I think I am getting stuck on Albatross* this, Albatross* that. It just feels so good to let go of an annoying project in such a constructive way – writing up a pattern that may be of some benefit to someone else. Although I have not gotten a lot of comments on the Albatross Socks*, a lot of people have clicked on the pattern, so I guess that is good news.
With the encroaching graduation of my students, I am looking for something to do, and have settled on to designing a lightweight sweater in cotton. I’ve had this yarn lying around since 2005 (found the receipt in the bag), and to break the boredom of the being Connected to the Cold Pack, I decided to dig out a few knitting books. In particular, I dug out Eva Weichmann’s Simple Stitches, and began working on one of the sweaters. Unfortunately, the yarn I am using is not going to get anywhere near any of her gauges, so I decided to use a few elements of one sweater in particular to build one of my own creation.
I have about 1440 yards of this stuff, called “Second Time Cotton,” which can make a substantial sweater. According to the label, on US 8, the gauge is 17 st / inch. On US size 6, I get about 4.5.
Things I am considering in the design of this sweater is the material – cotton – and the fact that I don’t want to seam more than necessary. 3/4 length sleeves are also appealing. I want a cardigan or jacket which can be worn by itself, or over a lightweight knit top. The fact that cotton sweaters can look baggy and messy means I want stitches which will help maintain the sweater’s shape. And I want something rather mindless, but still interesting to do, and something which will have a rather tailored appearance, yet still fit close to the body (and the bulges!). And something which can be easily worked into a 1-piece, no sew, pattern.
Ink, Yarn & Beer 