Trial & Error

Once upon a time, everything I knitted came from a pattern.  I followed the directions exactly, knit the back first, then the front, then the sleeves.  I sewed (!) the pieces together using backstitch.  I never deviated from what I knew to be the "rules".  Then I read about Elizabeth Zimmerman. 

I found her in a roundabout way.  I ordered Jacqueline Fee's book, The Sweater Workshop.  It is based on EZ's knitting theories, & I loved the idea of doing my own designs.  I bought some of EZ's books & I was hooked!  So, to tie all this babble together, I'm going to discuss & show a few of my sucesses & flops.  The success part is easy, the flops are a little harder to bear! 

So without further ado, featured in the pictures above are 2 of the first sweaters I ever knitted.  The green one is a success story.  It was done from a pattern, following the "rules", made with Tahki's Cotton Classic in a pretty jewel green.  The pictures don't do the colors justice!  It is an openwork pattern, 2 rectangular pieces sewn together, then collar & sleeve ribbing added.  It came out wonderfully, I wore it all the time, it was one of my favorite sweaters.  Got lots of comments about the openwork, too, as it showed flesh & undergarments!  It is about 14 years old, & the yarn is just starting to fade.  Not too bad! 

The fushia sweater is a semi-flop. It was made about a year after the green one, but before I found the EZ method.  Already, I was trying to experiment!  I wanted another sweater from the same yarn, in the same body style. I used the green one as a guide for measurements. I chose a lacy pattern I loved from a stitch library, & went to work. 

When it was done & sewn together, it was too narrow in the body.  I didn't realize the stitch pattern would pull in the sides.  I wasn't about to frog the whole thing, so I improvised.  After unpicking the seams, I knitted narrow side panels.  Then I sewed them between the front & back to give the extra width I needed.  It worked great & isn't too noticable.  Another of my favorites, I wore this all the time as well, but it is not fading as much as the green has.  

Sadly, I no longer wear either sweater, cause they don't fit me anymore.  Sigh!