This series follows my journey as I knit my very first sweater. Previously, I talked about choosing a design, choosing yarn, and knitting the back and the fronts. In case you can’t tell, I haven’t been a knitter for very long. In fact, at the start of this year, I knew absolutely nothing about this amazing craft. So taking a moment to reflect on all that I’ve learned so far, my progress has been nothing short of amazing. I’ve gone from struggling with my first cast-on to being halfway through my first sweater. There’s always something to learn – a new …
Category: Knitting
Sweater Quest Part 4 – The Left and Right Fronts
This series follows my efforts as I knit a sweater for the very first time. Check out my previous posts on choosing a design, yarn, and knitting the back. Let’s be frank here – sweaters are notoriously long projects. Even with my speedy Continental technique, knitting the back alone took me more than a whole week. It doesn’t help that I’m a pretty big guy. Just seeing the sheer amount of fabric I am producing to fit my body is making me reevaluate my diet and fitness choices… Sometimes, after the long hours plopped on the couch half-watching Netflix, it …
A Day at the OC Fair
Having grown up in New York City, I never experienced a county fair proper. We had street fairs – small, 2-3 block celebrations of a particular neighborhood and its culture – but nothing like the sprawling orgies of fried food, livestock contests, questionably-fair games, and scary rides that mark the height of summer and draw people in from all over the state. It was time to change that! This month, I headed to the OC Fair. Located in Costa Mesa, it’s one of California’s 70+ fairs and festivals, which runs from July 15 to August 14. $22 ($10 parking + …
Sweater Quest Part 3 – The Back
In our previous episodes, our hero decided to take the plunge and finally knit his first garment – a hooded cardigan. Having chosen the design and the yarn, the Sweater Quest begins in earnest as I cast on the very first stitches! The Everyone’s Favorite Cardigan pattern is, at its core, a basic raglan sweater pattern. It is knit in parts from the bottom up, then seamed together: Back Left Front Right Front Sleeves (x2) The advantage of this construction is that it is easy for the first-time knitter to focus on making the parts, instead of the sweater as a …
Sweater Quest Part 2 – Swatchbuckling
In our previous episode, I decided to push the envelope with my knitting and make a sweater for the first time. Having chosen the pattern and design, it was now time to choose the yarn. A dirty little secret the knitting community never seems to talk about is that this hobby can be seriously expensive. Authors and bloggers nostalgically recall their parents and grandparents knitting to save money on clothes, but these days, at least to me, knitting doesn’t seem to be the money-saver it used to be. Exhibit A: I searched Etsy for some handmade sweaters. They run anywhere from …
Hooking on the Go: Tips for the Travelling Fiber Artist
Meet Jorge! It would be a cliche to call him curious, but he is watchful. On any given day, he sits on my TV stand, watching the hummingbirds dance outside my window. He was born on a cross-country flight from Santa Ana to Atlanta, and he dreams about one day returning to the clouds… As the weather warms up and the summer holidays come, many of us will be packing our bags and heading on vacation. And of course, some of us (myself included!) travel regularly as part of their work. In either case, taking a good knitting/crochet project with …
Sweater Quest, Part 1: Choosing a Design
For many of us apprentice knitters, the idea of making an entire sweater looms large and terrifying. Row after row of knits and purls falling from bored and tired fingers. Tricky stitching and seamwork. And wondering whether the damn thing will even fit us at the end! Not to mention that the world at large doesn’t seem to appreciate our efforts. Ugly sweater parties anyone? And so I swore never to attempt a sweater – or any fitted clothing, really. I’d save myself the potential shame and embarrassment and stick with projects where the stakes were low – scarves, hats, …