This month I’m attempting to knit 50,000 stitches.
Or, a whole sweater.
This is a knitter’s version or NaNoWriMo (whereine writers attempt to write a novel in a month). NAtional KNIt a SWEaterMOnth, in it’s 4th year, is organized by the brave KnitGrrl, Shannon Oakey.

The Sweater

I’m knitting the Featherweight Cardigan by Helen Fettig.
I spent, oh, an embarrassing amount of time thinking about what yarn I would make this in, before settling on the designer’s own kit. It comes with the fabulously squooshy Malabrigo laceweight, which I got it in Pearl.

(photo credit: Knitbot.com)

The Wait

I had hoped to share my OWN pictures of the yarn + pattern today, but sadly, it hasn’t arrived yet. While most of the knitters have already swatched and are ready to go, I’m eagerly awaiting delivery!

The good news: USPS tells me it will arrive today! Yay!

How in the world do I have time for this?

Here’s my theory: I have time for anything I MAKE time for.

The trick is to PLAN for it.

And to help me (and you?) with this, I put together a  accountability and planning group to help us get through the holidays.
During this season of Ultimate Crafting, I think it’ll help us stay a bit sane. You can join us right here.

Accountability

Another part of keeping myself accountable is that I’m about to enlist you all in helping me finish this sweater. I’m announcing (right now!) that I’ll be sharing sweater updates every week on Tuesday.

You?

Are you knitting a sweater this month?
Join us in the Ravelry group or with the twitter tag #nakniswemo.

Last night, I gave up on a sweater. My beautiful handspun sweater just isn’t working out. After completing the body and 1 sleeve, I realized I need more yarn. And the yoke isn’t right (too much fabric at the shoulders). And the whole thing is too stiff, not drapey enough. Most of these issues could have been solved by following a pattern (well, except for the drape, I just needed to use a bigger needle and knit it at a different gauge), but because I’m designing it myself, all these little things have to be figured out. If I had chosen a pattern suited for handspun, many of these mistakes might have been avoided.

• Gauge with handspun is variable. One skein might be heavy worsted, while the next is bulky. Knit for the bigger yarn, or else your work will be stiff in areas. Of course, it maybe be a little thin in some areas, but that’s usually preferable.
• Handspun yarn usually has a lot of texture. Play this up with a simple textured stitch or St st.
• Along with texture, handspun yarn can be quite colorful. Cables and pictoral lace are easilyobscured by all the color going on, so avoid “overkill”.

I had a time of mourning as I folded the sweater and put it away (I’m not ready to rip it out yet). But I’ll come back to it. I’ll probably cast on for a sweater using that same handspun in a few weeks. If I use a pattern next time, these are a few I’d consider:

1. Cathode (Rav link) – top downs are the easiest to adjust for gauge & Cathode is excellent since you can use just a bit of handspun for the body and trimm it in commercial yarn.
2. Cavern (Rav Link) – Tingel’s Cavern really won me over to this simple top down cardigan.
3. February Lady Sweater (Rav link) – this uber-popular sweater (over 2000 projects in Ravelry) is simple to adjust, especially if you want it big and roomy.
4. Incredible, Custom Fit Raglan – this is first customizable pattern I ever found. Not really a pattern, as much as a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure.
5. Top-Down Calculator (Rav link)- Not even a pattern. Plug in your gauge and your measurements and out pops customized directions! Amazing!