We’re back, with yet another work in progress – this week, showing off the sweater that I’m making. It’s quite a bit different from Em’s impressively cabled cardigan. For one, it’s a much more modern, minimalistic, and low-fuss design. For another…
…it’s adorably tiny.
I’m knitting up my first sweater based on the Flax pattern by Tin Can Knits. I decided to start with a baby sweater for three reasons. First, it will be a much quicker knit, enabling me to learn the basics of this style of sweater construction in a more reasonable timeframe. Second, I do happen to know a one-year-old who’s going to need a sweater coming up this fall; my best friend’s first son may have lots of clothes, but hand-knit sweaters are still special. And third, knitting baby things is just extra fun when I keep getting distracted by how cute they are.
Flax, so far, is an excellent pattern. It’s a top-down, raglan sleeve seamless unisex sweater, with instructions given for sizes from newborn to 4XL. Tin Can Knits always does an amazing job of writing clear pattern instructions, with embedded links to special techniques and an entire beginner’s article titled “Let’s Knit a Sweater.” The work is going incredibly fast so far, making this another great project for TV knitting. I did have a few minutes of stress last night as I started setting the arm stitches onto waste yarn so I could keep knitting the body, but that turned out to be entirely my fault for being tired and misreading the pattern. Quick tip, kids: don’t keep knitting when you’re too cross-eyed to read the instructions, or strange things happen. The only alteration to pattern I’ve made so far is to experiment with a new kind of extra-stretchy cast-on, although of course I already have ideas dancing in my head for embellishments to make in future sweaters.
I also adore the yarn I’m working with, which was an impulse purchase from the clearance shelf. I wanted to do this sweater specifically in acrylic, as I’m well aware this particular baby’s parents don’t need any extra fuss in care instructions for his clothes, and I couldn’t pass up this beautiful ombre Avocado colorway. Once this sweater is done, their baby is going to be the cutest fruit, hands down. I’ll eventually be hunting down more of this yarn once I’ve finished this sweater; I already promised the baby’s dad a matching father-son sweater set.
-Kit
