Topic: percentage knitting
Three years ago, I handspun 1800 yards of yarn(that perfectly matched the hazel in my husband's eyes)for a surprise sweater for my husband. As I knit a square to determine the gauge, I showed him the fabric and asked what he thought of it. "Nice color! Not something that I would wear, though...too busy."
(sob)
I put the yarn away for a few years while I pondered what to do with it.
This past summer my son dropped by while I was sorting projects ideas and remarked at the great knitted swatch (I had kept it...). Voila! Even though my son does not have my husband's eyes, he loves to wear earthy colors. So his Christmas gift was determined.
How do you go about turning yarn into a sweater without a pattern? Years ago, Elizabeth Zimmermann and others made a simple formula out of this, as explained on my free seamless circular knit pattern Betsi's Raglan Sweater.
Having made my son sweaters for years, I see how he wears them and I always build in extra short rows to accommodate his shoulder slouch. I end up knitting in about 2" of extra back length to make up for the unbalanced sit on his shoulders, and the sweaters looks strange after I block them, but FABULOUS once on. I have knit 6 extra half rows into the back so far, and will knit another 2 before I reach the underarms. Then I will add in another 6 at the back of the neck. That should do it.
At 3 sts=1", ths sweater is moving right along. I hope to have it done in a week if all goes well.
