Bust the Stash: Finished Object 13 - Cutter Sweater (Custom Fit) and an Update on Bust the Stash

So it's minus 10 C again and I'm back to wearing fur. At least, today, it didn't snow/slush. And there's sun. But, man, when I consider how most people living in most places have better winter weather than we have in spring, well, it rankles. Fortunately, I haven't had much time to dwell on it. Work continues to challenge me. As previously mentioned, when I'm stressed, the methodical rhythm of knitting is meditative. (I actually meditate, btw, so I can confirm, anecdotally at least, that the activity works on the mind-body just like other forms of stillness and movement meditation.) It appears that the more stressed I am, the faster I knit. 

To wit: I finished a sweater in 9 days:  

Requisite disclaimer: The dress form is wider than me but this sweater is pretty stretchy.

It would not take a good picture, sadly. The light was bad this morning. This sweater, the Cutter, is longer than I would have liked by about an inch or inch and a half. On me, this falls firmly over the derriere and is practically tunic length. That's mainly because I used super wash yarn and it over-stretches when blocked (see freak out below). I also didn't get gauge (though I made a robust swatch and blocked it). As I made it, I had to renegotiate row gauge to get to the requisite length. Somehow I did a lot of paying attention but I didn't actually look at the length to ensure that I liked it.

Elegant, if simple, waist-shaping...

This is my second Custom Fit effort and it's designed by Amy Herzog, the Custom Fit founder. It's exactly the same (except for the rib pattern used on hems and neckline) as my other Custom Fit sweater - Kristin's Basic Pullover, formerly known as Kristin's Basic Cowl, which was legitimately my "invention" - albeit a very plain one. 

Here's what I'll say about Custom Fit this time around:

• The pattern wasn't perfect. I encountered missing headings that would likely confuse a newish knitter.

• This system excels at determining shoulder-width and vertical dimensions.

• Amy's Fit to Flatter premise is somewhat different than mine. Hers is, dare I say, somewhat more suburban than mine. This time around, having learned from the relative looseness of the KPB, I actually altered the recommended dimensions even more substantively than I did last time.

Brief explanation of Custom Fit: 

• You take a zillion vertical and horizontal measurements and input them into the CF system. 

• Then you swatch to get the texture of fabric you desire. Then you apply the swatch to the sweater pattern you want to knit (either an Amy Herzog pattern, presuming that it's already in the system, not all of them have been uploaded yet - OR a design of your own based on available parameters). 

• Mathy magic ensues and you get a chance, before the pattern is actually created, to go rogue with the proposed measurements. Last time I was conservative. I knew that I didn't want positive ease in the waist and that the hips would likely be too large, but I figured that, with all of my actual measurements provided - and having indicated my desire for CLOSE fit - that I would indeed get a pattern to reflect this. Instead the horizontal measurements were all a bit too big (with the exception of shoulder width). 

• Then you click "ok" and you get a recipe or a pattern fitted to you. Note: the difference between recipes and patterns still eludes me so I can't really explain that part.

This time around, I entered my horizontal waist, bust and hip measurements incorrectly ON PURPOSE because I figured it would be the easiest way to get the degree of negative ease I desired. The finished garment is still a bit too big as far as I'm concerned. And I'm by no means in a slender phase. Note: This time, I attribute the size issue to my super wash yarn which, btw, I will never use again for anything other than socks and baby garments. Drape plus messed-with yarn fibers (to allow for machine wash and dry) produce an end result that's way bigger than whatever you can predict, even with a reasonable sized swatch. Yeah, it does shrink back as it dries but never quite as much as it should, particularly vertically. I'm going to have to put the air-dry, just-blocked sweater in the dryer to see if I can shrink it a bit more.

Here's my point. I've used CF twice now and I've had issues with size both times. 

I've also had issues with the patterns.

Last time I decided to knit using the CF "mostly seamless" instructions and ended up having to write out the detailed instructions for myself as they aren't overlaid on the main recipe. Basically, I had to mix and match, which means I had to create one doc containing all of the info (obliquely referred to in a tiny paragraph at the end of the pattern). That irritated me. This time I decided to follow the instructions exactly. I knitted flat and seamed and, man, gotta say I don't buy it. I've knitted sweaters in numerous fashions and it's a rare, plain pullover that needs side and sleeve seams for structure over and above what a seamless knit will provide. But it sure does add hours to the project.

First you have to block your pieces flat. That's a stress-fest when you're using grow-y superwash yarn (and you see your fit expectations vanish before your eyes). After 2 days, with no finished garment to speak of, you have to mattress seam the shoulders, the sleeve inset, the sleeve seam and the side seams. Yeah, I know you can seam other ways that are faster but they all look comparatively shoddy. Mattress seaming makes your seamed garment look seamless. Alas, it takes 3 hours to pull it off well.

I am much happier to block a seamless, finished garment such that, when all is said and done, and it's dry, I put it on and walk away. The last time I had a sweater to seam up it took me 3 years and it's still not done. Update: I've finally started putting this (relatively complicated cardigan) together, believe it or not. As I was waiting for the Cutter to block, I figured I had no excuse. I mean, if I'm willing to sew up one thing, why not another?

Even though I appear to be bitching about everything from instructions to sizing to yarn choice, it's likely that I'll get a decent amount of wear out of this finished garment because:

• The colour and stitch definition are beautiful
• It's clean and simple and it fits pretty well (if not perfectly)
• It's warm but not stupidly so
• Imperfect fit notwithstanding, it still fits better than my first Custom Fit pullover, so I'm counting this as progress.

Will I make another Custom Fit sweater? Probably. I see the potential in this system but I don't think it's through the growing-pains stage as yet. Will I make another one soon? Unlikely. I can actually sort out the math, for a simple sweater, fairly easily at this point and Amy Herzog sweater patterns (the only ones available using this system, other than those you make up for yourself) don't generally call to me. She designs exceedingly well and she has style, it's just not mine.

Point is, I can make a simple sweater more effortlessly when I do the thinking as part of the prep process than I can when I'm wondering about what might go wrong if I'm not controlling the full picture - especially given the outcomes I've experienced with CF to date. And when it comes to the complicated sweaters - those I might want to leave in the hands of a computer generated pattern - I'm not really motivated by the offerings available.

It just goes to show that a weird vest made on a stash-busting whim can turn into the most excellent finished object while, by contrast, a carefully prepared, custom designed item can be sort of dull on completion.

On another note, and not to bury the lede, I'm done with this phase of Bust the Stash. 

All I've got left to make is a bunch of hats and half-mitts which do not excite me at this time. Having said this, every yard of my remnant stash yarn is allocated to an upcoming project so the minute I opt to get back to it, I'll have Xmas projects ready to go. 

I've used up @6200 yards of yarn since December, 2015 (some of which I bought, um accidentally, after starting the stash-busting project) . 1800 yards of this was lace-weight, which you  know takes a zillion times longer to use than the same amount of worsted. My yarn box has more than enough space now to add in a few new skeins. The goal is to add these skeins intelligently - to recognize that I will have to use the remnants at the end. My stash is down to 3100 yards, in different fiber denominations of @100 yards each. I know exactly what I have to get through and I have a plan to ensure that my stash doesn't get out of hand next time I go through an acquisitive moment.

Moreover, I've learned a lot about what I like to knit:

• Accessories
• Unique, "odd" garments that nonetheless work in a wardrobe
• Really well-drafted patterns
• Garments with more spring than drape (no super wash!)
• Really simple, eminently practical garments (that perfect simple scarf or vest)
• Sweaters - in sport-weight yarn. Sport-weight produces the best fabric, having optimal ease and drape for size, with the least effort.
• Simple stitch patterns. I'll take colour work any day over cables or whack stitch patterns. Mind you, working all in one colour in stockinette, garter, seed or rib can be extremely satisfying because they allow fit and fabric to shine.

So that's a lot to talk about. I'd love to hear your thoughts about my latest sweater - what do you think? How about Custom Fit? Do you like it? Have you tried it? And finally, whatcha think of my stash-busting exercise to date? Wanna try to convince me to keep on without buying new until every last yard is gone? Give it a go!

Updated: Chutes and Ladders

Oh, peeps, this one is freakin' BAD. In case I didn't believe that knitting is a language and being rusty is dangerous, I have been disabused of my silly complacency. As Frances suggests in the comments, I should have just ripped it all out. Like back to the start. But of course, that's not how I roll - even when all the markers (no pun intended) point in a certain direction. I don't like to admit defeat. So here's what I did:

• I realized there is no way in hell to ease in the excess yarn created by the addition of 12 increases (over 2 places on one side of the sweater) over 72 rows. Of course, I couldn't accept it till I'd spent 3 hours trying to fix the original ladder.

• I then hedged my bets and did a mix up of both unpleasant solutions: I ripped back 50ish rows (who the hell can tell - I've spent hours trying to figure that out). But I also opted to try to ease in about 24 rows and 4 stitch increases over two sections on the sweater back - so as not to have to rip back everything. That amount of easing is doable but it has taken hours because there's so much extra yarn to work in that, in order to ensure even tension (never mind original gauge, that's a pipe-dream), I had to veritably (and painstakingly) rug hook along the entire width of the sweater.

• Of course, because I removed a zillion markers, ripped back an unknown amount and made decreases on the basis of my original (incorrect) instructions - to say nothing of 3 hours of mind-numbing rug-hooking (see above),  it's taken hours to figure out how my new stitch counts align and where the fucking markers need to go. And I'm still not there. Seriously. I estimate it's going to take another hour and I can't even confirm I'll come to the right conclusion - though if there's a way, I will do it!

• All told it will likely take me as long to fix this as it would have to reknit the whole body of the sweater, which is criminal. Of course, if I'd paid a modicum of attention I wouldn't be in this boat. I find it hard to be angry - despite the fact that my arms and hands HURT and I haven't even got anywhere (I've simply gone backwards.) But once I do fix this - and rewrite my instructions and get back to square 1, then I'm honour-bound to keep going because it's the only way I'll be able to maintain the momentum and my awareness of the project.

• My friends - there's a reason that it's easier to make a sweater in a month (arm/hand happiness notwithstanding) than it is to dither over it during dozens of discontiguous sessions. Your brain has to stay on top of the nuance. Otherwise it's a lot of wasted time and, if you lose attention, tons of wasted effort. Oh well. Live and learn and try again. Can't say I'm loving this project though.

Fucking hell. You know, I've done very little knitting lately (out of practice much?) but I was making solid headway on my Custom Fit sweater till I realized, in rescoping the directions (to knit in the round up to the underarm), that I messed up. How? Well, I wrote my notes in such a way that I actually made the same increases on the back sweater as I did on the front - those devised to give the boob shaping.

It's only an addition of 12 stitches out of 100 (the current back width), but it's over 72 freakin' rows. Which is why I am now trying desperately to redistribute the laddered excess of yarn (having ripped back the relevant columns). This is a mere ONE of the 2 such ladders I'll have to contend with to avoid ripping back 200 stitches over 72 rows (with all kinds of markers in place that would make simply pulling out the stitches very tricky).

I've never done this before, as you can imagine. The only reason I've attempted it is because the idea of ripping back 72 rows of 200 stitches is worse than the idea of figuring out how to ease in this amount of extra yarn. But to perform this fix over 2 sections is really going to push it when it comes to retention of any semblance of my original gauge.

But wait, it gets worse. I went down one increase too many (which amounts to a TOTALLY UNNECESSARY additional 12 rows of extra yarn to ease back into the full sweater and an (albeit minimal) additional erroneous impact I daren't try to correct at this point).

And it gets worse still - before undertaking this insanity, I had to rip back 17 rows to get to this point (not in the round, thankfully) as I'd already started working the flat section (shoulder construction) above the underarms. That rip-back was going to have to happen one way or another cuz, last night, after working those 17 rows, I realized that I'd mistaken the front of the sweater for the back (the darting is different) even though I wrote myself clear notes about how to discern one from the other.

Wow. Sure, much can go wrong by simply missing a couple of cues, symbolized by a 3 word acronym. But when it takes multiple knitting sessions to realize this, the blame is squarely on the knitter. What an unnecessary loss of hours and my body's labour. I am not impressed by myself right now.

Here's the thing, my gauge is already on the loose side (though not as loose as it once was). Yeah, Custom Fit accounts for that, that's its genius - but it can only account for it when I'm not trying to ease in masses of extra yarn (left over after pulling out those extra stitches to reveal those ladders). And it just gets harder to ease in the yarn as I approach the working row (the top / widest part) because there's that much more yarn slack at that point - and so much yarn has already been worked in from below.

Non-knitters, don't even try to contemplate this - just know that I may be fighting a losing battle because the idea of spending 2 - 3 hours fiddling is more palatable to my current knitting-self (she of sometimes pain issues) than ripping back half of the sweater I spent 4 hours putting together. And it's a cool experiment.

As is so often with knitting - it's a whack unknown that I might win or lose. I'm playing the odds.

So, knitter-readers, what's your take? I've been doing a pretty good job (spending TONS of time with the yarn redistribution - I'll show a photo when I finish the first section). That's why it's going to take me 2 - 3 hours, even with the quick fix. I also hope that blocking will correct a myriad of tension issues.  But if anyone's tried this before - with success or failure - please do tell. I need all the support I can get.

Custom Fit: Kristin's Basic Cowl

Y'all know I've written a bunch of times on Amy Herzog's latest venture - Custom Fit. The theory appeals to me a lot. Till recently, I felt there were too many unanswered questions so I was reluctant to take the plunge. Then it happened that the idea of math became more onerous than the idea of putting my faith in someone else's hands. Interestingly, Tasia just published a rather detailed post on her latest Custom Fit project. And Evie is the original adventurer. (Do read Evie's post to learn more about the mechanics of the system. I'm not going to dwell on that here as I've discussed it a bunch of times in the past...)

I am now the owner of my own Custom Fit recipe (a design of my choosing, based on a variety of Custom Fit templates). It's called Kristin's Basic Cowl and I've even knitted the broken rib border - so I'm well on my way. But nothing's ever that simple, is it?

For starters, I spent an entire evening just choosing my recipe (Note: I'm going to use this term interchangeably with the term "pattern", though in the Custom Fit universe they are different things.) I don't mean that I spent an evening entering in measurements, doing a swatch and designing a sweater. No, I spent another evening doing the first two things. I mean I spent 4 hours trying to figure out how I wanted to mix and match my options. And there aren't that many options!

The thing about buying a pre-designed pattern (the fitting for which you have to do painstakingly for yourself) is that it exists. You like it (in which case you decide to take the plunge) or you don't quite get it (in which case you walk). When you design your own sweater, there are so. many. variables.

I knew I wanted a close-fitting pullover with a cowl neck and 3/4 sleeves. I didn't know what length I wanted, where I wanted the neckline to start or what kind of edging stitch I preferred. And on that topic, the intention has always been to design a cowl neck pullover. The cowl is my spiritual neckline. Alas, it's not one of the Custom Fit template options. So I spent the evening considering whether a scoop neckline (a template) designed at a border height of 6 inches might turn into a cowl. I decided the likelihood was pretty good. Then it occurred to me that I should confirm that with the Custom Fit team and I'm waiting to hear back.

But let's postulate for a moment: Let's assume my cowl concept is sound  How, specifically, does one knit a cowl that is very drapey but not floppy, perhaps with an asymmetrical fall? FWIW, I'd be willing buy an Amy Herzog pre-designed pattern with a cowl neck to learn the technique and to apply it to my Custom Fit sweater (not exactly custom fit, I think you would agree), but she hasn't designed any cowl necks the shape of which appeals to me. Intriguingly, she has worn one (see the yellow sweater in this post).

Then there are, well, mathematical questions to consider when it comes to sort-of designing a cowl: Does one decrease the stitch count as one goes (to prevent a funnel look)? How long does one need to make a cowl drapey? Is 6 inches adequate? (I have yarn considerations to throw into the mix. I've got 1100 yards of yarn and the sweater I've designed is estimated to take more than that.)

In a worst-case scenario, I'll make a regular, 2 inch-edged neckline and call it a day. It's not a deal-breaker when it comes to appreciating this experience. Maybe cowl necks are to be part of Custom Fit 2.0.

Having said all this, after hours of thinking and wishing and planning (it was fun, don't get me wrong), when I saw the specifications of my pattern-to-be (prior to purchase), I was concerned.

Look, I'm a gal who doesn't shy away from the math. Or the work of fitting. But the proposed pattern dimensions were going to give me, among other things, a mere inch of negative ease in the bust, 2 inches of positive ease in the waist and an inch of negative ease in the hips (and this sweater is cut to the real, not high, hip).

By contrast, when I knit normally (aka alter pattern dimensions to suit my desired silhouette), I go for 5 inches of negative ease in the bust, 0 inches of ease in the waist and 0 inches in the hip.

Look, good fit depends on many factors - not least of which is the nature of the yarn you choose to work with (I'm using Quince Chickadee - a springy, all-wool, sport-weight that feels more like DK to me). Brief Sidebar: I'm the first to accept that my desired drapey neckline is likely not going to work optimally with the yarn I've got to use. But the one that Amy sports in that photo (linked above) is totally within the realm of its capabilities.

Measurements are another key factor. But good old-fashioned preference is a meaningful third. If you look at every modeled, Amy Herzog sweater in the land, you will see that they tend towards a generous fit. A well-fitted, generous fit, for sure, but her idea of close-fit is not mine.

What's very cool is that Custom Fit allows you to go rogue. Sure, it tries to dissuade you. It warns you up front. But if you can't get with what's being proposed, you have a chance to mess with the math. It's a bit like altering code.

I decided not to mess with much. If Amy feels that @ 2" of positive ease at the waist will work well with the design (given the yarn, which the algorithm also accounts for - if I'm not mistaken), I can give it a try. I'm totally agnostic about hip measurements, I rarely mess with them. I feel confident about the vertical measurements I provided and how the Custom Fit system will interpret them. In every example of Custom Fit sweaters I've seen, I've been completely impressed by how the system interprets vertical fit. Sure, this "real hip" length may be a bit long for my dimensions, but apparently the system takes proportion into consideration. I'll give it a go.

The thing I couldn't get with was the proposed, actual full bust measurement. 1 inch of negative ease is not adequate. (Note: I really hope I don't live to regret this perspective.)

Why is that?

• Well, that preference factor comes into play. I wish Amy Herzog designs were a bit more, um, boob-highlighting (for want of a better term). 
• One also shouldn't discount experience. I've knit dozens of sweaters, using all kinds of yarn and construction methods, designers and styles. Only one has been too small. And that was in the shoulders. With every sweater I've knit, I've refined my full-bust ease requirement. Currently, I hover at about 5 inches of desired negative ease, depending on the cut of the sweater and the drape of the yarn. 
• Did I mention that one's gauge is apt to loosen over the course of knitting from the the hem of the sweater to the top (where the boobs are). 
• And, given that yarn can easily be blocked to achieve 3 inches of additional ease, if necessary, I'm much more concerned about fabric laxity over time than I am about over-snugness in the bust.
• Oh, and one other thing - my measurement set has changed slightly since I created the file in Custom Fit. Yeah, I know it would be prudent to make a new one, but who has 3 hours?? The only way in which it's changed meaningfully (by an inch or more) is when it comes to the big three horizontal measurements. Vertical measurements don't change (unless your body shape evolves tremendously). My shoulder-width hasn't changed. My arm circumference isn't particularly different. (Now I'm toned, rather than soft.) But as I'm the girl who likes to wear things snug, I'm positing that a little bit of extra ease will be a welcome change.

I just reread this post. You'd think I'm trying to justify something insane here. Really, this is all I did: I added another 1.25 inches of negative ease. The bust will fit at 35.75". My full bust measurement is 37.5". It's not crazy.

But I'm such a rule follower. And I paid to have someone do the math for me so, isn't the least I can do to let someone to do the math for me?

Not to mention, how hands off haven't I been in this experience? I'm not a lemming. I want to know why I'm doing what I'm doing. I have opinions. I need agency. Maybe this system isn't designed for me?

Mind you, maybe it is. This is my first experience. I have to get to know it and learn to trust it - or at least to interpret it. I will say that I LOVE the idea of making up some of the Amy Herzog pre-existing patterns in a way that will fit (particularly the cardigans - a tricky style for me, in general, given the distinction between my full bust and waist measurements. I also love the idea of designing a few more recipes from the basic templates. Really, how often do you wear something fancy? How many of your daily-wear sweaters are made in a fabric other than stockinette, for the most part?

And I've been impressed, if not blown away, but many finished Custom Fit projects I've seen.

I'll let you know about how the knitting progresses. About what feedback I get re: the cowl experiment. I may forgo it to save on yarn (or because my idea was flawed). And natch, I'll let you know what I think of the emerging fit.

On the plus side, I know how to alter. I could always just do the math and change this pattern on the fly. :-)

Random Things

OK, so I'm fighting off a spring cold. Given that I haven't had a cold all winter long (this winter), it's not so out of line, but I do hate that puffy, swollen, scratchy throat feeling. To complicate matters, I'm in a busy phase at work (meetings Monday and Tuesday) and I have an exciting dinner plan this evening so I must get better now.

On some sort of crazy whim, this morning I tried oil pulling (I do realize that isn't the most credible link). According to some, it's a means to improve the immune system. In truth, I don't know how swishing oil around my mouth for 10 minutes is going to forestall a cold but apparently it's also good for getting rid of migraines, teeth whitening and hormonal equilibrium. Admittedly, I've known about oil pulling since before Gwyneth P started promoting it, but the idea is so freakin' hideous, I've not been able to convince myself to try it. I also don't know - as a person with fairly significant TMJ - how it could possibly make that condition anything other than worse, but apparently it improves the jaw pain/clicks too. In my 10 minute experience with olive oil (I didn't have sesame or coconut lying around), I will suggest that my TMJ was entirely unexacerbated and my teeth did get whiter.

I don't sense it's going to be a regular part of my day cuz, ugh, disgusting!, but feeling unwell makes me do some pretty crazy things. Especially after this winter.

But to continue a few discussions:

• My Ferragamos have been stretched but, when I tried them on at Novelty, before taking them home, I felt they could use a bit more width. Initially, I requested very subtle stretching, as I was worried about how 20+ year old leather might respond. However, the leather is entirely unphased, so I might as well have all the stretching I like. Alas, they won't be done till Monday so I cannot wear them tonight.

• I sense that Amy Herzog is finally getting to a place that she can clearly articulate the Custom Fit process. In truth, I think this is a cautionary tale about how good ideas can be very nearly tanked by bad communications, but I'm keeping an open mind.

• I finished cleaning the closet. There is one hanging item that is so badly eaten that it may not be salvageable. It's actually the one that started this whole spring cleaning process, one that I've darned before. In fact, it's the garment that got me on the darning bandwagon in the first place. For a sweater I love so much, I don't wear it often enough to keep it from the bugs. In my defense, it's an awkward length to wear under a coat and it's usually too warm when a coat isn't required. It's got a wearing window of, maybe, 2 months a year. For some reason, whatever was in my closet has basically eaten it to shreds and left everything else untouched. (OK, there were 2 other items with tiny holes - one wool and one synthetic?! but really, it's the cashmere "coat" that's toast.) I'm going to try darning one more time, after cleaning it with a shitload of cedar as there are 11 new holes to contend with. Of course, it's probably the finest cashmere in the entire fucking closet. If it cannot be saved, I'm chopping it up and keeping the panels that are undamaged. Mercifully, it's about the size of a small blanket so there should be enough to repurpose into something else.

• A propos of closet cleaning, I've got another 25 items to put on the front walk when next the weather is sunny for more than 3 minutes. While I'm very nostalgic, I am in no way sentimental. At least half of those items are handmade things that I don't wear because a) I don't like the fabric b) I don't like the fit or c) in retrospect, I don't like the pattern. Fortunately, I no longer sew with fabric I don't like, my fitting has improved and I've become rather more selective about the garments I spend my effort on. We'll see if this is the last time I'm so willing to purge handmade items in this fashion - whether I've learned the lesson and now I will make fewer things (perhaps) but wear them all into the ground. Time will tell.

At any rate, that's all I've got right now. Too meh to pull out the exciting stories. Or maybe it's just that things are still in that limbo zone between a horrid winter and whatever comes next. Really, I'm praying for a beautiful spring and summer, but it's hard to take anything on faith at this point.

In Which I Skim The Surface

I was just reading a fascinating post on how one can get gauge in a blocked swatch and still experience inches of growth in a final garment and discovered this sweater:

New Towne by Amy Herzog, made and modeled by Jackie Pawlowski

(Note: The article, while profiled on Amy Herzog's blog, isn't by Amy, but by Jackie Pawlowski, photoed above.)

For starters, isn't this woman ethereal?! Secondly, don't you dig that sweater? (Click on the link below the pic for Ravelry deets.)

I can think of so many people this would suit beautifully and, no doubt, you can purchase a Custom Fit version.

I know very little about Amy or her new venture - which is why I feel a bit odd referring to her by her first name here. I have to say though, she looks like the most down-to-earth person on the planet. I'm sure she wouldn't mind... I know even less about Jackie, with whom I also seem to be on a first name basis, and I might be making this up, but I think they might be working together.

Don't you love it when you click on a blog for meaningful content but instead you get gossip, all of which may be entirely fabricated?

OK, back to the point at hand: Read the article I linked to at the top. It gives an reason other than "you measured your blocked-swatch gauge wrong when you counted with the gauge gizmo" for this crazy thing, which often happens to me: I get gauge. I make a sweater. The whole sweater turns out to be too big. Who knows, maybe I'm making my fabric all wrong - not in the loop tension, but in the bar tension - cuz I do experience that phenomenon. Of course, I've simply taken it upon myself to knit a modified version of the smallest size and call it a day.

Also, even though I do love that New Towne sweater, I suspect it wouldn't look that fabulous on me, which kind of sucks. But it also means that I don't have to queue (either mentally or on Ravelry) Project 250 that I might one day have time to create.

I wish that I had the time to fully engage with Custom Fit, the concept, because - if it works - that will make everything MUCH easier. Yeah, I know I like complicatedness, but sometimes you just want to start knitting a sweater without it turning into an engineering dissertation. And I've got the kind of body that really goes off-road from those standard knit-pattern measurements.

I appear to be the only blogger I know (unless I'm forgetting and I might be) who's mentioned it / kind of reviewed it. Are there any other reviews you can point me to?

What I want to know is: Is it really as easy as it sounds? Are there still beta errors? (Peeps, it's very new.) How easy is it to make up your own sweater in your mind and produce a customized, written pattern? Are there hidden costs? (I think not but what do I know...)

Anyway, let's talk about sweaters and articles on gauge and Custom Fit. Your feedback is so welcome!

Heads Up

Have y'all heard of Amy Herzog's latest venture: Custom Fit.  (Brief backstory for new or non-knitters: Amy is a very well known pattern designer who believes that sweaters need to fit optimally in order to flatter (no arguments there). She's supported her philosophy with a book and a Craftsy course (very well received) and now with this new web application. Please note: I have no affiliation with this new site and have not tried it. I'm merely reporting what I've read from launch materials...

In short, here's how it works:

• You set up an account (free).
• You enter in a zillion measurements - there are videos to guide you, as necessary (free).
• You enter swatch info (which calculates gauge MUCH better than your eyes can) (free).
• You choose a design from a few templates (aka a V pullover style, cardigan etc.) - or get a custom design (not sure about how this works but I think it means you develop a template based on a choice of parameters) (still free). The templates are kind of like blocks, to use sewing terminology, that you scale to your own dimensions.
• And then, when you're sure you've inputted all of the correct info, and you like what you've got, you click to create the pattern.* At which point it costs $10.00.

You only have to enter your measurements once (unless they change). You can keep the swatch info on file - so that you choose your preferred yarn rather than having to use another yarn, simply cuz it's in the right gauge for the sweater you want to make. It works with swatches other than stockinette (and can even predict some ribbing gauge on the basis of the stockinette info you input).

That sounds totally genius to me. But then, I've spent the last 2 years doing the math!

Look, I've never knit an Amy Herzog pattern (though I have been a long-time appreciator of her blog and techniques). She's very popular and her fitting method seems to work well. (In truth, I think I prefer more negative ease than she does, but that's a personal choice thing and can be accommodated,I suspect, within the spectrum of the new application by slightly underestimating one's actual dimensions. And by choosing the "close fit" option). I do hope that she'll design additional templates. By design, I'm sure, the current crop is quite basic, like blocks are. (Mind you, there is an adequate assortment of basic shapes, in the current templates, so that an intermediate knitter could add exciting details to - like peplums and collars and cuffs and pockets).

The application allows everyone, theoretically, to be able to make a sweater that will fit optimally. It can be as simple as a stockinette pullover or as complex as a fair-isle cardigan with cables. (Don't quote me on this, I don't know how fancy the algorithm gets on stitches or colourwork.) How democratic! And the price seems very reasonable if the site works as well as I hope it will. Oh, and you get to keep all of your patterns on the site, for reference, and/or copy them onto your hard drive.

This is a concept I can't resist. If only I didn't have a zillion things in the queue right now...

So, if you've ever wanted to make a sweater, but have resisted because you're sure you won't be able to conquer fit, this site is for you. What do you think - crazy gimmick, or new frontier?? Have you tried it? Were you a beta tester? Will you try it? Let's talk.

*The system creates bottom up sweaters with set in sleeves (not the top down raglan ones that are so popular these days), because fit is more accurately approximated, especially in the armscye, using this construction style. Apparently, they do intend to expand functionality to raglan sweaters eventually.