My first people-sized sweater project loomed before me like a climb up the stairs of a lighthouse. However, I cherished the mental image I held of my lovely daughter attired in a warm and pretty sweater I had created just for her, and I persevered.
The hem ribbing was completed quickly; confidence was high. With unflagging enthusiasm I began the long journey up the 18" of the sweater's back section.
Even a rookie can have a good idea.
Now, I am the first to admit that I committed many rookie mistakes (I mean, learning opportunities) with this sweater, but there was one thing that I thought of doing all by myself that saved me a lot of trouble. I kept track of how many rows I knitted for the back so that I could knit the front exactly the same length. A simple tally sheet is all it took. This is such an efficient trick that I am continually surprised that I have never seen it suggested in any book on knitting techniques and timesavers. By matching the sections by number of rows, I avoided relying on measuring, which always seems to give me no more than a possible length range, depending on how much I inadvertently stretch the piece as I smooth it.
The calendar pages flip...
Waiting through karate classes, baseball games, end-of-year talent show rehearsals, and swimming classes, I doggedly worked on the sweater. Did stockinette stitch become tedious? Occasionally, but mostly I was reassured by its repetitiveness. Did I grow weary of the color? Very quickly. Did I buy a size 8 circular needle and knit back and forth with it for a while, just to shake things up? Yes, but I have always been one for the wild side of life. Was I gratified when someone would ask me what I was doing and I could reply not just that I was knitting, but that I was knitting a sweater for my daughter? Always. I attempted to convert many non-knitters, assuring all who showed a glimmer of interest that it was not at all difficult and in fact, was extremely enjoyable. Puzzlement and disbelief were the usual responses. Sometimes, all you can do is plant the seed.
Yarn Girls, I love you!
Continuing to divide my free time between knitting and reading about knitting, I chanced upon what I still consider to be the best book a novice sweater knitter could read: The Yarn Girls' Guide to Simple Knits. For those who may not know, the Yarn Girls are Julie Carles and Jordana Jacobs, owners of the New York City knitting store the Yarn Company. They are also the authors of a growing number of common-sense, beautifully photographed knitting books. Their "Step-By-Step Guide to Shaping the Crewneck" gives row by row directions that elucidate what other knitting books obfuscate. Their simple and clear explanations of sewing-up techniques are logical; their diagrams are readable.
Their "Step-By-Step Guide to Shaping the Armholes" inspired me to believe that one day I could graduate from dropped shoulders to better-fitting set-in-sleeve styles. In fact, I did this with my very next project. I will be eternally grateful to the Yarn Girls for providing some essential scaffolding.
A little tight, a little short.
Carefully following the guide's directions and illustrations, I joined back, front, and sleeve sections into an actual sweater. Magic. Just as a mother sees nothing but perfection personified in her squalling newborn child, I was blind to the holes around the picked-up neckband stitches and the lumpy seams. My newly completed sweater was beautiful.
The moment of truth came as my daughter tried on the sweater for the first time (in her air-conditioned room, as it was now August). Who knew a 10-year-old could grow so much in 7 months?
W.I.P.
Did I complete my sleeve cap? Almost. I have only about a dozen quickly diminishing rows to go, which I hope to finish during my daughter's violin lesson today.
What does theoretical physics have to do with knitting?
Richard Feynman, professor of physics at Caltech and winner of the Nobel Prize, was never afraid to explore new fields. He took drawing classes, joined a Brazilian samba band, and became an autodidactic safecracker, among other notable adventures. His refusal to meet the expectations of people with firm ideas about how a scientist should behave allowed him to have a great deal of fun, and may have contributed to his work in unfathomable ways. I find his entertaining biographies to be models of how to become more creative through taking risks.
Purls of Wisdom
From Stephanie Pearl-McPhee Casts Off: The Yarn Harlot's Guide to the Land of Knitting: "Knitting...can transform lives, open doors, and teach you new things...and is every bit as transformative as any other journey of learning. "
Tomorrow:
- Lessons learned from my first ugly sweater
- The second ugly sweater: definitely not orange!
- Will that sleeve cap be finished?
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