So how many projects should you do for others and how many for yourself?
My 3 year old noted the other day when I cast on for another jumper for myself that "Mum's should only make things for their daughters not for themselves". To give her credit she is so wrapped in my hand knits that she was trying to push ahead in the queue (she is after Ted, who is now after me).
I would say about 50% of my projects are for myself, maybe more. I don't see much wrong with this but sometimes in certain knitting company I keep this to myself. I am after all the one who knits the item. I feel like I give alot of myself in most other parts of my life, do I have to in knitting as well? Why should there be so much guilt spread about about knitting for one's self? In fact I say if all I wanted to do was knit for myself then why is that wrong? I knit to knit not to really wear so if what gives me fever are things for myself so what? Is this just aimed at women? Are male knitters given the same pressure? How about knitters without partners? kids? This holiday season I knitted nothing for gifts. Shocked? The last holiday season I went all out and burnt out, this one I decided instead of "all" I would go "nothing". It was a good decision for me and I may make it a tradition.
So yes I have cast on for another me-me-me project. I pushed in line. I had a knit that couldn't wait. I cast on for the Cable-Down Raglan from the latest Interweave Knits. I thought I had the perfect yarn right in my stash. A gorgeous soft heathery green from Jo Sharp. Now this came as a surprise to me but reverse stockinette has a profound ability to make even delightful yarns look like crap. I went through the stash like a madwoman, swatching like a demon and had one failure after another. Given my commitment to working down my stash I was getting worried. What I need I thought is a good old fashioned yarn and then I remembered this. Brown won't work I declared but lets try it for the hell of it and guess what it did. It was crisp and solid. And I loved the warmth of the brown. And it is as cheap as chips. All up this jumper will cost me about $24 NZ dollars (less than $20 US or about 2 Euros, not really but it feels that way when I do the exchange on the NZD). Of course the gauge was off so it required a little bit of fancy footwork. I reworked the math, made the original cast on a little smaller since it is the neckline and all was well. The wool is slightly itchy but I am assured by those in the know that it softens up like a dream once washed and worn. This is planned as a winter jumper anyway so I will always have long sleeves under it. Because it is brown I am having the damnest time getting the cables to show up in the photos so this is my best shot.
So yes I have cast on for another me-me-me project. I pushed in line. I had a knit that couldn't wait. I cast on for the Cable-Down Raglan from the latest Interweave Knits. I thought I had the perfect yarn right in my stash. A gorgeous soft heathery green from Jo Sharp. Now this came as a surprise to me but reverse stockinette has a profound ability to make even delightful yarns look like crap. I went through the stash like a madwoman, swatching like a demon and had one failure after another. Given my commitment to working down my stash I was getting worried. What I need I thought is a good old fashioned yarn and then I remembered this. Brown won't work I declared but lets try it for the hell of it and guess what it did. It was crisp and solid. And I loved the warmth of the brown. And it is as cheap as chips. All up this jumper will cost me about $24 NZ dollars (less than $20 US or about 2 Euros, not really but it feels that way when I do the exchange on the NZD). Of course the gauge was off so it required a little bit of fancy footwork. I reworked the math, made the original cast on a little smaller since it is the neckline and all was well. The wool is slightly itchy but I am assured by those in the know that it softens up like a dream once washed and worn. This is planned as a winter jumper anyway so I will always have long sleeves under it. Because it is brown I am having the damnest time getting the cables to show up in the photos so this is my best shot.
1 comment:
I can't believe that some knitters tihnk knitting is for other people and the measure of a knitter is how much gifting of knitted items goes on. My family do ok in the knitting front, but socks and small things whcih are knit beside the bigger projects which --- are --- all --- for --- me! I have tried to knit sweaters for Chris, but loose momentum. If its not for me, and it takes a lot of work .... tedious. Once I even paid another knitter to finish a sweater for him that I couldn't face finishing my self. She made a crap job so maybe Karma came back around to me.
any way, have added you to a nz knit bloggers list on my side bar, let me know if you want out of that?
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