You Said You Wanted Pictures...

Tubey Sweater - modified in many ways...

So, here you have it - a sweater I am proud to say I made my own, even if I don't think it works on me. Fortunately, some friend of mine is about to receive it as a love gift.

How I Modified It:

• Altered sleeve length and shape - from long bell to 3/4 straight.
• Added garter stitch at sleeves (cuz I hate stockinette roll)
• Added garter stitch - using smaller needle size - at ridiculously low cut neckline
• Was the cause of the ridiculously low cut neckline by lowering it 3/4 inch.
• Made smaller the back size - this is like a slightly smaller XS...
• Shortened the bottom to suit my proportions.
  

What Works:

• I think the sleeves were a real success.
• I love the yarn - which was tricky to work with, but lovely to touch and wear.
• I knitted this competently, I feel, finding work arounds to problems - developing confidence in pattern modification and knitting ability.
  

What Doesn't Work:

• The neck is just wrong for me. Even if I hadn't lowered it, it wouldn't have been right. Without the garter rib, it was a floppy mess - and that wasn't my fault. My tension was even and I worked hard to keep it tight (given that I'm a relaxed knitter). BTW, Scott laughs at the thought that I'm relaxed at anything...
  
• The ribbing is just too stretchy. It doesn't suck anything in, leaving my abdomen at an aesthetic disadvantage.
• I don't like the length. This would be easily enough fixed by adding garter to the bottom but that won't fit the stretchy rib issue. I've learned I probably don't want to do ribbing - unless it's in a very small needle size and, who are we kidding, that would be a nightmare to complete!

I only used 9 of the 12 80m balls of yarn, leaving me 3 to do a Craftsy.com knitting workshop I was invited to try out. It's a great course - like an online tutorial meets knit along. Totally worth the 15.00 price (which happily, this time, I didn't have to pay). More on the One Skein Shrug I'm knitting as it progresses.

So, what do you think??

Poly Crafting

I've had a productive weekend so far:

1. Started the Tubey Sweater. I've changed up the instructions to do the following:

• Alter the long bell sleeves into fitted 3/4 sleeves
• Leave off the provisional cast on at one shoulder, choosing instead to knit the whole shrug in one pass, from sleeve hem to sleeve hem. The two sleeves will be knitted in the round using magic loop. The back, upper body piece between them will be knitted with the same circular needles, but flat. Man, this knitting-speak is gobbledygook.
  
• I've got to shorten the upper back (underarm seam to under arm seam) because my dimensions are smaller than the Small size I'm knitting. In fact, I think they may be smaller than the XS. (I tell you - my frame is narrow.)
  
• Why don't I just make the whole sweater proportionately smaller? Cuz the tube body (knit stretchily in rib stitch) is the part of the sweater that contains the bust, and I am definitely in need of the pattern's increased dimensions for that.
• The challenge will be to pick up stitches for the small (the size I am notionally making) - where the shoulder and upper bust shrug piece (from which I'll be picking those stitches up) will not be a pattern-drafted "size small". Short story, is I'm going to have to do some fancy footwork there too - but I have a plan.
• As I've mentioned in other social media venues, my goal here is to obtain a great fit.
• This sweater, if knit without careful consideration for sizing - esp. given my body shape - would likely be a bust (ha!). I've got gauge but I'm not being cocky. I've been there before and had a bad outcome. However, with that sweater (the ill-fated Wispy), there were other issues going on.

2. I'm also knitting my third version of the Cable Keyhole Scarf. You know I'm making this scarf for everyone as Xmas gifts. Each one I've knit in different yarn on size 7 needles. Scarves don't really require strict adherence to gauge, thank the knitting goddess, but I'm intrigued to see how they all look and feel somewhat unique.

3. I spent a lot of the afternoon (oh, 2 hrs or so) altering, tracing and cutting out the paper pattern for the Clover pants. Why am I pattern adjusting, before making a muslin to see how the original pattern actually fits my body? Well, I've learned that certain of my alterations are somewhat standard, pattern notwithstanding. This doesn't mean my altered pattern will produce a perfectly fitting muslin. I suppose I could create a whole new set of fit challenges by this theory. But, since I'm willing to work the muslin till I get the fit I'm looking for, I feel there's no real harm in starting from my formerly successful vantage point.

• My crotch length is short in relation to most patterns - much as my waist length is. I have removed an inch from below dart markings (and above the crotch seams). This pattern doesn't provide a shorten line so I had to wing it. I hope I did the right adjustment in the right spot.
• Furthermore my crotch depth has it's own, interesting proportions, which seem to transfer from 1 pants style to another, quite accurately.
• From (admittedly minimal) past experience of Colette Patterns, I am assuming that this pattern will fit on the roomy side. Given that I prefer 3/8 seams to 5/8 seams, my finished products tend to grow a bit that way also. Having said that, I have slightly less difference between my hips and waist measurements, than the pattern measurements. I graded the size 6 to an 8 at the waist. Interestingly, my crotch depth shape adjustments (see above) accord somewhat with the size 8 also. I'm working under the premise that I'm a 6 in the legs and hips but an 8 in the waist and crotch due to the very special shape of my lower abdomen.
• I find it strange to make changes to something I've only ever seen in 2 dimensions. I guess this is the path of learning how to three-dimensionally "read" flat pieces of paper. At least, at this point, I have an awareness of how the pattern pieces produce the 3 tubes that create the pants (2 legs and torso) - and of how they stitch together. But it's all such a guessing game.

Given my 2 latest projects, I can see that I'm at a new juncture in my production of garments. I really want to understand fit - so much so that I'm not afraid to jump right in, practical knowledge or skill notwithstanding. You can only get from nothing to something by starting, right? That's the way I'm approaching this phase. And by embracing math. If you knew me in high school, you'll know how shocking that is.

Totally off topic update: If you're looking for some utterly awesome, very reasonably priced, vintage cashmere, run to this post. And if you buy the flower cardigan, I want to hear about it!