Atlas Insider
A New Project and an Old Habit
I’ve realized something about myself: I love combining really unlikely yarns. I revel in exploring a combination of nonsensical counterparts to create something unexpected.
Earlier this year, I was jonesing for a sweater project that could take up space in the in-between season of Fummer (Summer+Fall).
While the temperature was one million degrees (at best) here in Nashville, the thought of something with a hint of the fall breeze while still maintaining some lightness was heavy on my mind.
I pattern hunted and landed on the decadent sweater by Gregoria Fibers: The Velvety (Oversized) Sweater. As a texture-obsessed knitter, this looked like the perfect project. Even the neutral colors were singing to me, which was blasphemous in the face of my love for rich color.
Now for the fun part: what yarns did I choose for my Fummer Sweater?
That would be Tov DK and Creative Linen, of course! The sweet softness of Tov DK creates a delicate background for the crunchy Creative Linen. It’s the yarn equivalent to the dreaminess of Summer meeting the incoming crispiness of Fall.
Now, let’s talk about my other habit. I do zero planning and don’t follow any directions.
Allison Volek Shelton, my knitting guru, strongly (VERY strongly) encourages me to follow the directions of a pattern. But what can I say? Some of us like to fly by the seat of our pants.
My first change was sizing up my needles to US 10.5 to reach gauge. This created a more open weave but I really liked how it looked.
Second, I ended up stopping short of the directed length for the body. I panicked that my sweater would develop a mind of its own and grow down to my knees. It didn’t and it ended up more cropped than I’d envisioned.
Finally, once I knit the first (voluminous) sleeve, I disliked the proportion of such a substantial sleeve in comparison to the shortened body.
So I crossed my toes and pulled out the stitches until it was just below my elbow. I added the same ribbing from the hem and neck and here we are!
My Fummer Sweater is nothing like what I thought it would be. But it ended up being exactly what it was meant to be, which is a life lesson in itself.
It’s oversized and has an almost-sedative-like weight to it. The combination of yarns feels exactly right for a highly-sought-after transition garment.
So my friends, here’s to pant-seat flying and the glory of creation: two things that I will hold dearly to all of my artistic life.
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Ashley, you are a girl after my own heart! For some reason I just can’t follow a pattern. Is it because I can’t stand being told what to do? So, like you, I just make stuff up. Mostly it works out just fine. When it doesn’t, well, unravelling is quite therapeutic. My knitting friends are always a bit disapproving of my wayward ways, so it was a treat to hear of your adventures. Bravo.
For many of us, patterns are Springboards. Excellent mods, and tbh, your yarn combo made me gasp in the very best way.
Thanks for starting my day with that smile Ashley!
I agree, that yarn combination is inspired!
That is a great sweater. Love the texture – wish I had more wild abandonment when knitting and living life!
The oversize and cropped length really work well together! I agree that full length sleeves would have been too much. With this sweater, at least in this color, elbow length sleeves are better!
Knitting as Adventure! Love your ability to take such risks!! That’s the kind of dare devil crafting that appeals to me. And ZERO risk of losing life or limb…..
Such an interesting marl.
I love your freedom and love this sweater. I am in Va and have been looking for a Fummer pattern but this is way too large for me .. thank you for sharing. I wish more designs were shown on these emails. I am a visual person and I love the Field books but wish for a weekly design !
Merry Christmas!
I’m with you!
Beautiful sweater too!
Go you!
Love your creativity! You are an inspiration to all of us rule -followers!
Agree! Some of my winging it makes its way to cooking as well-new satisfying discoveries.
It’s gorgeous!
Beautiful sweater, Ashley! Given our below freezing temps over the past week, what yarns are you working with?
I just switched over to Lindsay Degen’s Four Letter Sweater using our Jane yarn held with Rowan Kidsilk Haze! Super cozy combo 🙂
You are a kindred spirit. I too have trouble following directions and love to experiment with both good and ugly consequences. Cheers to your creative spirit!
Great article! Nice to see that a little experimentation yields just the right garment! Maybe I’ll get braver!
I love your sweater. I noticed when I was checking it out on Ravelry that all the sweaters from it (or based on it, in your case) look wonderful. Not a dorky one in the bunch. I realize that partly means they are to MY taste, but it’s a rare quality in a pattern. Something to muse on.
Thanks for sharing your adventure.
I instantly want to cast on everything you make. This one snuck by me in Zoom meetings, maybe because of the non-color…
I loved reading about all the changes you made along the way. The yarn combos were interesting, and how you had to adjust the needle size. I have tried that a bit and am surprised by the results and sometimes have to adjust how I mix them, but that is the fun of it. I also play a lot of yarn chicken when I’m trying to use my stash. Stash-busting is a challenge.
You nailed it on the sleeve length—it’s great for the cropped sweater!
What is it they say, patterns, like rules, are just suggestions.
Ashley, love this so much! In my view….a pattern, like a recipe, is simply a suggestion or starting point. However, this gets me pretty crazy looks.
beautiful! Thanks for the inspiration!
What a beautiful sweater!