A sweater that took 3 years to knit. And some thoughts on making teeny tiny steps forward.
I’m working on my transitional weather sweater (hopefully). This sweater took 3 years to knit, and it has prompted some thoughts on making teen-tiny-itty-bitty steps forward.
I knit a lot.
I have a handful of unfinished sweaters hanging about, and thanks to a swift kick in the butt from the self-made wardrobe project I’m finishing a bunch of them up.
This particular sweater has taken me 3 years and 1 month to finish.
As far as sweaters go, this one is pretty straightforward.
But the interesting thing about it, is how much my knitting has changed since I started it.
My actual gauge hasn’t changed (thankfully), the actual number of stitches per inch is the same as it was three years ago. But my knitting has changed.
My stitches are straighter.
My tension is more even.
You can definitely feel the difference.
And up close you can see the difference.
The fabric looks and feels smoother.
If you had asked me, before I picked up this sweater, if my knitting had changed in the last three years I would probably have said “yea, but not a whole lot.”
But it did.
I did some quick guesstimates of the number of stitches in most of the shawls I’ve published patterns for between starting and finishing this sweater, and the total comes out around 788,000 stitches.
I can knit about 30 stitches a minute. (In a lace pattern, relaxed, and following a chart. Averaged over a couple hours with breaks, pauses, etc.)
788,000 stitches.
437 hours.
16 shawls.
When you think about the fact that that’s only the knitting I’ve done for the patterns I’ve published, (no swatches, no sweaters, no unpublished shawls), that’s a lot of stitches, and a decent amount of time.
Turns out my knitting has changed quite a bit over three years.
One stitch at a time.
Over 788,000 stitches later.
The Self-Made Wardrobe Projet Month 1
Since it’s almost the end of the second month of the self-made wardrobe project, I figured I should probably get around to posting the first month’s wrap up.
August was the month of figuring out systems and routines for this project.
Creating a wardrobe building “plan.” Figuring out how to seamlessly take a photo every day, and then turn those photos into a post every week. A new laundry routine. A different kind of sewing & knitting practice.
Finding routines, making plans, figuring out systems, and streamlining thing – that’s what August was about.
How often did I wear what?
Black tank tops: 28 days
Floral Maxi Skirt: 11 days
Handkerchief Hem Circle Skirt: 8 days
Red & White Striped Pirate Skirt: 4 days
Black Maxi Skirt with Slit: 3 days
Jersey Wrap Dress: 2 days
Blue Kimono: 2 days
Black Racer Back Mini Dress: 1 day
Alice in Wonderland Skirt: 1 day
Gingham Skirt: 1 day
Why?
The Black Tank Top – my default.
The Floral Maxi Skirt – sort of took the place of jeans throughout August, easy to throw on and comfortable.
The Handkerchief Hem Circle Skirt & the Red and White Striped Pirate Skirt – I love both of these too, but they weren’t quite as easy to throw on as the floral maxi skirt.
Black maxi skirt with slit – adore. But the length really only works with flats.
Jersey Wrap Dress – I wore this on an overnight trip, I wanted something that was super comfy for the train ride, and that I wouldn’t mind wearing two days in a row.
Blue Kimono – this was one of the first pieces I made for this project, but I didn’t need it much in August.
Black Racer Back Mini Dress – I can’t believe I wore this with tights & the kimono on Day 3 – it was a cool/chilly day, but it was still August. I haven’t worn it more, because it’s a pinch to tight, so I want to add tuxedo stripes, and a touch more ease.
Alice in Wonderland Skirt – as much as I love this skirt, I have to be in the right mood to wear it.
Gingham Skirt – I finished this late in the month, it’s not my favorite piece ever, but I like it.
Just In Case You Missed Any of the Blog Posts
: Day 1
: Week 1 – the first 8 days of the self-made wardrobe project.
: Week 2 – getting a handle on everything.
: Week 3 – starting to look towards fall.
: Week 4 – the end of month 1.
: The basic plan is balance – well, unbalanced balance.
: The Versio Sweater – beginnings.
: What’s the difference between knitted & woven fabric?
The Self-Made Wardrobe is a project where I only wear garments I’ve made, for one year. You can read more about the project here.
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The Self-Made Wardrobe Week 8 – sweater weather is here
I still don’t have jeans. I still desperately want jeans.
But unfortunately it’s starting to get a bit chilly, and what I really need more than jeans, are sweaters. Lots of cushy, cozy, warm sweaters.
So my quest for jeans is being put aside for the moment in favor of sweater knitting. Lots and lots of sweater knitting.
I’m this close to finishing my Versio sweater. Yay!
I’m almost done with a sweater I started three years ago. Double yay!
I started knitting a black lace weight sweater that’s a total nightmare to knit, but I know that I’ll love wearing. Half a yay?
Plus there’s the pile of half finished sweaters I’ve started through the years…
Also! I got my tripod – so I’m going to play around with taking garment photos – (yay! & eep! all at the same time).
If you want to know the moment I figure out how to take photos that really show off the pieces I’m making (and that don’t make me look like a monster) – hop on the mailing list to get blog posts delivered straight to your inbox.
