Not Your Boyfriend's Sweater

As daunting as it may seem, sometimes the best course of action is to scrap everything and start over. I learn this lesson repeatedly in my creative process.

The backstory of my latest project is in my last post, so I won’t rehash it here. Let’s move forward!

For the past month, I’ve been slowly knitting the pattern “Not Your Boyfriend’s Sweater” by Vera Sanon.

The slowness, I might add, was entirely on my end as the pattern is clearly written and works up quickly and easily from the top down with raglan sleeves. I didn’t even have trouble picking up the correct number of stitches for the neckband, which may be a first for me.

For the yarn, I re-used some Cascade Yarns Sierra in the colorway 48 Apple Green. It’s a blend of 80% cotton and 20% merino wool that I think is a good fit for a spring sweater. Happily, the light green color and open leaf-shaped lace stitches also work well for the season.

I’m enjoying the loose, comfortable fit of this pullover. I made the three-quarter length sleeves just the right length that I don’t feel like I need to push them up at all. I can see the potential for making other versions of this sweater by simply changing the lace pattern and the lengths of the sleeves.

Although it seems that the previous two patterns I knit with this yarn were a waste of time, they brought me here. I learn a little more with each project that I make (or re-make), in terms of technical skills as well as understanding how I like my clothes to fit on my ever-changing body.

As much as I’d like to be one of those people who just makes a little tweak at the end and everything comes out perfectly, that’s clearly not who I am as a maker. I need to remember this next time I hesitate.

Yes, it’s important to think through various options to make the best choice. But it’s also important to remember that sometimes the best choice is starting over.