I’m thrilled to finally show this sweater on the blog. It’s been through a bit of a journey. My call to adventure came from Matt’s polite and persistent desire for a fingering weight sweater in navy. At first I was reluctant to this call, but it was in the background of my mind. Magical assistance seemed to arrive by finding exactly that at Rhinebeck in the Miss Babs booth, as Miss Babs, the supernatural aid in this tale, had created a yarn so perfectly soft and lovely that I was unable to resist it (Keira in the color McHales) Then I went seeking for a pattern. A first threshold guardian came in not finding one that would work well with this yarn (based on amount or weight), and/or did not please the recipient. A second threshold to cross was tapping into my creative energies that have not brought forth an original pattern in ages.

And then I ventured into the belly of the whale as I swatched and studied and planned. And calculated and knit. And ripped and reknit. I came out of the whale whole after slaying my self doubts about the sweater and planning the rest of the path. There were trials along the way. I went through trials of dismemberment during the last few months as I experienced repeated arm pain in my dominant arm that caused me to take days off of knitting at a time. There were tests of temptation as other gorgeous yarns and fulfilling projects lured me away and I occasionally followed those lures, making me divert from my quest. At this point in the journey when I got back on track I felt renewed with creative energy and able to complete the rest of the design in my head and on paper. I had to examine my motives for this sweater and battle with perfectionistic ego tendencies that tell me if I create something original I must write it down and pass it on or it is not worthwhile. I came to the climactic decision that the creation for its own sake is worthwhile, and if I choose to disseminate the knowledge by writing a pattern at a later date then I will. Holding off on letting Matt have the sweater or sharing it on my blog was not a necessary step. The quest was completed when I finished the sweater and saw it on the gentleman pictured here. I’m very particular about shoulder fit in a set-in sleeve and these are very well shaped to his measurements. It fits exactly as I wanted it to and he adores it. I think in the last two weeks that it’s been in his possession he’s already worn it more than 6 times.

I return to other knitting life by passing on this treasure to Matt and making plans to integrate the wisdom from this sweater journey to other future projects. I will master the two worlds of knitting and design by embracing the freedom to knit exactly what I want and alter other designs to my specifications without fear of mistakes, knowing that in the world of knitting what’s done can almost always be re-done, and re-done, and re-done.

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