Thursday, November 13, 2008

It Starts Again

After a couple of weeks of contemplation about a new sweater project, I've settled on a pattern and am ready to hit the sticks again!

The pattern I chose is the Kimono Style Sweater by Sarah Barbour of RopeKnits. I found it browsing around patterns on Ravelry. No photo here, as I don't want to "swipe" the pattern photo without permission, but pop on over to RopeKnits to have a look. Very pretty, isn't it?

I'm going to use my FF Alpaca/Wool Yarn. The gauge is a perfect match and I've been wanting to knit another sweater with this yarn. I knit one a couple of years ago, but it was for a gift.

There is some risk with this project, but I'm ready to charge ahead full steam. The risk is mostly about the fit and how it will look on me. I still haven't quite adjusted to my new middle-aged body. Some evil force of the universe snuck into my bedroom while I slept on the eve of my 40th birthday a few years back and squeezed my body like a tube of toothpaste so that the very modest amount of fat I carried spread lightly and evenly around various parts of my body suddenly gathered together in the form of a lovely roll of fat around my abdomen. I still haven't quite figured out this new figure and I have a tendency to overestimate the size of this little spare tire. I seem to think it's some sort of giant inner tube used for river rafting and that can lead to my hand knits ending up way too large. I've done a good gauge swatch (the Alpaca/Wool is pretty much dead one for gauge) and have measured and remeasured myself, so I think I'm all set, but will remain cautious and do my best to try it on as I go (it's not a top-down piece as you can see by looking at the photo, so I'll be a bit limited as to how much I can truly see the fit before it's complete).

The other risk is how it will look on me even if it does fit. I'm normally a fan of details around the midriff such as the cables in this sweater, as that usually lends to a figure-flattering garment, but I'm not entirely certain about this sweater. Will the interlocked cables and fitted nature of the midriff create a narrowing illusion or will my little tire bulge out and cry "Look at me!" We shall see.

I'm still trying to stick with the one-project-at-a-time game, but whether I'll be able to do that while working on this larger and more intricate project also remains to be seen.

Whatever the outcome, I'm looking forward to this one!

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