Monday, 13 August 2018

Designers and Me

At this point in my knitting life, I do not really need a pattern to knit a sweater.  If I spent time looking at sweaters on Ravelry, with very little effort, I could sort out what I needed to do to copy almost anything.

For instance one of my next sweaters is going to be The Easy Bulky One  from Joji Locatelli.  (Can you tell I like the designer yet?).  It's a shape that could easily be replicated, and when you consider just how much fiddling I have to do on an average sweater to get it to fit nicely on me, it's not usually a problem to do without purchasing the pattern.

And yet, I do purchase the pattern.  Always.  Even when I use nothing directly from a pattern at all. 

I do it because if I didn't, I would quickly become a knitter with a dozen versions of the same sweater in my closet, a top down, set in look sleeve type sweater with a v neck or a henley style round neck.  Maybe stripes on a few.  And that would be it.

I pay designers as much as possible because I need them out there doing their thing, thinking up new and interesting ways of seeing details.  I need them to sort out interesting details like Granito's little trick to get those lovely ridges, or to establish a pretty lace, like Kate Davies Myrtle or come up with pretty designs and combinations of peerie patterns, and or innovative colour progressions.   I need them to lead me to something different and fresh and new.  Shawls and cowls and even socks are the same.  Yes even socks.

I would knit even if other people did not sell patterns for me to follow, but it would be a lot less interesting. 

I pay them for the inspiration, for the hand up that helps keep me ever engaged in this lovely craft. 

Byt  the way, that next up sweater?  I am pretty sure it is going to be the Easy Bulky One, and sitting here this morning, I am pretty sure that it is going to be made in my beloved Harrisville Flax and Wool Blend.  Yes I thought it would be a vest but I think I will get more wear out of it this way, and I have no problem knitting this slightly light for the design yarn. It's going to be an easy enough to get a gauge that works and then just to knit. And then again...  You just never know.


 

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