Wednesday, January 17, 2007

In Search of The Right Sweater

I'm not saying that I'm looking for the perfect sweater because the gals over at Mason Dixon Knits claim that they have the pattern for the perfect sweater. Don't get me wrong, it's a pretty swell sweater, but not perfect for me. I need a pattern. I've been searching through magazines and books and I can't find it. Here is what I'm looking for:

  1. In the round either top down or bottom up, but no side seams.
  2. I think it may be a turtleneck because I love turtlenecks.
  3. It is not endless, mind-numbing inches of stockinette stitch. There is a pattern involved.
  4. There could possibly be cables but not a ton of cables because I want to use my knitpicks Andean Silk and I only have 13 balls.
  5. It needs to be worsted weight as I have lots of stash in worsted.
  6. Most of the really cool kinda cabley patterns I've found are in DK or sport weight yarn.
  7. I know I could adapt them to a different gauge but that is too much math.
  8. It needs to look cool but not belly baring (I've gained 9 pounds quitting smoking)
  9. It might be tweed stitch as I am currently obsessed with tweed stitch.
  10. If it's tweed stitch I'm using my stash of brown Galway and Kureyon because I love the subtle stripey-ness of it.

So the search continues. It's like needing a dress for a wedding. You can picture in your head exactly what it will look like. You search every store fruitlessly for the dress in your head. The sweater in my head is perfect, I just can't find the pattern. I suppose I could use my Barbara Walker and Maggie Righetti books to draft the perfect pattern myself. But the math.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

There are a few Fiber Trends patterns that are top-downs. I've seen them at my LYS. Maybe there is something from them that you would like?

Anonymous said...

I'm in the same boat! Isn't it funny that we can have a library's worth of knitting books, and years worth of knitting magazines and still not find the "perfect" sweater. I actually took out my Barbara Walker book this morning and am thinking about designing my own (but I'm kinda lazy and really wish I could just find what I'm looking for!)

Chris said...

Too much stockinette in Eris or Rogue?

Kelly said...

I just have no good ideas. I am still searching as well.

Anonymous said...

Try www.knittingpureandsimple.com I have half a dozen patterns from them that are all knit on circs from the top down, however, I have no turtlenecks for you!

Deb said...

I vote for Rogue too! By far my favorite sweater ever...

Anonymous said...

How about "Heather" from Rowan's "A Season's Tale." It's a mock turtle with flat cables, not too many, but just enough to keep it interesting and not use up too much yarn. It's also not too fitted, which is nice after the holidays.

AsKatKnits said...

How about the sweater Julia Roberts made famous a couple of years ago. I am knitting that one up and have modified the pattern to knit in the round - and in one color - I am not thin like Ms. Julia - stripes going around are not a good thing. It is all stockinette - but, it goes quickly! You can Google the sweater and find the pattern - and it has a GREAT rolled neck!