I’ve been taking some deep looks at what I do here at Jill Wolcott Knits lately. This is hardly odd because I am an observer of myself and others at all times. I’ve been working at looking deeply into things I am not always happy looking at–in this case, my financials. Don’t worry, this isn’t about that. Linda has been matching expenses to patterns so I can see what is lucrative and what is not.
The Crux of This Knitting Story
Linda asked me who knit a couple of samples for designs for Love of Knitting. I remembered knitting the smaller item, but had no memory of who knit the cardigan. I have a pretty good memory for stuff like that (where I put my glasses? No idea.). I looked in my files, electronic and hard copies, and could not find anything for that cardigan. I found the date I got the yarn in the yarn log, but nothing showing the yarn being shipped out to a knitter.
I had some recollection of knitting the sleeves because I remember I was worried I hadn’t properly mirrored the plackets. I had knit the sleeves on another cardigan earlier in the fall, so I think those two things got blended together in my mind.
When nothing turned up I finally decided that maybe I had knit the whole cardigan. When I mentioned this knitting story to Mitch, he said he thought I did knit it, but that he was hardly surprised I didn’t remember doing it. I still couldn’t remember knitting it, but some of it has been becoming clearer.
Unraveling this Knitting Story
I found a file of pictures, some of which aren’t shown here, which helped me recall this project more clearly. I have definite memories of adding the closures and doing the finishing, but the knitting is still a bit vague.
I do remember casting on the body and working the bottom trim. I even remember establishing the body pattern, but after that. Not much. I remember knitting the waistband. Totally remember that one, but again, not really the details, just the beginning and the ending. Same for the bodice. Cast on and establishing the pattern, I can recall, but not much else. I was oddly excited to join the body and the bodice to the WB. I remember worrying that I hadn’t calculated correctly, only to find out that I had done all the calculations correctly.
The sleeves left a little more of an impression, but I think that was because of the need to make the placket placement mirror, so I had to pay a lot of attention. I have a vague memory of watching Borgen (with subtitles) at some point while working on this cardigan. Undoubtedly this was after the plackets or the body and bodice. I will sometimes tell Mitch I cannot read subtitles because I need to pay attention to my knitting. That signals I am really paying attention to my knitting and pattern.
Conclusions from a Knitting Story
This is, of course, the reason I don’t remember knitting the cardigan. I know what needs to happen so thoroughly once I’ve written the pattern that I don’t pay much attention. It is also why I have trouble remembering what changes I might have made while working on the knitting. I am not a focused knitter. It makes me a pretty lousy sample knitter, so usually, it would not have been me who knit the sample. Apparently it means that I can knit almost an entire cardigan without remembering it!
We’re just waiting for the issue with this one to be published in Love of Knitting. See my other Love of Knitting designs here.
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