Knitting: Past Projects - Black Floral Intarsia Sweater

It seemed like the more complex the floral pattern the more I was drawn to it.

This was a sweater I made a few years back, again a Pattons design. The design in the pattern book was done in off-white, but I opted for black so that the flowers would show up more. I figured if I was going to do all that work, I wanted them to stand out.

I have a large collection of plastic bobbins to wind batches of wool on while working with all the different colours. A few times when I didn't have enough I even resorted to making my own from cardboard.

Sometimes the bobbins would tangle and I'd have to stop and take a minute to unwind them. It certainly was not a project to work on if I was really tired.

This sweater is a lunch hour sweater. It was knit entirely while I was on lunch each day, sitting in the cafeteria.

The pattern was too complex to be done on the bus where I would have to count stitches and watch my row carefully to make all the colour changes.

Every day, people would watch me while I knit. It makes me a little uncomfortable to draw attention--I don't want to get into conversation when working an intarsia pattern so I'd always look for a back corner or out of the way spot in the cafeteria where I could hide from my co-workers. Less talk meant more knitting, and usually a more peaceful lunch hour.

I enjoyed each and every stitch. I particularly enjoyed the anticipation of the finished project almost as much as seeing the sweater complete.

I splurged on a black leather skirt to wear with this sweater. I figured I'd put so many hours into it that it deserved to be showcased with leather.

It wasn't long after knitting this project that I would no longer be able to knit, making this project that much more important ... but that's another story.