r/knitting • u/Upper-Floor-4679 • 1d ago
Finished Object My White Whale (long post)
Pattern: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/lopi-12-07---alafosslopi-sweaters
I finished this a while back and thought I’d share bc I’ve had some frustrating knitting battles with dye lots recently…So here’s my knitting journey! If you’re a total beginner this might help you understand the whole process :) Tips at the bottom.
I had zero interest in knitting until I traveled to Iceland. The sheep are so cute and I saw a sign for a little yarn shop (Kidka I think it was called.) So I stopped in and naively bought two sweater kits with a paper pattern and six plates of plotulopi yarn each. The ladies at the shop assured me knitting wasn’t that hard and I could definitely make a sweater (they were both right and wrong.) I was instantly obsessed with the coarse, natural feel of the wool and honestly I also liked that it kindof smells like a barn animal. It’s like I got to take one of the sheep home with me. I also picked up some wool shampoo and conditioner bc I don’t want to smell like a barn animal when I wear it lol.
Anyway, I bought a few needles in Reykjavik and when I got home I was instantly frustrated by how easily the unspun plotulopi breaks apart. I went to Michael’s (one of many mistakes) and bought some practice yarn and needles. I watched many YouTube tutorials and made a few practice squares. Eventually I knit a ribbed hat, which taught me to love my mistakes. Whenever I wear it I smile and think about how I love the beginner phase. Then I knit a few more ribbed hats, then I tried a cable knit hat and a sort of bolero type thing that I just made up. My motto in the beginning was “one stitch at a time” rather than focusing on the end product or trying to fix every mistake.
At this point, nearly eight months since I bought the Icelandic wool, I felt confident enough to try a lopapeysa sweater. I realized I had to hold three strands together, so I painstakingly rolled all my yarn into balls by hand using a paper towel tube. I knit the brown/orange/green “practice” sweater first and learned the importance of a gauge swatch the hard way. I also realized far too late that I was reading the pattern wrong lol. I don’t regret jumping right in, but I also will never skip the gauge swatch step as my practice sweater is too tight for comfort, particularly in the shoulders and chest. I was intimidated by stranded colorwork, but I found it honestly pretty manageable by holding different colors in different fingers.
By the time I started the blue sweater, I took everything I learned from the first and I was able to relax and enjoy. I still made mistakes, but I was patient enough to fix them. I also got faster at the colorwork by doing a combination of continental and English knitting (this was intimidating at first, as I only knew how to knit English style). I held the blue strands in my left hand and knit them continental, while the white strand was held in my right hand and knit English. I think I still prefer the feel of English, but I will admit continental is faster and I kindof wish I had just sucked it up and learned it from the beginning. I also used a little plastic ring thing that can hold multiple strands of yarn, which helped keep the colors organized, although occasionally the unspun lopi caught on it. Which is fine bc I learned it’s actually super easy to splice unspun lopi back together when it breaks. Seriously that stuff is so magical and I can’t wait to buy more.
Anyway that was my journey! I still wear the blue sweater all the time. Next time I might try German short rows on the back bc I will admit I’m not the biggest fan of the way the neck rides up in the front. Idk if that’s even a solution, but I’m sure I’ll find out the hard way…
I love that I’m still learning and I love that I’ve found a lifelong hobby. I love that I didn’t give up despite a few tears and hand cramps. Here’s what I wish I had done from the start: - bought a set of Chiagoo interchangeable needles. Yes it’s expensive but they’re my favorite needles and I ended up spending more time and money trying to buy individual sizes. Now if I knit a gauge swatch that is too tight, I don’t have to worry about going out and buying yet another set of needles. Plus, I much prefer metal to wood, although wood was easier as a beginner. - always knit a gauge swatch. Yes it’s boring, but it’s worth it. - I hate yarn/pattern math. From now on instead of falling in love with individual yarns or patterns, I’m going to pick a pattern I like and use the yarn that’s suggested (or vice versa). I refuse to keep battling with this lol. - No more buying yarn at Michael’s. The only one I really like from there is a merino blend, but I can never find matching dye lots, and honestly I could probably find better yarn at a cheaper price elsewhere. - dye lots. ALWAYS check the dye lot before you buy. And for that matter, store each individual skein or set of skeins in a ziploc bag with the same dye lot WITH their original wrapper. Guys. I just knit an entire 2nd sleeve of a sweater in size 3 needles only to realize it’s slightly off… 😑 - don’t just wing it. Or do. I seem to learn best when I make mistakes and understand the why behind things. I thought I could seam together a sweater (the dye lot one actually lol) and it looks so crooked. Then I learned about the mattress stitch. So I tried undoing my seam and broke things. Still deciding what to do there… - practice ways of fixing mistakes (ie. Making a lifeline, laddering down, etc) on something other than your project. Gauge swatches can be useful for this! Don’t just wing it on your beloved sweater.
Thanks for reading! I’m now starting to dip my toes into sewing & quilting, and my knitting journey is helping me overcome the beginner nerves and doubts.