Learning a New Technique

Near the end of December, I decided that I would get a jump start on my knitting goals for 2020. Check out this post, A Year in a Review to see those goals. I was going to learn Brioche knitting. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this term, Brioche knitting is a stretchier rib that is completely reversible. A lot of times it is done with two colors and each side will have a predominant color.

All of the best looking patterns use two colors, so I went searching through my closet for two colors that would work well together. Usually these patterns call for a light and dark color for better contrast. I finally settled on this dark purple and light gray combo.

Now that I had my yarn I was ready to start learning Brioche. I sat down with my needles, yarn, and some YouTube videos. I had heard that this was a hard technique, but with the video I was getting it. Or I thought I was. Then I got to row 5 or 6 and it looked nothing like the video.

So, I started again and again and again. Over the next few
days I started a lot more times than I want to admit. Each time I would get to that same spot I had to take it all out again. I tried a different video. I tried some written instructions. I kept getting stuck at that same spot.

At this point I was frustrated and decided to put the yarn down. But, I am stubborn and still wanted to learn this technique. I thought that I would just watch a few videos without trying to knit along with them. I would just watch them start to finish and analyze them. I still couldn't figure out what I was doing differently from them.

Then I found this video from Happy Knitter and something just clicked. She holds her yarn similar to how I hold mine. I finally understood when she was holding the yarn in the front and when she moved it to the back. But, the best part of the video is that she explains the theory behind this technique. She explains how one can just look at the previous row and tell where to knit, purl, or yarn over.

She also has the chart work at the top of the video and explains the symbols row by row. Explaining them using the Brioche terms as well as the familiar knitting term. Of course I would have to pick a new technique that uses completely different chart symbols and terms.

After watching her video I was able to pick up the yarn again. This time I was finally able to get past those dreaded rows 5 and 6. Turns out my only problem was that during some rows I was holding the yarn in the front when I should've held it in the back. Simple mistake made a big difference after a few rows.

Once I got past those initial rows it worked up fairly quickly.  Now I can't wait to start a more complex Brioche knitting pattern.             

A Sweater Throwback

Since 2020 just started I don't have any new projects completed at this moment. So, I thought that I would do a throwback post. Back to a project that I worked on before I had a blog.

Back in 2018 I stumbled across Loin Brand Yarn's "Mr. Roger's Neighborly Cardigan" knitting pattern. I passingly showed the patterned to my husband. Who responded more enthusiastically than I expected. He loved the look of this sweater and told me what color he wanted it in for himself.

Now I was stuck. I had liked the look of the sweater and the idea of it, but it was a bit out of my comfort zone. I have made other sweaters, so that wasn't the problem. The problem for me was the construction of the sweater. This one is knitted flat in six different sections that are then pieced together in the end. I tend to knit sweaters that are knit in the round in one piece. I find them easier to adjust when working and I have a better idea of the finished project. Also once taken off the needles the project is usually finished.

In the past, the sewing up at the end had been a struggle to me. One of the fist sweaters I ever made ended up as an unwearable disaster. I now wish that I had a picture of it just so you can see how ridiculous it looked. But, at that time I would not have been caught dead actually wearing it. It was simultaneously too short and too wide. The sleeves were also too wide and gave me wings. It was just not a good look. I think I tried it on once and then never ever again.

Not only was this new sweater pattern knitted flat and sewed up later, but is also had a zipper. I didn't even know how to even begin with that part of the project. But, I am almost always up for a challenge and if Mr. Roger's mother could make the ones that he wore on the show then I guess I could attempt to make one for my husband.

Not long ago the New York Post had an article about the sweaters that were made for the recent Mr. Roger's movie "Tom Hanks' sweaters for Mister Rogers movie took 9 weeks to knit" by Raquel Laneri. The producers for the movie wanted to be authentic to the sweaters in the original show and insisted that some of them had to be hand knitted. It was important to them that these sweaters be a bit imperfect to reflect the originals that were made by his mother. Like my mom says mistakes are how you know that it was handmade. I couldn't imagine making six sweaters in nine weeks. I think it took longer than that for me to just finish this one.

One of my favorite parts of this project is the collar. While I was knitting it I didn't understand how exactly it would attach to the body of the sweater. Once it was attached I loved the finished look that it gives. It pulls the whole sweater together and makes it look so polished. 

All in all I love the finished look of this sweater and although there might be a few imperfections that just makes it a one of a kind sweater. The end result was easier to put together than I thought. That zipper was more intimidating in my head than in actual completion. I find that more often than not this is the case. More than half of the battle is just overcoming my doubt.