Video: Yarn First or Pattern First? How To Plan Your Knitting Projects

 

Which should come first? The yarn or the pattern? Today I'm talking about a few of my projects and explaining how I make this decision along with the benefits and cons to each one. Head over to YouTube or click through the video below to watch :)

I'm Fighting Cast-On-Itis

I've been having a lovely time knitting my Mohn Cardigan, and I've managed to stay completely monogamous while knitting it, which has made this project just fly by. As I near the end of this sweater though, I am entertaining what to start next, and let me tell you ... I just want to cast on all the things. After being a good girl and working through specific projects to completion before starting anything new for months and months now, I have quite the back up list of things I would really like to have in my life. I've done quite a few project planning posts since July when I started blogging again last spring (here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here - goodness), and out of those planning posts with my knitting I have only made 3 of those things, lol. I'm a big believer that planning projects and acquiring the materials for them are a separate hobby from actually making things. And that's not even factoring in my sewing plans! This is just for knitting!

Anyway, I currently have a major internal struggle. I want to make all the things. I have yarn pulled out and paired with patterns in projects bags ready to go. I have swatches I made 8 months ago for a sweater that need to be redone. I have new projects I'm also excited about that I really want to cast on. In spite of all of this going on though, I have really enjoyed the speed with which I've been able to finish things lately because I was focusing on just that one project. I love efficiency, and the most efficient way to complete a project is definitely to not work on anything else until you finish the first one, you know? So the "responsible mom" side of me is not allowing my inner child to be wild and free, lol. I am going to allow myself to start more than one project because there are times when you can't carry around a sweater, but what to cast on? 

The one definite project I will be starting is the Rose Street Cardigan from Squid's School of Vintage Knitting. I've been wanting to cast this on since last April, but I was being responsible and finishing my Susan Shaw Cardigan and then my 3 worsted weight sweaters from the end of the year. Now it is finally time, but I am having a quandary on my planned yarn. I still love my original plan of Knit Picks Stroll in the Duchess Heather colorway, but I was cleaning out my sewing room last weekend and came across my sweater quantity of Knit Picks Felici (now discontinued) in the Dragonfruit colorway and it got the gears a'turning. I have always loved the yarn Sydney used for her example cardigan, but every time I look up that yarn she used (even on sale), I just can't justify spending $100 or more on yarn when I have so much. This yarn is very close in color though, so it would fill that gap in my mind. But I also love the duchess heather! lol I've been planning on the duchess heather so long that I don't know if I can abandon the idea now. I'm trying to look at my sweaters I have on hand that I still fit in so that I can decide which color would work best in my wardrobe.

I have some socks I really want to make, but the responsible part of me says I have to finish the socks I cast on over a year ago first. Realistically that means I would not get to use the socks I currently want to start until next year because we have such a short window of cold days here. This project came about because I realized that all my hand knit socks are crazy bright colors and I now have a pair of boots that would expose them. I grabbed the most neutral colored yarn in my stash - Morning Bright Organic Merino in the Moonlit colorway - and matched it with the Chrysanthemum frutesens pattern by Hunter Hammersen, but I still have just one leg done on my dragon fruit socks that I really should finish first.

I inexplicably love this one skein of sock yarn I was given - I have no idea what it is because there was no label, which is a bummer - but the color is just lovely. I can't even decide if this is a "good" color to be so close to my face, but I just really want to make the Ishbel shawl with this. Almost all of my shawls have been made in variegated yarns, and while I enjoyed the projects and I love the yarn and everything, it 1) doesn't really make the patterns on a shawl stand out and 2) limits what the shawl can be worn with. I had a very hard time making an outfit for my Haruni shawl on a cold day a few weeks ago and I was pretty bummed. I started pulling out all of my hand knit shawls to see if another would work with my outfit and I didn't feel that any of them did. I don't mind them not matching when I'm outside and it's more of an outerwear item, but I was trying to wear it indoors with a black shirt. Anyway, I really want to use this yarn and I've been wanting to make up this pattern, so it seems like the perfect combo.

I also really want to make the Queen Anne's Lace Scarf but make it in a thinner yarn and use it as a belt with my New England Dress to jazz it up at the waist. I've made the dress in plain black linen, which is great, but I fell like it's a nice opportunity to make a fun accessory. This would likely be a pretty quick project, so this may get started soon if I can just decide what yarn to use. 

I very much have the itch to make a stuffed animal. It's been a long time since I made one just because I wanted to and not as a gift, so of course I printed out like 8 patterns to pick from, lol. I think I want to crochet something cute, which will be a very quick project, but I also really want to make the Woolly Mammoth by Barbara Prime. But looking at Barbara's newer patterns, I absolutely love this chubby bee, lol. I would have to buy the newest Knit Now Magazine to make him though, so I'm trying to decide. I also have promised my kids I will make our Elf Doll some clothes, lol. I made the elf in 2016 and always intended to make him Christmasy.

And I am always wondering when I should start my epic colorwork project - Carivel Colorwork Sweater. I have all the yarn ready and waiting. I just need to be mentally ready to get this going, lol. 

So that's the state of my head right now - craziness as you can see. This is also just the short list - I have so many plans circulating in my head all the time that I would like to make up. *sigh* I just need to focus and make some real time decisions. Anyone else find themselves in this type of pickle?

WIP Wednesday: Gift Planning and A New Cast On

Well friends, I've got the fall knitting bug. It's the time of year where I start bugging my extended family about their favorite colors to wear so I have enough time to get gifts made before Christmas. This year I'm planning on using the Sentro machines to make hats and scarves and whatnot for those who live in cold placed, so I'm making sure I have the right colors and sizes of yarn on hand. I've been plugging away at the sleeves on my Susan Shaw cardigan and man I am so ready for that thing to be done. It's going fine, but at this point I've had to redo so many things to fit that I've knitted that sweater 1.5 times since March and I'm just ready to be making something else. I have the lovely Rose Street Cardigan waiting in the wings as my next fingering weight sweater project, but I've just recently felt the need to have a worsted weight project on the go again. Everything I have going right now is fingering weight and even my most recent finished project is a lace weight shawl, so it's time for some thick and quick satisfaction.

I started looking through my Ravelry stash and matching up patterns with yarn I have on hand. I have quite a few sweaters in my queue, but I just didn't quite feel the draw for those at the moment. I felt like finding new inspiration, so I spent a little time doing just that. I'm trying to visualize my wardrobe I am currently wearing and decide what patterns and yarns would integrate into that in the foreseeable future, which is no easy task let me tell you, especially when you are trying to work through a huge yarn stash. I only want to make plans with things I have on hand, but are the things I have on hand the right color and weight and quantity to make up a sweater that will get lots of wear? It's all a big puzzle that I am trying to figure out.

The one I have actually cast on is the Belladonna by Andi Satterlund. This pattern is no longer available, but I was lucky enough to get it while I still could. I love Andi's vintage designs - fitted style, cropped length, some kind of interesting lace or cable but not too crazy. This pattern really didn't excite me too much when it first came out, but now it's been so long since I knit one of her designs that I've changed my mind about it. When I searched my stash for the required yardage, I discovered that a yarn I was given in March would be the perfect match and close to the same color as the example. I have 750 yards of Dream in Color Classy in the Spring Tickle colorway, which I really thought would not be enough for a full sweater so I never considered it before. This sweater only uses 690 yards in my size, but I usually extend her designs for my long waist, so I'm thinking 750 yards might be perfect to make this up. 

I had my camera set up the other day, so I decided to take pictures of myself with the yarn near my face to decide if the color would suit me lol. I think it looks fine, so I swatched and cast on this past weekend. I now refer to this as my Putrid Sweater. I'm not sure how long this will take to make, but generally Andi's patterns are pretty quick for me, which will be a nice change from the fingering weight. Though it's crazy how clunky I am with knitting bigger yarn after being so used to knitting with such tiny yarn and needles for so long. But I'm excited about this so far.

The other contenders for what I would knit include another of Andi's patterns called Chuck. This one is a cropped, fitted cable knit pull over. I have knit very few pullovers because it's just so dang warm here all the time, but they are saying this will be a cold winter and that has me a little more excited about knit wear that stays on all day. I have 3 skeins of Cascade 220 in the Palm colorway that I bought when I first started knitting and didn't realize that only 660 yards probably wasn't enough for a sweater. Lo and behold! This sweater says it requires 680 yards. I'm thinking I could make the sleeves shorter or possibly make contrasting ribbing and neckband? Not exactly sure there, but I tend to come out with excess yarn when I knit Andi's patterns anyway. But again - will this color work for my wardrobe? Particularly with it being a cropped pullover? So it would really need to have an established outfit to be worn with. This would be cute on top of a pinafore that I plan on making, but we will see if I actually make that happen. I also have potentially just enough of Must Be Merino yarn in the Tobacco or Rust colorway that would work as well. I have been all about wearing mustard and ochre yellow tones, so the tobacco would fit that wonderfully. 

Next up I have a sweater quantity of Chic Sheep yarn in Creme de Menthe which would make a lovely thicker sweater. The problem is I just can't figure out what design I like for the sweater itself, so it has sat in my stash for years. I'm trying to decide between Sorcha by Andi Satterlund, Vignette by Amy Herzog, Analeigh by Irina Anikeeva, and the Lydia Military Spencer by Annie Modesitt. They all have interesting patterning in some way - which is not as common as you'd think. So many bigger sweaters are just plain stockinette and that is so boring for me to make. The first 3 all have cables or lace to make things interesting, and the 4th one is from Jane Austen knits and is modelled after a spencer jacket from the Regency era, which would be really cool since I have been making other regency clothes. Will I actually use up this yarn I bought in 2018?

I'm also feeling really drawn to another set of Dream in Color Classy that I was given in March. I have 5 skeins of the Happy Forrest colorway and I just love everything about this color. I think it would be a great over piece in general and I'm really feeling this green would look great in a cabled sweater. I like Fickle Heart by Justyna Lorkowska, which has a chunky cable design all over and a hood. I can't quite decide if that's "the one" for this yarn though.

Anytime I plan sweaters, I always come back to this one. I got the Louisa Harding Cardigans book for Christmas the year I learned to knit. I had seen it in Barnes and Noble and fell in love. I've had it all these years but have yet to actually make a single sweater from the book. I know! This sweater has always been in my plans - the Viola. This is actually similar to a lavender cotton sweater I had back in college that stretched out horribly and I had to get rid of it at some point. I loved the sailor collar style then, so when I saw this pattern I wanted to make a new version ... but then I looked up how much the appropriate yarn would cost. The original yarn is long discontinued, and I can find it on ebay and Ravelry, but it would take something like 15 balls, so even secondhand it would cost me over $80 and I'm very limited on available color choices. It's just not something I can justify. I check for this yarn periodically and I check prices with the Knit Picks equivalent (Shine) anytime there is a big sale, but it still just isn't do-able. I still would love to make this up, so now I'm contemplating just using some 100% wool from my stash and not worrying about the difference in drape and not having a shine. I have this Cloudborn Wool Worsted in Teal Heather I've had for years as well as a single skein of Rozetti Bamboo Glam in Poolside that I inexplicably picked up from Tuesday Morning on a whim. It would be nice to finally have these skeins of yarn used as well as to have this design to wear, so we will see.

Finally I keep contemplating the Dalloway Blouse by Syndey Crabaugh. She has it designed after a vintage Jiffy knit pattern, so it's supposed to be a very quick knit. I have a bunch of Louisa Harding Simonetta mohair yarn that I immediately thought would be great for this top, but Syndey said that it would be very hot and that really made me reconsider it as a summer make. Now that I may be up against a cold winter (for Florida), I'm tempted to make it. It's so hard to deny myself a quick make after being so diligent with my longer term makes this year.

It's really hard coming into colder times as a knitter and knowing that many of my hand knits are too big for me now. I've knit a lot of Andi Satterlund's designs over the years, but as they are all designed to be fitted and now I've lost weight, they really look pretty sloppy now. A few of them are mentally relegated to be unraveled if I want a new sweater in that color of yarn, but they will live their life as is until that day. I will love having one of Andi's designs back in my rotation again this winter :) I will certainly only be able to make maybe one of these sweaters now, but it's nice to feel like there's a tentative plan if the mood strikes to cast something on.

WIP Wednesday: Sewing Plans This Week

Friends, the sewing flood gates are officially opened in my mind. After YEARS of not sewing any clothes, I've produced 3 wearable items in a week. Now I can't be stopped - I have sewing planning constantly on the brain. I'm working toward things that will be practical for me to wear as well as use fabrics and patterns in my stash, so these are my plans for what will be happening in the near future.

 

First up is a white Gable top. I snagged 6 yards of Laguna Jersey in white at the Sewing Studio sale last month, and what a great basic this will be! I am ALWAYS looking for good white shirts and they are few and far between in thrift stores. This one will be happening first on this list for sure.

Next is this adorable llama print fabric I can't get out of my mind. I bought this a few years ago to also make a Gable top (before I ever made the pattern successfully, lol) and now that I have the Gable fitting me well, I want to make this one up. This is an organic cotton jersey with an adorable llama stripe print.

And I also want to make another Fioré skirt, but this time in the drape front version. I am loving my button front version, so I'm thinking to make this version in the same fabric - a rustic, heavy weight linen - this time in the natural, undyed color. 

I have other things brewing in my mind (like I really want a white linen woven t-shirt), but these all feel very do-able since I have the patterns and fabrics all ready to go. I am also moving right along with knitting my Susan Shaw cardigan. I'm onto the right front, so we're getting there. I have a knit-along starting next week, so we will see how much I get done on this cardi before that starts.

What do you have going this week? Anything exciting?

Spring 2023 Project Planning

With finishing my ongoing projects this past month, I find myself in that flux period of wishing I had a project I could just grab and go but sadly all I can really do that with is a sock, lol, and sometimes you're just not in the mood for socks. Sweaters are my favorite thing to make and I try to always have one fingering weight sweater and one dk/worsted/aran weight sweater going at the same time so I can grab either depending on my situation and mood. I do need to pull out the sleeves on my most recent finished fingering weight sweater, but who wants to do that? No one, I'm pretty sure. You have to be in the mood for repairing all that work, and I really need to give unpicking the already woven in and blocked sleeve my full attention as well, so I'm trying to console myself by planning my bigger project that would be more portable. Here are the top 3 I'm deciding between at the moment:

I've wanted to make Crumb by Andi Satterlund ever since it was released. Her original Miette was one of the first sweater I ever made, and I wore it quite a bit except my stupid blocking pins rusted while it was drying and I've never been able to get those spots off my lovely mint version. Andi revamped the Miette pattern into the Crumb design and the big difference is the bust shaping was moved to the side, which I prefer anyway. SO I would love to have another iteration of this I can actually wear. My original one was in Cascade Sierra, which is  a cotton blend, and that was good for the warmer climate of Florida. I want to make up Crumb in Lion Brand Cotton-Ease in the Seaspray colorway which I bought way back in 2016. Sheesh, lol. I've worked with Cotton-Ease before on my Sunshower Cardigan years ago and it stretched out quite a lot, so with this version I will definitely be making up Andi's size Medium because that's what has worked out in the past. So this one will be coming up sometime soon if not right now.

Next up on my choices is the Mudblood Cardigan by Tian Connaughton. This is from Unofficial Harry Potter Knits, which came out in 2013, and the magazine calls it the Mudblood Cardigan, but apparently that name upset some people because it is now referred to online as the "Hermione Granger Cardigan". It will always be the original name to me. Anyway, purchased 6 skeins of the yarn called for in the pattern - Universal Yarns Deluxe Worsted Superwash yarn in the Christmas Red colorway - from Craftsy back in  2015 when it was in their clearance and I've had it sitting in my drawer ever since just waiting to be made up. To be honest, I anticipate this being kind of a boring sweater to knit being just a plain stockinette design, but I really want to get the yarn out of the drawer and made into something and nothing else really grabbed me for this color and I do like the look of this sweater so sometimes we just endure the basics for a useful garment. *Spoiler Alert* I already swatched this yarn and it is drying as I type, so this one will probably be the first to get going.

My final choice floating in my head is Tierney by Andi Satterlund. I tend to gravitate to her patterns not only because I like the vintage style but also because I've made many of her designs before and I know what to expect with the fit, which makes it a bit more mindless to knit. I don't end up with all that much DK weight yarn in my stash, so I've never made this up, but about a month ago I found a bag full of Bernat Cassino yarn in this Rust colorway. This yarn is very much discontinued, but it's a DK weight mercurized cotton that has a nice shine to it. The sweater was designed using a cotton/hemp/rayon blend, so I think this will be a nice pairing. I also have nothing like this color in my current sweater wardrobe, so I think it will be nice to have something a little different than my usual.

And finally I've had this Haruni shawl by Emily Ross on my mind ever since seeing PurlsofthePast's version and seeing this was a free pattern. It's been quite a while since I've made a shawl and they are another project I like to have going in the background for a quick grab-and-go. I basically don't wear them except in the winter, so there's no pressure to complete them quickly and they are a great opportunity to use some of my hand dyed yarns that don't really translate into everyday wear because I of their more experimental color schemes. I have this skein of the oh-so-controversial Yarn Bee Hand-Dyed yarn in the Stonework colorway and I think this will be a nice way to show off the color variation. 

Whatever I start now, I will be happy to have a number of projects to choose from after finishing so many around the same time. Why does it always happen that way? I love to be in the middle of a project - that comfortable space where I already know the pattern and can just sit down and knit instead of figuring out starting or finishing them. I find I focus more on enjoying the process of knitting now than churning out lots of finished garments like I used to be as a younger knitter. I guess that's what happens when you've been doing something for over a decade. So crazy!

Anyone else have any exciting new patterns they are thinking of working up? I'd love to see them :)