Tuesday 29 March 2011

A year of (not much) woolly progress - 2KCBWDAY2

Today’s blog for Knitting and Crochet Blog Week is about my progress at knitting and crocheting in the last year, new skills acquired etc. Well I had some trouble thinking about this one because, frankly, I have not learned that many new skills over the last year (do you admire my honesty?). This is because I am already a knitting and crocheting superstar and life has nothing more to teach me, no actually it is not, it is because I have just been plodding along. So I thought quite carefully and I realised. One thing I have learned over the last year, actually, is a bit more about How To Make Knitwear That Fits. Or, at least, I have begun to engage with this as a concept. I think this is because as I get better at sewing I start to have some vague idea about how clothes behave on the body and what kinds of things are flattering, so, for instance (this isn’t about knitting. It is only day two and I am failing), I made this dress today
Those scarves were an absolute pig to sew together
And I learned that you cannot just saw off a tank top and attach a few scarves because if you do it looks peculiar (and I’m glad there were no witnesses to the first version), so I had to shape it and everything! And even an inch can make a difference! (That’s what she said). So a year ago, when I knitted something and it made me look like the Abominable Snowman, I accepted that God works in mysterious ways and sometimes knitted garments make you look like the Abominable Snowman and this is as it shall be forever and anon. However now when I knit something and it makes me look horrendous I can deconstruct what has gone wrong a little bit more, so I may still be looking like the Abominable Snowman but at least I know why*. You may be wondering at this stage where the photograph of me wearing something knitted and elegant which flatters my rather barrel-shaped body is, and I have to confess that there is not one as such a photograph does not yet exist. Because my hard won knowledge is still at the theoretical stage. But I am hoping I can move on from this to actually being able to produce garments which fit. That would be nice, wouldn’t it? I actually saw a knitted garment in the wild today. It was a Noro cardigan and it was walking towards the Christian Wholefood Co-operative, where there is the mural of the Sarcastic Lion which Partner says raises its eyes to the heavens a little bit more every time someone buys a packet of mung beans.
Every time I see someone who is going to sprout their own seeds I am seized with cynicism. Seized
So I know if can be done. Woman in the Noro cardigan, I salute you, and I hope one day to join the ranks of Knitters Who Can Actually Wear Things They Have Knitted Out Of The House.

* Normally gauge, bad yarn choice, dodgy pattern, or set-in-sleeves for which I am the wrong build. I can highly recommend Knitting in Plain English for stuff like this, because it is mad but delightful. I wish Maggie Righetti had a blog because if she did I would go and leave her comments and bother her.

12 comments:

Pumpkin Pie Baby said...

That was a fun blog post to read! At least what you've learned will hopefully save you from weeks or months of knitting something only to have it look like you're wearing a paper bag.

Anonymous said...

I love the scarf dress it is really cute XD your blog is fun to read XD

Leah said...

Ha, I like the sarcastic lion. Knowledge that fit can be achieved is important :)

Vivianne said...

LOL - you recognize Noro in the wild ...yet did not speak to the wearer ??

Anonymous said...

teehee sarcastic lion :D love the dress by the way :) (oh and I sorta laughed hysterically at the biro comments)

tina said...

What a fabulous dress! Still giggling/blog! :)

Voie de Vie said...

And I'm certain the Noro folk are glad you recognize it in the wild. Now to getting it to fit you ...

Very fun. :)

Chrissy said...

I love that dress, and I agree with you that the more you learn about sewing the more you understand knitting and vice versa, these are two skills that enhance each other.

Susie said...

Vivianne, I was in the car and the Noro was walking. I could perhaps have wound the window down, leaned out on my elbow and shouted 'Ayup darlin'! Love that mattress stitch on your shoulder seams but next time go for a colourway with purple in it!'. I will be prepared if I see that Noro again.

Thank you everyone especially for nice comments on the dress. It is hopefully going in a magazine so I hope the editor likes it, because if she wants a different top or something I will be outwardly professional but will secretly go and lay my head in the freezer and sob quietly at the thought of sewing fragile holey vintage scarves on the bias again! *Deep healing breath*.

Wool Free and Lovin' Knit said...

Having none of your theoretical knowledge to put into practice, I've given up and am going to take a course at the end of which, I hope to never knit an unwearable sweater again!

katiemckinna said...

I too aspire to someday knit a sweater that can be worn outside of the house.

Keri said...

Great blog. And I love the dress.