Knitting: Past Projects - Soft Pink Cardigan & Sweater

My third Australia knitting project was with Pattons wool.

Pattons was very quickly becoming a favourite with me because I liked most of the patterns they offered in their books and their scrumptious yarn.

This wool cardigan is so soft it's like cashmere and it's truly a favourite. I love its elegance, its length and pearl buttons. This sweater exposed me to doing cables for the first time--confession--I used an unbent paper clip as my cable needle until I purchased one.

My cable needle has recently gone missing so I had to make myself another one from a paper clip.

I hope it's still the same today, but at that time there were knit shops almost everywhere in the suburbs and city of Melbourne. The knit shop would put all the balls I required for my garment aside and I would only have to pay for the wool as I needed it. IMAGINE THAT! I hope it's still that way today, but I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't.

My knitting style at that time was very unique. I would jam the end of my straight needle into the crease of my thigh to hold it steady like a spear and then I'd knit on it.

I was embarrassed with this self-invented technique because it drew attention so I practised putting my needle into my arm pit instead and held it there.

This next project with the same wool and Pattons again was actually knit once I was back in Canada.

I brought the wool home in my suitcase. I took my knitting with me to work while here in Canada. I would knit on the bus, and in the cafeteria. I knit at home too at nights.

I learned to knit faire isle with both the left and right hand, using the drawings in the pattern book for direction.

My knitting got noticed by my coworkers and a few of them actually took up the hobby and knit some garments. They would come to me with dropped stitches to get help to fix it and their questions on interpreting stitches and patterns.

I seemed to gravitate a lot to intarsia knitting - floral motifs were often a favourite. I did have pretty strict rules. I wouldn't knit just anything.

The garment had to really appeal to me in some way. I knew if it didn't the project could easily fall into the never finished pile at the back of a closet.

I also didn't knit for other people--as in, gee, I've noticed you can knit... can you make spend 200 hours making this complex sweater for free if I buy the wool? No!

My time was at too much of a premium for that. Besides, I had a stash that I was working through and at least 25 to 30 projects waiting in the closet.