Starting at the Beginning
© Suzanne Griffith
We can take this quiet time of the year to reflect on our lives and our knitting. Knitting grounds me. The act of working yarn and needles is hands-on, concrete, and balances the nervous frenzy that modern life can become.
So settle down in a warm and comfortable place, but stay awake! Let's think about design. The design that I'm talking about can be anything from making a minor alteration for size to designing a complete color-patterned sweater, a work of wearable art.
I can't help designing knitwear. If I try to use a pattern, I'll change it. I think I take after my dad, who spent a lot of time tinkering with his car; I don't think there was anything actually wrong with the car most of the time - he just enjoyed tinkering with it. And I enjoy planning out knitwear. I draw little sketches and doodles, take a few measurements, do a few calculations, look at my stash, think about a trip to the yarn store.
Some knitters love working from a complete pattern. If that describes you, you're ok, as that book said in the '60s - I'm OK, You're OK! But if you're not always happy with the results of your knitting, if the sleeves are too long, if the size is too small, don't be afraid to make changes. Clothes that fit are always the most flattering, as any French person knows, no matter what size you are. Don't be afraid of the math. There's not much of it, and you can do it!
An easy adaptation:
If you need to get your toes wet before diving in, look at the bottom ribbing on a sweater. The standard knitted-from-the-bottom sweater uses smaller needles to knit elastic ribbing on the bottom of the sweater, then increases a few stitches and switches to larger needles for the body. The end product is basically the shape of the generic American sweatshirt. This looks great on some people, but most adults over the age of 30 thicken a bit in the middle. If you're a member of this group, put on a sweatshirt and take a hard look in the mirror. Then visualize or sketch this curvy shape that is the middle of the body and try another line.
