Sunday, March 8, 2009

Knitting sweaters

I can't believe I will no longer need to say to myself: I should be working on Thermal ;-) That will make me think seriously, next time, about starting a new sweater or any long project. I will knit more sweaters and tops for sure. I already feel like I have more experience: the gauge, the length, regular checks to ensure it fits, etc. But you have to love the pattern and the yarn.

So, here are a few photos:


Pattern: Thermal by Laura Chau
Yarn: KnitPicks Gloss
Needles: US 2.5 / 3.0 mm
Color: Black
Start to finish: October 2007 - March 2009 (yes, it took me that long)
For: Me
Notes: The pattern is very well written and Knitty.com provided answers to all questions I had. I've made a few modifications: no buttons, 3/4 sleeves, grafting instead of 3-needles bindoff for the shoulders, and more length to the body. And although I made the body in size A that made it very adjusted due to the fact that I knit a bit tight, I switched to size D (!) when I started doubting that my arms could get into the sleeves of size A. I think it explains why the collar does not go very low: smaller size made longer.

Here is also a closer look at the stitch pattern, collar and shoulder. I have to say I am very satisfied with the result. Very proud also. Every defect I detected, I corrected. Even if it meant hours in some cases. To give an example, I picked up the collar stitches 3 times (and there were about 250 stitches for the collar): the first time was for practice (!), the second time I did much better except for the back which explain the 3rd tentative (after knitting half an inch I decided that I wasn't satisfied with the back). Every time, I was so glad I did it again.


Another thing I learned is that knitting is not a matter of life and death ;-) When I put the center front on a stitch holder to knit the sides, I lost many stitches without realizing it. Can you imagine my unpleasant surprise when I realized that the stitch holder was not holding the stitches? I was so discouraged. It did not occur to me then that I had the capability to fix it. This yarn is so small and dark. I waited a while and then, a co-worker explained to me what I had to do and with a lot of work (and countless hours), I was able to fix it. That teached me that knitting is a hobby. If I want it the easy way, I can always go buy a nice sweater at the mall. If I want to learn and achieve new habilities, I have to work hard and mistakes are part of it. Isn't it a nice conclusion?

I hope that this will inspire other people to knit this sweater. After all that time and hard work, I'm really glad I did!

8 comments:

Suvi said...

It's beautiful! You did a wonderful job!

birana said...

Very nice your thermal. Right on time for spring ;)

vanessa said...

what a beautiful sweater! congrats. I think you'll love wearing it. and glad to hear you like the knit picks yarn! I just ordered some merino and am soo excited to try it out!

Chantal Boucher said...

Wow! Super travail! J'aime bien le point.

Unknown said...

this has to be my favourite version of thermal....hands down!

i think the higher neckline is actually very flattering and your mods have done you proud. the fit is superb on you.

i'm planning on making one myself in chocolate brown.

Lolita Blahnik said...

Preciosisimo!!! me apunto el patron, es una pasada!

Sophie said...

Wow you did finish it, I still working on mine sometime... but it's SO long... I will be done before my baby's birth (on July) this is my goal for 2010 ! Your sweater is wonderful and the higher neckline is very flattering on you, Bravo !!!!

Susan said...

I love your Thermal sweater! Looks like a lot of doing those stitches, but I think it definitely paid off! Why are you thinking of redoing the sleeves?! They look fantastic! I love it :) You just have to wear it and enjoy it! (Unlike me... I treasure my sweaters and never end up wearing it! ARG)