Getting Stitched on the Farm

Next Up from Interweave Knits Fall 2006 Issue

I finally got my Fall 2006 issue of Interweave Knits Magazine last night. I thought it would never come. I've been hearing from folks about my editorials and still hadn't seen what they looked like. The issue looks varied and interesting with lots of adventurous projects. I can't wait to read the article about Annie Modesitt. I have known Annie for probably almost twenty years. Yikes! When I went to the June TNNA show in Columbus I ran into her again and caught up. It's nice to see her featured. She works so hard and has an interesting take on the craft of knitting. And by the way, we both knit "backwards" (that's my term) or as she calls it "combination knitting." I taught myself to knit from a book one weekend - that's how my "problem" happened. How's that for following directions - all my purl stitches are twisted but as I now know - I just do it a little differently than most. It hasn't ever slowed me down.

Like I said in this post, I did three sweaters for this issue. (Thanks for the work Pam!) This man's sweater called the "Spartan Pullover" is the easiest of the three and I would say maybe the easiest in the entire issue. Now that's funny, one of my designs being one of the easiest in the entire magazine. I think that's good so some of you beginners out there might actually knit it.

Here's my take on the sweater and the yarn. Kerry knit up at a surprising gauge of 3 1/2 sts/inch. When I looked at the balls of Tahki's Kerry - I was guessing more like four but it is lofty and has lots of air. I think a guy would like wearing a sweater of this yarn because it isn't very dense and heavy. I could envision The Farmer wearing it inside and not being too hot.

I put the Fair Isle design in the bottom of the design. It was knit in the round up to the armholes and then the front and back were worked back and forth separately. The reason for this is so that when you are knitting the Fair Isle Pattern in the round, you'll only have to concentrate on the colorwork - all the knitting is done in knit stitch. This makes it way easier for a beginner to master. Make sure you carry the yarn not being knit with very loosely across the back of the work or it will pull in and distort the rest of the sweater. If you find this is happening, go up a needle size.

Pam wanted a v-neck (I had envisioned a t-neck) because guys don't like scratchy wool at their necks (she's right). Except for the v-neck and underarm shaping - this is a straight forward sweater. It looks a little short on the man wearing it. I don't know if he was particularly tall - maybe. I did the length I always do for men. So check your guy's length (or a favorite sweater) in case you want to adjust. (By the way, when you design for magazines, you make the size sweater they request. They don't usually know who will be modeling the sweater so the fit is a total crapshoot. It's especially hard with men's and kid's sweaters.)

If you just want to knit a plain v-neck pullover at a quick gauge, leave out the Fair Isle design. It will fly off your needles at this loose gauge.

More next week on the last Interweave Knits design.

Photo by Chris Hartlove.