I think its fair to say that I am extremely decisive. I rarely dilly-dally on decisions. I know what I like, I make decisions quickly and have no problem living with them. But something has gotten into me and I am currently all over the map when it comes to my knitting decisions! Maybe it's the pressure of fall knitting? It's the mother of all knitting seasons and I feel like I need to make the most of it! I have lots and lots of things that I want to cast on for, but I'm trying hard to not only knit the things that I want to, but to keep in mind the types of things that I actually wear. Inspired by Kelly's wardrobe overhaul I've been giving a lot of thought to my knitting habits lately.
The thing is, I have no problem knitting just for the sake of knitting. Particularly when it comes to accessories because they are so perfect for gifting. I'll often knit a hat, mitts, shawl or scarf with no particular recipient in mind but simply because I love the pattern. When I'm done if I still really love it and want to wear it right away I will, but if I don't I'll put it in the "gift drawer". Come December 1st, I'll dig through the drawer and see if I can't save myself a bit of time at the mall!
So, accessories aren't the problem. You know what I think my problem is? Aran and worsted weight sweaters. Yup, I said it. I have a ton of Green Label and Orange Label sweaters in my wardrobe. I love to knit them and I love to wear them, but I have enough for the moment and what I really need are lighter weight knits. I came to this realization last year when I lined up all my sweaters and took stock of what I had and what I wore. The very few commercial sweaters I own are light weight layers that get a lot of wear. Thicker sweaters are quicker knits, maybe that's what pulls me towards them, but after recently finishing a fingering weight sweater I have come to the realization that it's really not that bad. I knit a lot, and I am a pretty fast knitter I guess. I knit my Lucky Penny Lady Sunnyside in 3 days! It was intense, I was on a deadline, but still, aran weight knits are quick! But why the rush?
Possibly my most worn sweaters, clockwise from top left: Nanook, Reverb, Ombre, Coolbreeze.
So, I'm going to try and focus on knitting a few lighter weight knits this fall. That's been decided. Next up? Cardigan vs. pullover... that's an easy one. I wear more cardigans. Fact. But I do love a good pullover and every wardrobe needs them so I'm not going to rule them out all together.
Ok, and lastly, and probably the issue that's giving me the hardest time deciding on my next projects: colour palette! I have such a specific colour palette that I always gravitate towards and branching out from grey and blue with a touch of green is proving extremely difficult for me. You know what else? I'm not sure it really matters? So what if I only knit blue sweaters? That's what I love and that's what I wear. I have this feeling like I need to branch out of my comfort zone, but why? Here's one good reason why, I knit my BT Reverb in the very non-Tanis Hayloft colourway and I love it and wear it all the time. The mustard tone seems to go really well with all the blues I wear. I'm really glad I own that sweater in Hayloft and not a blue that I would have most likely picked had it been up to me. So, there ya go. A lesson in why it's good to branch out I guess.
Next sweater contenders, left to right: monte rosa by Isabell Kraemer (with mods like Jettshin's version pictured), Old Romance by Joji Locatelli (but maybe with stripes?), BlueSand Cardigan by La Maison Rililie.
So, what to knit next?... good question. Above are my 3 top contenders for next sweater to cast on for. All three are very beautiful and very popular patterns. I can't help but think that I would wear BlueSand the most, and the colour possibilities are endless! So I'm feeling a strong pull in that direction. But I just love them all and can't decide!!! Maybe I'll cast on for 2. Or at least plan to knit 2 and sort out colour palettes. But then there is the small issue of all the designs I've got floating around in my head that I really ought to focus on... Maybe I'll just give it all up and knit a scarf.
What are your fall knitting plans? Do you ever feel like you're knitting the same sweater over and over and need to branch out?