it begins...

i have casted on! with some hand-holding from Ravelers and a lot of reading i have begun my sweater adventure. i am (mostly ) using the incredible custom-fit raglan sweater . there will be alot of fudging though. i guess i was supposed to use my row gauge to calculate the angle of the v in the neckline and decide how deep i wanted it and all that. most standard seems to be to increase only ever fourth row or so. for a crew/round neck you increase on every right side row and that is how i have started. if you just keep going past the point where you are supposed to join the round for a round neck and join later, then you have a v-neck. i think i will go with that. it's probably best to have a more shallow neck line for modesty anyhow. and it leaves one less thing to do at the same time as the short rows. i think short rowing across the front (in the round) will be easier than short rowing at the ends of every row and then connecting later. plus i have to try this sucker on constantly. jeez, i can't wait to finish this one and start a new one already! 

the challenge

 i want to knit a sweater darn it! i want my very own cozy  soft and comforting sweater to warm my bones. handmade by me. but that's not all. i want it to fit. and there in lies the trouble- nay, the challenge!

there are some knitting guilds that don't let you in until you knit a sweater. it's like a requirement. well, what if you don't wanna make a boomin' sweater?

does it mean you have naught the skill of an excellent knitter? no, but i guess the sweater is the most basic of garments that tests all necessary skills at once. with all the techniques used to knit a sweater you can make then, anything. 

casting on and of course, increases and decreases (shaping), seaming and weaving in ends. all these things plus the demonstration of patientience, commitment to a project and consistancy in gauge. to fancy it up one could cable, a bit of lace colorwork- extra credit if you will.

i am slowly but steadily working my way through. i have read and researched and forum posted and i now am armed with a better knowledge for my journey. the shaping and the darting and the modificationing of the pattern- that is where my tangle lies. i can't just take a pattern and some ayrn and twirl away. because when finishd it wouldn't fit me . instead it would make a fine fit for some mannequin in some factory. 

which pattern to use?

which fiber to use?

what color to make it?

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