Sleeves Required

I found a great pullover pattern called Grecian Plait from Knitty. The Plait Stitch looks amazing and is not as difficult as I thought it would be. The pattern knitted up too short for my body type though. To me, the best, and most flattering, color and fit-wise, example of this pattern, that I’ve seen online, was done by GypsyKnitter.

Included with the pattern, is a photo that looks slightly sad to me. The yarn is beautiful, but for some reason, the garment doesn’t look alive. It probably looks better in person. The color seems to wash the model out, but the color choice GypsyKnitter used is lovely and perfect for her skin, and the fit is easy and very flattering on her figure. It looks fun and flirty.

I read through the pattern to gauge my ability to execute it properly. The pattern was well written, and I particularly loved the shape of the neckline. For me, this pattern is a keeper.

To Pattern or Quasi-Pattern

I’m sure many other knitters have made garments to the letter of the pattern, with no deviation, only to end up with a garment that was so out of range, that it was unwearable. I’m not talking about people who don’t swatch. This also happens to people who do take the time to swatch. Maybe there’s an error in the pattern or the knitter doesn’t understand certain lines and misinterprets the directions. Sometimes these things just happen for whatever reason, but I decided that if I like anything about how a pattern works up, I would focus on those elements and, if necessary, rework it towards my goals, thereby creating a Quasi-Pattern. Creating this type of pattern will allow me to make a finalized one that will bring the garment closer to what I needed it to be.

This is my first attempt at making a garment for me, using that method.

When I began making my first quasi-pattern knit pullover two months ago, I thought about that neckline from the Grecian pattern. However, I wanted a form fitted sweater that expanded upon that feature. I began developing the idea. I wanted a long, body conscious sweater. I found a beautiful, soft, stretchy yarn, which I knew I could knit in the round and the final piece would hug and expand in the right places, without altering the quality of the stitch, or design.

Karabella Yarns: Aurora 8, 100% Extrafine Marino Wool in Black #1148

Sleeves Are My Kryptonite

I’ve knitted scarves and hats, a handbag and a little baby vest and hat set before, but I had yet to knit a full pullover sweater for myself, so this was a real challenge for me.  I picked up my #6 circular needle, and took a leap of faith.

After full Frogging it 3 times, I finally settled on how much I had to lengthen the bottom, to make it wearable for me–to my taste. I worked the body in-the-round to the armholes. I then worked the front and back separately, and seamed the shoulders. After putting it on my daughter’s dress-form, I could see that it was long enough. My next step was adding the sleeves.

Of course that was two months ago. Here I am, stuck in limbo yet again. I’ve tried several options, including this multicolored fun fur yarn. But none of the choices spoke to me.

I’ve come to the realization that sleeves are my Kryptonite. I’m in the same situation I was in when I made the baby vest. Poor little angel. The vest and hat were too small for him, because my baby was a teeny-tiny 5-lbs at birth. She’s still somewhat teeny-tiny. LOL!  But my baby was also born so long ago, that I don’t even know what size babies are supposed to be anymore.

Nevertheless… it was a vest, instead of the cardigan I wanted it to be It was a vest because I apparently have some form of sleeve envy. I don’t want all of my garments to be sleeveless. I completed the body of this garment two months ago, and I’m still waiting for the sleeves fairy to just poof, and the sleeves appear out of thin air.

Strip Art Sleeves

I want sleeves, but I can’t just add any-old sleeves. That would not represent the type of knit garments I’ve been fawning over for years. I want this endeavor to showcase something that reminds me of the knitwear that spawned my decision to buy a pair of knitting needles, and proceed to YouTube to learn to knit.

I want my sweater to call me from the closet and say,
“Do you want him, or do you want me? Cuz I want U!”

I need it to make me keel over and pass out, like my two favorite Sandra Backlund Knitwear sweater dresses.

Sandra Backlund is the Most High Exalted Queen of knit, crochet, & fabric manipulation.

Right now my sweater looks like a little black knit wife-beater… and we can’t have that. LOL!!!

But it would be a disservice to my Yarn Addiction Muse to just throw a pair of plain black sleeves on it, and call it a day. I’ve thought hard, and far too long, on what the sleeves should look like.  I have finally settled on making strip art sleeves. I don’t quite know what that really means yet, but the phrase jumped out at me, and I’m going to use the term as my inspiration, and run with it.

Whatever image “Strip Art” presents to me, I will move forward with it. Let’s see how that turns out.