Conversations with & Alterations to Winston Pullover
Pssssst! I can read this blog entry to you while you follow along or look at the pictures. You may notice I refer the the “podcast”…it is coming soon. Today is a little teaser. Enjoy!
This blog title may be misleading, as it sounds a bit less than what it turned out to be: an adventure and an epiphany of sorts. But maybe you won't be fooled by the title and come along with me anyway!
First, can you stop reading for a moment and answer a question I have? After you answer in the comments, you can come right back here and enjoy what I hope to be a rather fun few minutes together. Your input gives me things to consider as I consider what I have to share and how I can support YOUR creativity.
So here's the Q that needs your A in the comments: If Mel had a magic wand, what would I trust her to help me with?
I'm totally, 100% serious. Well, not about having a magic wand, but definitely about wanting to offer help if I can! I write this blog for a host of reasons, but 99.9% of them come back to what I can do to encourage you better?
Did you go down to the comments and give me some directions? AWESOME! Thanks so much.
Now...about that sweater...
Jane Richmond is a doll and a fabulous pattern writer for wardrobe staple pieces. Also, she is a delightful human. When she and I connected about the Winston Pullover over a year ago, the pattern was in the test knit phase. I worked it as written, only adding some color variations. Nothing was changed from the written design, though.
Recently scrolling through Instagram, I noticed Jane was knitting Winston again. She was inviting others to join in. Thick, oversized, and a perfect layering piece, the sweater would fit right into my winter wardrobe rotation. This time I wanted to take some liberties with the pattern. The results led to a creation that I love, but the knit was more inspired by Winston than actually was Winston. That idea is essential for my knitting: the recreation and reinterpretation of making a pattern work for my creative endeavors, rather than knitting the pattern as is. I will unpack that idea another time, for it is quite a thought to think and right now I want to share THIS:
Within a week, I have a sweater!
It is necessary to keep that statement in proper context: In that same week, my husband built a new woodshed, and we filled it with lots of wood for this winter! He built an entire woodshed. I only made a sweater.
Let me hit the starting points of my version, so you can get the foundations if you'd like to try. I went with 3 strands of yarn held together, which created a fuzzy beautiful, highly halo-ed fabric that draped like smooth silk and felt like the comfiest sweatshirt ever. My first swatch I worked for gauge, which not surprisingly was off, but would be manageable. I did the math to see the difference in what I was getting and what needed to be gotten.
It's probably important to mention here that I first swatched on the recommended needles of US 17, but the resulting fabric was not to my liking. I dropped down to 15s and liked that fabric within the first couple of rows. I wanted my sweater to be of this material. So I was ok with figuring out the difference between the two and try to bridge that gap. And so began the first of many updates.
Spoiler Alert: Totally worth it.
As I was changing the stitch count for my off base gauge, I then considered, what if I tweak the increases just a little? After all, I wanted to create a sweater that I would be pulling-over most of my dresses and tunics this winter. It could be amusing to have peek-a-boo features allowing what I would wear underneath be accentuated. Here is the part of the story where I caution you about MANY mistakes I have created for myself in the past. The solution to every successful rabbit trail has always been straightforward and simple: Swatch For Changes. Yeah, that is my big secret pro-tip that I am sure everyone else already knew lightyears before me. I worked a sample of yarn over increases, and the m1R and m1L called for in the pattern to note differences. When comparing the two, it is no surprise, but I'll tell you anyway, the measurements between working each were prominently noticeable. Back to the math I went.
Numbers were crunched to cast on the way the pattern instructed. I was poised, ready to get some stitches made and… Yeah, I know you are expecting this: I decided I wanted to cast on a different way. Let me explain! Hear me out. The pattern asked me to cast on just the back stitches, work some short row magic, cast on for sleeves and front, and then get working in the round. "But Pattern," I said, because, at this point, we are on first-name basis, "Pattern, I am only going to have to come back and pick you up later to make the neckband. I know this because I knit you before. And I kinda want to make a longer neckband anyway….and couldn't I just work the short rows in 1x1 rib and then separate all the segments for sleeves and front and back…"
Pattern looked at me and rolled its eyes a little because it didn't think I was looking. I was. It was an awkward moment. Then it said, a bit exasperated, "Not sure exactly why you are asking me this because no matter what I have written on these pages, you seem to be disregarding this map."
"Settle down, settle down, Winston. Can I call you by your first name Pattern?" Another eye roll, but I went on, "Now Winston, you are a fabulous pattern, and Jane is one of my knitting heroes, but are you really gonna take this personally, me kind of improvising? I mean: You are my Muse, aren't you? There is a lot to be said for that." Winston the Pattern softened a bit. Then surprisingly, offer this advice, "You realize if you are headed in that direction you need some further adjusted numbers unless you want your neck to be a cowl neck… But if you shrink down those starting numbers, you need to compensate for the original cast on numbers needed…which don't forget, you've already adjusted."
I nodded, considering.
Winston Pattern was on a roll, "And Mel-- it is ok if I call you Mel? Or would you rather be addressed as Sabotuer?," I shot Winston a look. Cheeky pattern. Unphased, he continued, '"You need to make sure you have the segments worked out for where to put the stitch markers when you actually get to the place where you start working each individual section."
Hmmm… Though a bit snarky, this pattern did have my back—and front and sleeves, too.
Which speaking of sleeves…
"You know Pattern, Jane tweaked you already in a seed stitch or moss stitch or something with massive texture that I just adored, and I was thinking…"
Pattern stopped me dead in my tracks. "No, no new stitch patterns because you didn't swatch for it, Mel."
Winston Pattern wasn't having it. Until I whispered, "But Fisherman Rib…can you just imagine some incredible Fisherman's Rib just popping on your sleeves?"
Just like that, we were both on the same page!
Let me leave my further interactions talking to a pattern behind us and get back to the mechanics.
Here's what you need on your radar if you plan to replicate my version of this sweater. Start at the neck and work in the round in 1x1 rib right out the gate, adding a few short rows to give a proper balance (5 in total). Knit one full round before segmenting portions: left sleeve, front, right sleeve, back, and set markers for raglan increases.
After that set up round you have to maintain front and back stitches in stockinette. The sleeves will fluctuate between *k1, p1* for 1 round and then knit all stitches the following to create the Broken Rib, or as some folks call it Fisherman Rib. I just call it a decadent swathe of textured bliss!
Since I am disclosing all other things, I need to let you know keeping the Fisherman Rib in pattern starts off a bit fiddly. While incorporating the new stitches created from the yarn over of raglan increases, you have to be mindful of working the stitches as they present, integrating them into the established pattern flow. Regardless of your method of increases, you would have to be prepped for this anyway, but it is worth sharing the need to be attentive. I had to fix mistakes over and over until finally, the light bulb went on. The ending result was completely worth the mental gymnastics.
I moved through the increases and set aside the sleeves. I knit the sweater body to a length more in line with skimming my hips rather than ending below them. When I prepared to knit the hem, I broke the mohair strand and continued only with the remaining two strands. I did the sleeve cuffs in this same manner.
Rejoining for sleeves was straightforward. I picked up the underarm stitches, and maintained the established pattern, tapering the sleeves slightly as I worked towards the cuff. For the cuffs, I did drop down to a US11 needle to pull in the cuffs a bit. In the spirit of transparency, I should explain the real motivator behind this particular change. I was tired of knitting the sleeves with the 60 in. cable I had used for the body and could not find a shorter cable for my interchangables! Upon finding my 11 circulars, which were not interchangeable but were the desired shorter cable, I thought: these would be the perfect circumference! And THEN my next thought was if I use these, it will draw the cuffs in nicely. I decided to test a few rounds to make sure. It worked as I imagined and alleviated my frustration, so it was a win all around!
Knitting this project on large needles, intent on getting it done without knitting other things, was quite fun! I thought about the amount of yarn I was putting to work creating it, which made me quite happy! The mohair I had in stash for over a year, and it needed to be used. Before Winston, there had been projects that I considered using it for, but the yardage wasn't adequate, or holding it along with another yarn wasn't a good match. Interestingly, I bought the main color yarn for this project, knowing I would hold two strands of the Moonshine yarn together, but with no intention of adding the mohair. When looking for my big needles, I noticed the mohair skein on the cabinet's top-shelf. It was a perfect color match. And when I estimated the yardage for a shorter version of the sweater, it was well within the required. The rich halo created holding it with the two strands is a visual delight and the softest thing you could hope to touch.
I am delighted with this project.
Some discoveries I found:
Discovery #1:
My narrow thoughts keep my knitting experiences in a box. I say, I only knit in grey and brown and greens and other "earth tones," and I am limiting myself. For someone who loves adventure and freedom, that seems a silly thing to do. The beautiful pink-lavender fiber I used for this particular knit works for me! It pairs nicely with many of the dresses I have sewn for myself. I am so taken with the color that I have worn it 4 days in less than a week!
Discovery #2:
I need to allow myself opportunities to complete quick knit projects. Knocking this sweater out so quickly has fueled momentum for me. Not just in knitting, but a few big projects for work that have been using a lot of energy over the last several months. Momentum also for my knitting, too. I have been relentlessly knitting my second Shifty Sweater, and yet I still have 800 million stitches to go before I wear that thing. And yes, I am absolutely as confused as you as to why it is taking me so long to knock out this second iteration of the sweater that last time around took a few weeks. But the lack of perceived progress is killing me! So when I pop Winston on and off my needles, I get a boost! Now I am practically finished with the cardigan I started just 5 days ago...which also happens to be worked on large needles!
Discovery #3:
Using up yarn I have in stash fills me with a sense of good stewardship. It is a feeling I want to be repeated, and so I need to be intentional and look closely at the material I have on hand. Even though my Wanna-Be Winston used only one skein of stash, simply incorporating that one skein has pricked my attention to be mindful of using what I have more often.
Discovery #4:
Though I am sharing it last on the list, this thought was ever-present as I worked each round of Winston: How to thoughtfully use and re-use patterns that I have already purchased. Once used, patterns should be foundations for further knitting adventures, to utilize as a jumping-off point for creative exploration. I think if I sat down with Jane and compared her Winston Pullover design with my Wanna-Be Winston sweater, we would both laugh over the fact the two patterns were nothing alike. Not in yarn, yardage, gauge, stitches, cast on, needle size, sleeves... But, I was inspired to knit along, the offer to join in and make a bulkier than my usual knit. Just as every knitter reading this blog (or listening to the audio podcast), I have plenty of knowledge and skill. We all have the power within us to create, alter, and beautify as we are led. We just need a good foundation, willingness to experiment, and I think the most essential piece, a supportive community to help us set goals, develop strategies, and provide accountability through the adventure.
And that big idea is one I hope to explore and unpack a bit more with you. But not today…
Thanks for spending time with me and allowing me to share my thoughts. Before you go remember your thoughts hold value and often spark my creativity. So share in the comments on the blog, connect with me on instagram or via email!
