The Big Idea.

I’ve been toying with the idea of doing a personal knitathon for a while now, where all the knitted items would either be auctioned/ raffled off or donated for charity. But I’d miss out on one of the most wonderful things about joint challenges like the 40-hour famine or Knitting Olympics: the way fellow participants create a community, cheer and inspire each other on. There is truly strength in like-minded numbers.

With all of this in mind, I’d like to formally invite you to participate in the fledgling, inaugural Compassionate Craft Week 2010. A knit/crochet-athon spanning the first week in October, the aim of CCW 2010 is to create items for charity in whatever form that takes. The finished products could be donated, raffled, or auctioned off for the benefit of the non-profit cause of your choice.

Now, I’m not a well-known or influential blogger, but I know some of you are. If this idea interests you at all, please: tell your friends.

There will be prizes, ravelry and flickr groups, a facebook page, twitter hashtag, and any other ways you can think of to share and connect before, during and after the experience.

Thank you.

Owning it.

I don’t have time to compete with the brilliance of others. I don’t want to go there. I just want to be me. ~Wendy Bernard

I loved this recent post by legendary knitwear designer Wendy Bernard, who also writes one of the most down-to-earth blogs I’ve ever had the pleasure to read.

It’s an idea I’m finding particularly resonant lately, as I come to understand myself and my motivations better. It’s really only in the past few years that I’ve realised what I love most of all is to give, to share whatever resources I have, to make sure time and care and funds are invested where they’re needed most, and to share in the creation of something good. For whatever reason, it’s a trait that I’d neglected–because, I tell myself: that’s not normal, right? People want to accumulate the biggest pile of possessions, not give them away; and no-one likes a self-righteous goody-two-shoes going on and on about causes and asking people for money…

Well, no more denying it: I really do think that inspiring people to join in creating change is more worthwhile than making sure I get the latest iGadget for Christmas. I don’t have time to worry about how this attitude might be perceived by anyone else, because there are just too many good things to be a part of.

For instance, I’m practising my cupcake skillz for the RSPCA’s Cupcake Day–we’re holding an event at our workplace on September 1st. Cupcakes to raise money for kitties and puppies–what’s not to love?

I ought to throw a Buick at you.

I’ve always been a reader; I have distinct memories of walking to the bus stop on the way to school with a novel in front of my nose. I collect novels, plays, poems and short stories, vegan cook books and knitting books, non-fiction and picture books. My bookcases always have, and probably always will, overflow: there are stacks beside the bed, on the coffee table; books upon books.

Once I became a serious knitter, my other interests took a backseat to the new obsession. Knitting requires two hands (for me, at least–I know there are some uber-talented multitaskers who can knit and read at the same time, but I’m not among them), so knitting and reading were suddenly competitors for my time. I can knit while watching a movie, or while listening to music, but for me knitting and reading just can’t coincide.

So for the past few years, I’ve become kind of a lapsed book-geek: I keep collecting novels I want to read, and never quite get around to starting them. I recently decided, however, that this would change.

I don’t drive, and do a fair bit of travelling by, and waiting for, public transport. I am also one of those restless people who is constantly fidgeting if I don’t have something to occupy my attention–so I usually have a distraction of some kind on my person at all times. For the past few years knitting projects have been my go-to travel distraction, but I’ve decided that slipping a novel into my bag instead means I get some serious reading time in. Yay!

I’ve signed up to Goodreads in order to keep track of all those books I keep meaning to read, and so far I’m finding it very handy.

P.S. I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to start reading Chandler. Never knew what I was missing.

Beginning again.

I finished the yarn reclamation with few dramas, and have started a new cardigan using the first few rows of ribbing on the cuff of one sleeve (one of the advantages of it being seamless). One of the things I love most about knitting is that you can start all over again and reuse the yarn, like frugal knitters in time of scarcity.

This makes me very happy–I loved the experience of knitting Stripes! and learnt so much during the process. In fact, knitting a sweater in 16 days sparked my recent fearlessness when it comes to sweater-knitting, which I’d previously thought of as only for Grown Up or Serious knitters. You know what? It doesn’t seem so intimidating anymore.

Stubborn, lazy and not afraid to admit it.

Remember my beautiful, awesome Ravelympics 2010 challenge sweater? I’m frogging it, without even a tinge of sadness or regret, to reuse the yarn. There are two big reasons why I’m deconstructing the end result of the awesomeness that was Team Vegan! and the 2010 Ravelympics; Flexibility and Fit.

I need the flexibility of a cardigan, whether it’s secured with buttons, a zip or some fancy kind of closure. I have a couple of pullovers in my wardrobe, but I just don’t wear them. I’m an ‘Oh a draft: I’m freezing/ Ooh sun: I’m boiling’ kind of person, to my partner’s endless bemusement. I was kind of kidding myself thinking that I would get much use out of a pullover, and I’ll be the first to admit that this denial came out of a little laziness, since cardigans are obviously more work. Well, it’s cardigans all the way for me from now on.

And then there’s the shape, or lack thereof. I can’t fault the pattern (Stripes! is lovely, and I’ll fight to the death with anyone who says otherwise) but I underestimated just how much waist shaping I needed, and due to some miscalculations on my part the torso was much longer than I realised and the waist decreases ended up around my hips (of all places!). You can see some of the weirdness in the photo below.

And last but not least, the round yoke and yoke detail (while gorgeous) is not flattering to my body shape, essentially exaggerating my already top-heavy frame. I have found the Fit to Flatter series at stash, knit, repeat particularly enlightening in this respect. Since reading the first few tutorials demonstrating body shapes, I’ve been looking at garments I wear a lot and why they work for me.

For me these details boil down to deep V-neck or scoop necklines, negative ease in the bust area, a nice long hem that ends around my hips, and either an elbow-length sleeve that draws attention to my waist or full-length sleeves. Cardigans that form a V-neckline and have the additional vertical line of a button band are particularly awesome.

All that said, I’m going to have to exercise particular self-restraint when it comes to sweaters with fancy yoke details or easy peasy raglan sleeves, since they’re quite fun to knit. If I start mentioning some delectable Icelandic yoked pullover that I want to knit, you guys have my express permission to keep me honest and give me a poke in the ribs.

Finished: the Jackson cardigan.

Yarn: Cotton Ease (50% cotton/ 50% acrylic; worsted weight).
Pattern: Made up, based on an accidentally-felted machine-knit favourite. I used measurements of other favourite garments, eyeballed the original style and stitch pattern, and went to town! Sleeves were worked in the round, body in one piece to the underarms, then joined together. I worked simultaneous set-in sleeves (which are my new favourite thing) based on a hodgepodge of ravelry forum discussions of Elizabeth Zimmermann’s technique, and modifications of techniques used in Ysolda‘s Little Birds.

Then, after the pictures above were taken, I sewed on buttons:

And immediately cast on another sweater for me.