December | 2019 | Roving Creative Life

I am a perpetual sweater knitter. I love them, and as soon as the weather turns cold I take comfort in the fact that I can retreat back to my “professional uniform” of button down shirt, jeans, boots and a hand made sweater.

Professional may not be the word you would use for such an outfit, but I do see it that way. I work in the knitting industry and wearing handmade clothing without being overdressed ( i.e. jeans) seems to resonate with my customers. So far this year I have put stitches into at least 20 sweaters!!! I thought I may make it to 24 for an average of 2 a month but with less than 30 days to go until 2020, I am not sure I will make it.

Over the next few posts I want to share with you all some of my finishes and a review of the patterns.

The review may just be the most important part. I have become acutely aware that some of our favorite designers are talented and endlessly creative. They also grade patterns very generously, with lots of ease. This makes it easy to find a size that will work on almost any body. While wonderfully inclusive, I find that I don’t always feel like the finished garments are flattering. But refer back to professional dressing and wanting to feel relevant in the knitting industry, I want to knit not only what I like but also what is popular.

With fit, and flattering in mind, I will share all my details and processes that I have picked up over the years of knitting with EXTREAMELY patient and talented knitting mentors like Nell Ziroli, Sheila Pierce, Amy Sment, Dorothea Pierce and Dani Miller. Each of these women have significantly helped me along the way, teaching techniques and methods that have worked themselves into my daily habits. Even with an obscene number of finished projects, I still rely on my knitting friends for guidance on some patterns and to re-engineer parts of garments for the best possible outcome: a wardrobe piece I will actually wear!!