My first hand-knit sweater. Pattern design by Kim Hargreaves for Rowan. I didn’t know how to sew all the pieces together and since I spent so much time on it, using the specified yarn, I wanted to do it right. I made an appointment at The Yarn Co. for a semi-private finishing class. When we started it was pointed out to me that I had actually knit one part of the sweater too short and had to rip and re-knit. There I was with another knitter and the instructor, sitting in the back of the store nervously knitting away on size 15 needles. I had about 20 minutes left to learn how to sew two pieces together using mattress stitch. Maybe it was crazy that I actually paid someone to teach me how to do this. I could have taught myself with a how-to clip. But at the time I felt like I was walking in the dark and needed a little direction. I’m not super crafty (I only knit) and I’m not a seamstress.
In my knitting naiveté I thought the sweater would be sewn together using the yarn I had used to knit the sweater. Not so. I was instructed to match the yarn to a sturdy thread (embroidery yarn). Using something other than the yarn I knit with was particularly important in this case because the yarn was so bulky. I started sewing up the edges using the mattress stitch. It only took a couple of times under those bars to get the hang of it. When I gently pulled the thread taught, the two sides just melted together to create a nice seam. My session time ran out so I finished the sweater at home that night. And on it went. All those increases and decreases shaped it nicely. Love the pretty V neck and the shades of brown, my favorite color to wear. I took it off and folded it neatly. Funny thing though. This sweater takes up space.
Obviously I over looked the obvious. Size 15 needles equals big, bulky, heavy knit-thing. I’ll never travel with this sweater. It would need its own suitcase.
So the next sweater I’ll knit will be the exact opposite. I’m leaning towards the Hourglass Sweater by Joelle Hoverson in Last-Minute Knitted Gifts. Knit in the round and in a lighter weight yarn. The design is simple, but that’s what I’m really looking for right now. I may even knit it in the same color as in the book. I can’t stop looking at it. I never knew I even liked orange!