It was one of the first gifts that Hubba ever gave to me... back before he was Hubba or even Fiance.
This sweater has been well loved for more than 15 years... and it shows. As such, Hubba and I have been looking for an appropriate replacement. But no luck thus far.
So I have been thinking a lot about making it into a new sweater.
It's always been too big. So I think that if I take it apart I could knit it into a sweater that fits better. Then it could live on, which would make both of us happy. :-)
The challenge then is to find a pattern that I want to make.
I like my clothes to be basically simple with an occasional pop or splash of fun. So I've been thinking about a couple of ideas:
- A basic crew or v-neck, slim sweater with the colors on the sleeves and maroon as the body
- Something still simple but with a little fair isle or lopi going on around the neck and/or wrist
The yarn is pretty light weight so it would most likely be knit on a US2 (2.75mm) or US3 (3.25mm) needle.
I have been trying to eek one last winter out of it and figured I would start to disassemble the sweater in the spring... of course with the recent weather, now may count as spring. ;-)
So I wonder, do you have any suggestions? Do you have a perfect, simple sweater pattern that you love?
Of course since it's Fiber Arts Friday, be certain to visit everyone linked in over at Wisdom Begins in Wonder. :-)
16 comments:
What a cool idea, Kathryn!
Like 'sweater reincarnation'!! Giggle.
That sweater is awesome but I bet the "new" sweater will be even more awesome! I can't wait to see it!
Wow, such a great idea! Maybe you can somehow scan the color work area and make your own chart in case you ever want to duplicate it. (I believe there are free applications for this.) I love all the patterns from Knitting Pure & Simple, for their classic patterns that really never go out of style. (Though I can't recall seeing any with color work) I am excited to see where this project goes!
That's a great idea! I'm sorry I can't contribute a pattern idea, I'm just not there yet. Can't wait to see what you do though.
I agree with Twirly Curly Bird about the Knitting Pure and Simple patterns. Maybe you could incorportate varing widths of stripes that run on just one side of the sweater from where the ribbing stops to the shoulder. This would make an asymmetrical look and should be easy to add. Just a thought....
The would be a great idea! Best of luck, sorry I haven't even attempted a sweater yet so I won't be of much help.
Thanks for telling me about Knitting Pure and Simple... a couple of those look promising. :-)
Are you thinking about ripping the sweater and reuse the yarn? Given the size of the holes and the age of the garment, you'll be doing a lot of split/slicing or other methods to put together the new yarn, much easier if you just start with something fresh. It's a sweater full of memories, I'd hate to take it apart.
For patterns, I usually just go on Ravelry, do Advanced Search, and then filter down by sizing (adult, woman), type of yarn (sports, DK), attributes (pullover, colorwork, etc.), and how you want to get it (buy online, free). I found over 200 free patterns that roughly fit what you are looking for. Drops has a huge library on their website, many classic pullovers with fair isle designs. Artesano looks pretty good too.
That sounds like a great idea, very brave too. I agree hunting Ravelry should give you a basic sweater pattern and your can add your own details with the colours
Yes, I will be reusing the yarn. This will be my second adventure in sweater recycling.
I have been saving sweaters I happen to see on Ravelry, but I'm not sure I've done the advanced search yet. Thanks for the other suggestions too.
What a neat idea, I'm looking forward to seeing how it turns out!
I have no suggestions for a new sweater pattern. I'm not a sweater knitting person...or so the sweaters I've knit so far would attest...I would think that knitting another sweater like that one in a smaller size would be good. Perhaps a vintage pattern would be the way to go? Good luck. Have a great weekend.
I have seen sweaters similar to this in Interweave Knits and I think the book Vintage Knits had one like that. Also, Classic Elite had a similar one I think.
Good luck!
Thanks for the shout-out :-)
Good luck with the sweater-reincarnation ... wow! Ambitious! I think a bohus would be nice, but I'm partial to bohus patterns.
I bow to the experienced sweater knitters. My first ever sweater which is a Pure and Simple is in time out because I'm too antsy to stick with a big project.
That's a great idea. I have never attempted something like that, but would love to. Have you looked on Ravelry for a pattern? That's is where I always turn when I need something.
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