Did you ever design a sweater? How about a complicated Aran sweater full of cables? Here’s my inspiration: celebrating this year’s one-hundredth anniversary of Elizabeth Zimmermann’s birth. Here’s some desperation: knitting a sleeve that would fit Popeye the Sailor Man or Alley Oop. Have you seen their forearms? Yikes! [...]
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When you ask a knitter why he or she knits, you often hear how it helps them relax. If you credit your knitting with your ability to avoid murder, then you understand this dynamic. Some knitters tout garter stitch or stockinette as mindless, thus very calming, like a knitting meditation. Others feel bored with no challenge at all. So how does knitting complicated Aran patterns feel? Relaxed? Tense? Let’s explore. [...] Did you ever fix a mistake in your knitting, then knit many more rows before you notice your fix isn’t so great? You now have three choices. A) Ignore the goof, because maybe it won’t be seen by a casual passerby. B) Fix it by laddering down a column of stitches to repair the goof, then reknit the column up with a crochet hook. Or C) rip everything out back to the error and redo. Which repair method did this knitting mistake take? [...] Elizabeth Zimmermann is known for her “pithy directions” which are rough guidelines where she expects you to use your head full of gray cells. When she recommends you knit a swatch hat out of half the stitches for a sweater you design using her Percentage System, she says, “bring it to some kind of a finish at the top.” A complicated Aran design presents extra challenge. Here are three ways to decrease an Aran hat–a little more fully explained. [...] Did you ever design a sweater using Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Percentage System? Her knitting system combines your yarn, your favorite sweater’s measurements and your gauge into a sweater that will fit you just right. Before knitting your sweater, you knit a swatch hat as proof your sweater will work as designed. Want to see my swatch hat results? Warning: I chose the most complicated pattern on the planet. [...] It’s all Elizabeth Zimmermann’s fault. There you are, champing at the bit to knit your sweater you designed for yourself or a loved one. What on earth are you doing knitting a hat instead? [...] |
Helpful Links
Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Cast On Video Tutorial Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off Photo Tutorial TECHknitting Sweater Knitting Pattern Generator Meg Swansen explains Elizabeth's Percentage System on Math4Knitters podcast Knitmore Girls podcast on ratios #78 Knitmore Girls podcast on sizing, fit and ease Brass Needles podcast Episode 48 with Gail Carriger's segment on sweater sleeves (about 7 minutes in) Brass Needles podcast Episode 49 with Gail Carriger's segment on sweater necklines (almost 9 minutes in) Fabulous Crochet Designer Vashti Braha Start Knitting Socks for Soldiers  
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