgeous sweaters that are not form fitted, or "machine-esque" fine-gauge. And I completely agree that the heavier weight sweaters one finds in the stores tend to be made of suboptimal yarn (I don't love cotton or acrylic yarn).
DeleteI do like heavier weight sweaters, I think. I just don't know if I like them on me.
I do understand your concerns, figure-wise.... You'll notice that I've actually made more cardigans than pullovers. I suspect this has something to do with a deep-seated fear that pullover knitted sweaters on large-busted women can tend to just make us look heavy. That being said, I do have my eye on a few patterns that I think might solve this problem (for me I suspect it's counterbalancing with length that will be the trick... longer body or higher collar, etc.) we'll see how I feel about it once I get around to it!!
DeleteI know the titles may be a bit of turnoff, but I like the books Big Girl Knits and More Big Girl Knits for fitted knitting patterns. And I think that the size ranges go low enough to give you the fit you want (sorry - I'm at work so can't check the books). The first book also has a lot of fitting information in general. And the schematics on each pattern are excellent.
ReplyDeleteThat title really is horrible! But I will totally check it out because good fitting and good schematics get major marks in my book.
DeleteKristin, I am currently knitting a "modern" sweater and it also is lacking in diagrams. I have looked on Ravelry and the reviews of the sweater are not really very helpful. This is why I normally stick with socks! They are small, portable, and can have really interesting patterns. It is wonderful to have a pair of wool socks and if they don't turn out very well, they can be hidden!
ReplyDeleteWhich one are you knitting now?
DeleteYou know, socks never appealed to me before, but now that I've got some experience with short rows - and I've seen what lovely yarn options are available - I think they may become my next "gift item".
Elsebeth Lavold, Daphne http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/search#query=Daphne
Deleteout of KnitPicks Shine Sport.
Oooh, cute cardi!
DeleteHave you run across the designer Stephanie Japel on Rav yet? She wrote a book called "fitted knits" that a lot of people are quite taken with (Although I dont like her designs myself, I'm curious if it would be a good resource for fit adjustments?)
ReplyDeleteI have. I've signed up for one of her Craftsy workshops (free), 2 of her Craftsy courses and I've bought that book. Actually, these projects of mine were made from her patterns:
Deletehttp://www.ravelry.com/projects/KristinM100/one-skein-wonder
www.ravelry.com/projects/KristinM100/split--neckline-cap-sleeve-tee
She designs, by her own admission, for exact dimensions. At first I thought that's what I was looking for. Now I realize (since that sweater is SO not fitted) that I need more ease - at least with her patterns.
She's a great teacher, btw. I don't love most of her patterns, but I have got the book and I've purchased a few others on Ravelry.