I have made so many things over the years but it has only been in the last few that I have made garments. Sometimes I will see a pattern that I really like, buy it, get the yarn, spend hours knitting it up and love wearing it. Sometimes unfortunately I find that it doesn't fit properly, I don't feel comfortable in it or like the way I look in it. Those pieces are doomed to life in the back of my closet to languish.
Over the past 3-4 years, I have made 9 sweaters, 5 of them I am extremely pleased with. The other 4 had some issues. Sometimes the reason for that garment's banishment is that I did not pay attention to gauge or used a yarn that was not suitable for the project. But the majority of the time, it is that the style of the garment is not the best match for my body. It is not like ready made clothing in stores that we can try on first and realize, nope that is not going to work for me.
So instead of letting the pieces die a slow death in my closet, I decided to do something about them.
Sweater #1 was completely frogged. I had tried to fix it but bottom line is that is was just too big and was not going to fit correctly.......ever. So let's use that gorgeous yarn for a new project.
Sweater #2 is the Turtle Dove which I steeked and made into a cardigan! You can see about the process in a previous blog post and there is even a video showing how I cut the sweater - my first steek!
Sweater #3 and #4, my Comfort Fade Cardi by Andrea Mowry and Georgetown by Hannah Fettig are the next on the "Fix the Fit" list. Both are cardigans and both have the shawl collars and both hit me about bottom of my hips. Not sure what to do about them, other than to add pockets (not a fit fix).
I had purchased CocoKnits Sweater Workshop by Julie Weisenberger a while back. and started reading through it. She makes suggestions on what to wear and what not to wear on certain body types. One suggestion she says Not to Do is use bulky knits or turtlenecks if you are heavy in the middle - Ding Ding Ding -That's Me!!! Ok, now that makes sense! The Turtle Dove was made with bulky yarn and had a turtleneck. Since converting it into a cardigan, the neck is open and the bulkiness is more like a jacket so issue resolved! Julie is right on the money!
Next thing I see is that thick, wide collars are on the Do Not Use list, but instead use thin lapels on cardigans! YES!!!! So, I am going to remove the collars on both sweaters and reknit them with thin bands!
If you don't own CocoKnits Sweater Workshop yet and are having fit issues with sweaters, I suggest you add it to your knitting library!
Stay tuned to the progress!