It’s Free-For-All Friday and I’m tackling a thought I’ve been having for a while. Sweaters. Why haven’t I started one? Personally, I find the thought of 10 balls of yarn and a large thing that is supposed to fit me to be quite intimidating. The sheer amount of one type of yarn a sweater would require is so much more than what I would even think about buying! Usually, I buy 2 or 3 skeins of something for a reasonable sized project, hence my stash of random 1-3 skeins as seen here. The one exception to the large-quantity-of-yarn-purchase rule that I seem to operate under is baby blankets. My most recent baby blanket yarn purchase was 11 skeins of Tahki Cotton Classic to make Pickles Midsummer Baby Blanket. Onto that topic another day.
Back to the sweater question. I have bought enough yarn for a raglan pullover in Berroco’s Linsey called Turia. When I worked at McNeedles for a summer, that shop sample stared at me for 3 months. I vowed I’d make the thing, but couldn’t quite bite the bullet to spend the $100 on the yarn. I kept saying in my brain, “I could buy a sweater, already made, for that! I could buy 2 sweaters for that! Why would I MAKE this??” I did buy the pattern booklet before I left that job. Then McNeedles ran a sale back in January when I was visiting my parents and Linsey just so happened to be in the bins. I did buy enough to make the sweater. Now i just need to work up the courage to cast on…I think a good starting place would be to wind alllllll the yarn. That is always something I enjoy and find very calming.
This is what I’m thinking…*So much yarn. could be so nice to knit. and so much yarn.*
Last November, I dragged my husband on a FUN. trip to Chicago for a Vogue Knitting Live show. What an adventure! It was a whirlwind; 1 day, 12+hours on the Megabus round trip, 2 hours strolling through the Market, 2 hours in a cables class with Amy Detjen…I wish I could have spent more time there, but that would have required much more money to spend on all the beautiful yarn. Believe me, I did do some damage.
One of the booths, the Neighborhood Fiber Company had all the ladies wearing Monomania sweaters. So darling on everyone, just visit the rav link and see for yourself!! Even the designer, Ann Weaver of Weaverknits was there and wearing hers! AND they had yarn ALREADY kitted up for a reasonable price. Plus each of the ladies I spoke to about it said the pattern was not hard. Even if it was going to be my first sweater. I don’t know if lack of sleep, the overwhelming amount of yarn surrounding me, or just sheer insanity hit, but I bought a kit. In the most fun reds and oranges. I thought the yarn could speak to me and make me cast the thing on. I downloaded the pattern and was immediately intimidated. So I’m stuck there too.
Once again, in my brain…*But its sooooo pretty. and its fingering. and its pretty. and soft.*
I think I will vow to cast one of these on…as soon as I finish: Jabes’ Flurfy Scarf, Leigh’s GREEN scarf, and Michelle’s Summer Cowl. Maybe I can work the baby blanket and the sweater at the same time?
Here is the question I pose to you, which should I start with? Turia or Monomania??
v’s & bumps
Jenna
PS. Another question, what was your first sweater project? Was it successful? Frustrating? Amazing?
hardknitlife 
I personally like Turia more 🙂 and remember, you can always get help if you’re stuck – either here or on ravelry 🙂
I appreciate the help offer. I’m leaning towards Turia since I think it will be a more comfortable knit with the larger gauge. Thanks for your kind words 🙂
You can do it! I think you’ll surprise yourself once you get going. I like the Monomania the best (added it to my favorites), but a sweater in fingering can take a while and sometimes just seeing the project come together quickly can really build your confidence. My first sweater was Paper Dolls and I’ve loved knitting sweaters ever since!
Paper Dolls! What a fun pattern and it looks like a challenge! I may have to wait on Monomania for a second sweater since I think the fingering weight will be a little slow. Thanks for your help Brandy!
Finishing WIPs off before starting on a more intimidating project? Always sounds like a good plan. 😀
Personally I think Turia would make a bette project to work on first. You’ve got the larger weight to work with, and that yoke pattern looks a little simpler in construction than Monomania, which would have to be worked flat and then assembled (I hear seaming is one hell of a gauntlet to pick up).
That’s at least the path I took, even though I’ve only made one sweater! My first was raglan constructed, which still took a lot of frogging and reknitting to get the hang of, but essentially felt like I was knitting a huge holed sock with sleeves, so I understood it easily enough. It was completely amazing and a successful project, and I’m in love with it! The boyfriend gets slightly annoyed because I proudly let him know who handmade this sweater whenever I don it. haha
Here’s hoping for as fulfilling a first sweater project for you as I did mine! I’m excited to hear what you choose and how it goes!
Thanks for your help on this Britney. I’m also leaning towards Turia. I think as a knitter it’s important to make at least one sweater and to be proud of it! I usually let people know when I’m wearing one of my projects too! 🙂
I’d say go for the Turia first. It looks like a simple, sweet pattern, perfect for building confidence. Sweaters are not hard! Just make sure you have gauge (I’ve learned this the hard way) and follow the directions as they’re written, not as you think they’re written (ditto).
My first sweater was actually a self-designed project. I didn’t realize that sweaters were supposed to be intimidating, so I wasn’t intimidated, just dove right in. I essentially knitted a bottom-up tube with shoulder straps, adding a cable motif that I borrowed from a scarf pattern. It turned out not bad at all – a little small on me, but perfectly nice.
I’m leaning towards Turia as well. I think it will be a fun pattern, now to just get most of my other WIPs off needles before I cast this one on…hopefully I have enough will power!