Designing … a just finished project and a new one on the boards
I just finished a really cool design, Sunrise Sunset Shawl, and will be posting the pattern soon. It is a knock-out design that I’m rather proud of. That said, dear 16yod, Maggie, realized that I was nearing the end of the knitting on said shawl and requested a sweater. Now, I don’t know about your teens, but when mine WANT me to knit them something, I do my best to comply …
Her request was for a “Netflix Binge-series-watching” sweater that would serve in lieu of a blanket or cozy; basically she wants a classic boyfriend cardigan but with a few tweaks. She wants it:
- fingertip length so about 5 inches below her hipbone
- thick but not heavy
- plain but cuddly (so no heavy cabling, colorwork, etc but instead a cushy stitch like broken rib or fisherman’s rib)
- collared … like a shawl collar “not anything stuffy, fussy, or turtle-necky”
- buttoning with 3 big buttons just near the bottom
- big pockets for hands … tissues … food
The above mood board is getting my creative juices flowing … I’ve ordered the yarn (a wool/acrylic blend … so that it’s washable) from Knit Picks in a bulky weight. She chose the color … a lovely, wine-y burgundy.
I figure I’ll knit from the top down and that way make it as long as possible … adding a short-rowed shawl collar that will roll back above the button holes (so ending that about natural-waist length) and knit-in pockets (as patch pockets tend to tear).
While I wait for the yarn and the swatching and the final design details … I turn to some gorgeous hand-dyed yarn that older daughter Catie brought me back from her spring-time trip to Nova Scotia. It’s a heavenly blend of wool (49%), mohair (34%), nylon (11%), acrylic (4%) and silk (2%) in shades of blues and purples. I’m thinking a lacy, cabled vest but will have to fiddle with it a bit as the yardage of yarn may cut it all pretty close.
I LOVE designing and working hand-knits .. especially when given a challenge by one of my kids or by the materials to hand!
Enjoy your journey!
