The Deconstructed Sweater – a cozy and easy winter sweater
Giant. Cushy. Cozy. Sweater.
What’s not to love?
This is currently the only sewn sweater in my self-made wardrobe, and I really hope to change that soon. As much as I love knitting, there is something to be said for a sweater you can make in a morning.
I wanted a sweater that was cozy and easy – both while I was making it and when I wear it. So the fabric is a thick, cushy sweater knit, that I turning into a pullover with a giant cowl, and exposed seams.
The “pattern” is just 8 rectangles, strategically sewn together. 1 rectangle for the front, 1 for the back, 2 for the sleeves, and 4 rectangles for the yoke/cowl.
And the sweater turned out to be exactly what I wanted it to be.
Giant. Cushy. Cozy. Easy. The perfect winter sweater.
It’s cold, so I’m knitting some sweaters.
Each Wednesday, I post little snippets about what’s happening, and what I’m working on.
I’ve been wearing my winter coat quite successfully. It still needs a zipper, and some pockets, and a lining. Though it’s proving to be rather windproof (especially when I’m wearing layers), so at the moment the zipper is more of a priority than the lining.
Speaking of layers…
I started a new sweater. It’s another allover slipped stitch pattern. This sweater is a top down raglan pullover, using 5 different colors of yarn, which makes for a very hard to photograph project.
And the purple sweater I started last week is progressing. It’s knit from the top down, and I’m through the decreases to the waist, so I’m hoping to start the increases for the hips soon. Then it’s on to sleeve island.
I pre-washed and ironed the fabric for my first “Archer” button up shirt, and planned to cut the pieces last weekend, but that didn’t happen – hopefully this weekend.
And because I need a project that has nothing to do with the self-made wardrobe, my spindling kick continues.
Also!
Speaking of The Self-Made Wardrobe Project, I posted the 3rd Month Wrap Up over on selfmadewardrobe.com, you can read the post here.
Knitting my “Boring Black Sweater”
I have a love-hate relationship with basics.
I love wearing them.
I hate making them.
This creates a little bit of tension in my self-made wardrobe.
I’ve talked a little bit before about the disconnect between what I love wearing, and what I love making. I love making really complicated & technically challenging, colorful & intricate & interesting things, while I love wearing basics – tank tops, jeans (they’re coming! – eventually…) and straight forward stockinette sweaters.
Sewing basics is pretty boring.
Knitting basics is a nightmare of boredom.
But a nightmare that’s kind of worth it.
I’ve dubbed this sweater the “Boring Black Sweater.”
It’s a solid black, basic pullover, knit in stockinette stitch, in lace weight yarn on a US size 4 (3.5mm) needle. Which, if you don’t knit, is tiny yarn on a not-so-tiny-but-certainly-not-large needles, in a very basic knitting stitch.
The yarn is “Forest Hills” from Cascade in color #3 “Anthracite” (black). I love this yarn for shawls. But I wouldn’t really recommend it for garments because of how much this sweater is pilling.
The pattern is a basic, yoked pullover, worked from the top-down, with a wide neckline, and turned hems on the sleeves and body.
Knitting it was really boring.
It was so boring, in fact, that I knit the sleeves too way short. And once the sweater was all done I cut off the cuff, picked up the stitches on the sleeve, knit a couple more inches, and graphed the cuff back on.
Even so the sleeves ended up being bracelet length, which isn’t what I had in mind, but works fine.
Even though it was kind of a nightmare to knit, I love this sweater. It works with just about everything in my wardrobe, and is the perfect thin layer to wear under or over something.
From now on though, I think I’ll stick to sewing, instead of knitting, my basics.
