Pam Alison Knits

I’ve made a good start on the knitting project for my friend – a chunky cardigan with a USA theme which I’ve decided I will call “Star Spangled”. I’ve got a picture in my mind of how I want the final design to look, though I’m rather winging the actual construction, trying out elements with an open mind, ready to unpick and try something else when needed.

I took my time over choosing a pattern to base this knit upon. The first step was to have my friend try on one of my cardigans to get an idea of fit/sizing, and of her preferences. This was a really useful exercise as it provided a template against which I can check the sizing as I go along and it also helped my friend to vocalise what she likes and what she’s looking for. I find, in many walks of life, that people don’t know what they want until they have something which they can point to and say “that bit needs to be different – I want something more like this…”

Based on that first discussion I had a good look at knitting patterns for aran-weight yarn because my friend expressed a desire for “chunky” elements. She had provided some photos of her inspiration and these, too, pointed in the direction of sturdier yarn. Of course, aran-weight yarn means this is a quicker knit which is very useful from my point of view. I eventually tracked down a vintage pattern which looked like it could provide the basis for the garment – the number of stitches to cast on, the type of ribbing to use etc. Then I went searching for the wool and that, again, took time. When knitting for others, especially when there is going to be some element of payment, it’s important not to indulge one’s own preferences (mine can tend towards the expensive) and to “keep it real”. Then again, as I am going to be doing the knitting, I do need to enjoy the yarn I’m working with, so there is an element of give and take. I considered several options then hit upon an ideal solution. As often happens, the dithering was merely an indication that I hadn’t found the right solution; as soon as I saw the right wool I placed the order there and then.

The Drops Design Studio “Nepal” is not a wool I’d normally gravitate towards, but I don’t know why not as now I have it in my hands I find it’s a really good basic. It helped that it was on offer at a sale price – though at full price this brand is still good value for money. Of course, I do worry that value-for-money yarns may not be particularly well-behaved in the washing and wearing department, and one of the first things I did was to knit a swatch (test piece) and throw it in the washing machine to see how it would fare. To my relief, it washes perfectly well on the hand-wash cycle, with no visible bleeding of the darker colours into the natural shade.

As I thought about starting the knitting, I hit the first hurdle: the realisation that the pattern I’d bought didn’t have quite the size I was aiming for. That can be a drawback of vintage patterns as they tended to be produced in limited size ranges. Then again, it did provide me with the knowledge of how many stitches I would ideally need to cast on for the size I wanted. Rather than fuss with doing a lot of maths myself, I found a basic pattern which does provide the stitch counts I need and I set off on the first piece – the back. I’m using the 3 x 2 rib from the vintage pattern as that is nice and chunky. As I was working on the rib, I started to think I’d like to incorporate a couple of stripes at the beginning of the body to play into the “stars and stripes” theme. I gave it a go, and I like how it looks. My feeling about this design (“design” is a bit highfalluting for what I’m doing, but there isn’t really any other way to put it) is that it should be a nod to the American flag, an homage rather than a reproduction. So there is the red, white and blue. There will be stars and there will be stripes. It will be sufficient to make the inspiration clear, without depicting an actual American flag. The concern with overt reproductions is that they can wear you, rather than you wearing them, and we don’t want that. It wouldn’t be anywhere near clever enough!

I’m happy to say that this is knitting up nice and quickly, though I’m not sure quite how monogamous I will be in my knitting. There are other projects I want to be working on. In fact, I have four projects that I could really do to get completed before the end of February, only one of which is for me. That is a crazy departure from my normal knitting life. Keeping things real, I want to complete the socks I’m currently working on for my own wardrobe and I will knit these alongside the Star-spangled cardi. The other big project needs to be re-scheduled and I’ll probably work on it later in the year. Project 4 is a difficult one which I think might jump the queue simply because I want it completed very quickly. Since I haven’t even looked for a pattern, yarn, or any kind of inspiration, this is likely to be a tall order. Still, we might as well call it a challenge and see if we can meet it.