This has been a banner year for me on the knitting front. One of the lowest years in terms of quantity (which is 100% ok with me, regardless) but the best ever for quality. I mean, look at the four sweaters I added to my closet this year: the black modified-St. Brendan yoke sweater, the camel modified-Channel cardigan, the vintage Bernat fisherman and the plain vanilla Improv cardigan — heirloom quality sweaters that I expect to wear and wear and wear. And really there’s a fifth for this list, as I fully intend to have the last ends woven in on my grey Cline sweater before the ball drops. To me, these are hardworking “basics” that are anything but boring. I find them heartmeltingly beautiful. And to be able to say that these are the best garments I’ve ever owned and I made them myself is just a tremendous source of pride and accomplishment. Not gonna lie.
And then there are the three other things I finished this year:
The sample hats for my Debutant teaching pattern (which I’m teaching again at Squam next June); the chunky linen Sloper experiment, which has gone to my sister; and the last bits of the purple lopi pullover from the Improv top-down tutorial, the fate of which is yet to be determined. Actually, it’s determined: I’m excited about the idea of cutting it into a V-neck cardigan; I just haven’t gotten the time or nerve to do it yet. So that’ll be one of 2018’s refashion projects — something truly new to look forward to!
.
PREVIOUSLY: 2016 knitting year in review
I’m excited about your plans for your purple pullover! I have an old 100% wool sweater from Weathervane (!!!!) that is too heavy and too itchy as a pullover. I plan to change it into a cardigan, too. I’m excited about taking something I never wear and turning it into something I’ll wear a lot. Yay, slow fashion!
Just love your fisherman sweater. Speaking of cables I have yet to find a cable needle I like. One that’s smooth and beautiful, maybe something to consider the shop?
I tend to think a spare DPN is the best cable needle, but some of them are pretty enough that I kind of want them anyway.
I’m a fan of the ones you used to carry (were they by Lantern Moon?) that are like short DPNs with notches. They’re my favorite cable needles to use!
I’m a fan of the U-shaped ones. I’m a looser knitter and those don’t slip out of the stitches when I’m knitting the others like the straight ones do.
I never found one I liked either, so I gave up on cable needles and my cabling has gotten much easier without them.
I recently lost my last metal cable needle and treated myself to a set of rosewood ones that are lovely and smooth and I love. They were much cheaper at my local knitting store, but these look like them…https://www.fishpond.com/Arts_Crafts/Rosewood-Cable-Needles/9999388282800?utm_source=googleps&utm_medium=ps&utm_campaign=US&gclid=CjwKCAiAjuPRBRBxEiwAeQ2QPliY9jbDDTX2BZKdNzZPYb7AEaJFfzWMGnasXlyCgT0msEzfR8QgHBoCLCwQAvD_BwE
That is really a lineup to show for a year! You should be proud.
These are amazingly beautiful and you should be so proud.
No wonder you are so pleased with your production this year : all your sweaters and cardigans are simply gorgeous, and timeless classics as well that you will cherish for years. I think your purple sweater will look even better with a V-neck. Which makes me think that I need more V-necks in my knitted wardrobe. Looking forward to the transformation process.
It’ll be a cardigan, this one.
You should be proud. I’m impressed that you were able to knit this many sweaters in one year. They are all wonderful.
I should have noted that some portion of Channel was actually knitted last year. I know I started the first sleeve on a TX trip last August, but can’t remember how far along it might have gotten before the calendar flipped over. And of course most of the purple lopi was also knitted last year for the tutorial — I just finished off the lower body and the second sleeve this fall.
These are all so beautiful! I have junegrass batch two and you’re making me want to knit a Cline also!
Bravo! You continue to inspire. Thanks for that!0
Wow! What an impressive year in review. Not only are they beautiful, quality garments but 4-5 sweaters a year is a lot!!! I tend to make 2 or 3 garments a year but I have a ton of clothes so I am ok with that number. Can’t wait to see what 2018 brings.
I was just clarifying in a reply to Francis above that two of these were partially or largely knitted last year. It might be fairly average or above average for me, sweater-wise, but usually I’ve knitted a handful of other things along the way. Those two Squam hats (oh, and an already abandoned hat for Bob — bad yarn choice) being the only non-sweater things I knitted is odd for me.
Four sweaters does feel like a hefty addition to the closet for the year, though, being as rich and meaty as these are. It’s funny that in the past I would have bought that many in a single clearance sale, whereas now it seems almost like an embarrassment of riches. Perspective is funny.
No need for embarrassment. :) They are all well intentioned additions and will last longer in your wardrobe than any clearance sale sweater!
These are unbelievably gorgeous and no wonder you’re so proud! I’m sure I will not be the only one longing desperately for that incredible hat patter, Debutante. Please oh please…
One of these days …
I focused a lot this year on shapes that I love and that has made me really happy in pulling out my knits every day. I think next year I’ll work on more cotton pieces for summer. And I can’t wait to see your finished Cline!
I think figuring out what shapes work for you is such a huge chunk of the battle!
That’s key, isn’t it? Figuring out what silhouette works best for you. There are tons of gorgeous garments out there that I’d knit IF they worked for my body. (Cline’s one of them. I love that thing, but it just isnt’ a shape I can wear.) Once you figure out what shape works best for your shape, it’s wardrobe nirvana.
You are an inspiration for us all.
Love them all and hope to be this productive with beautiful knits that will last a long time. Timeless !!
The sweaters are gorgeous. What a bounty! What impresses me most about you, however, is how each has been thoughtfully considered as to its usefulness and how it will fit into your existing wardrobe. This past year I returned to knitting ( having previously knitted in the 80’s) and am finding that I’m scattered. Bright colors catch my eye and I enjoy knitting with them but end up giving them away as I’m most comfortable wearing neutrals.
I got it wrong a lot in my first few years, which was the biggest lesson in how and why to slow down, swatch, consider the fabric and the usefulness of the garment, etc etc.
You show the value in knitting beautiful classics that are made with outstanding premium yarn. I am challenged by your work and have learned so much. Those garments I have knit that don’t fit correctly or have been made with poor yarn don’t tend to stay in my closet.
The more confident I get in my choices, the more willing I am to invest in just the right yarn, it’s true. I also made the decision a couple years ago to only buy yarn (mostly) when I know for sure what it will become. Just buying/having less yarn has made it less tempting to cast on things at random or with the wrong yarn, and easier to see how to be able to spend a little more in a targeted way, as opposed to spending a ton of money willy nilly buying yarn that never gets used. It’s definitely paid off.
I love how one can see your aesthetic with the heirloom sweaters, which they truly are. I’m finding that I, too, am making more things that a) fit me better and b) suit my style (which is, admittedly, all over the place). There’s a great satisfaction when all these elements come together. I think I’m going to knit your Anna vest for my Squam Knitalong! Can’t wait.
There’s a Squam Knitalong?
Congrats. That’s quite a wonderful accomplishment, particularly the part of loving (almost) everything you knit! I’m working on a raglan (Kobolt in Luft, which is an lovely soft yarn) and remembered that you had a great technique for sewing and wondered if you could reply with the link in your blog. I know I read it but can’t find it! thanks and happy holidays.
Do you mean this? https://fringeassociation.com/2015/01/20/basted-knitting-or-seaming-a-seamless-sweater/
You knit all those sweaters and say it wasn’t a productive year? I think you should calculate how many stitches that was and rethink that! I try to do a sweater a year, and was pleased to have done two this year, plus a vest! Wow, I am a slacker! :-)
I def didn’t say it wasn’t a productive year! I feel extremely good about what I produced this year, but you’re right that these are also more knitting than the average sweater. Especially when you take into account the original body of the yoke sweater I knitted, cut off and re-knit. There’s an unusual dearth of non-sweater knitting here, but I definitely think my knitting time was very well spent.
Pingback: 2017: My sewing year in review | Fringe Association
Pingback: Top posts and highlights of 2017 | Fringe Association
Pingback: Queue Check — December 2017 | Fringe Association
Pingback: Merry Elsewhere | Fringe Association
Pingback: New Year’s Resolutions: Stash-busting and skill-building | Fringe Association