I am very conflicted about Solveig. As a person who is constantly looking for the essence of things, I find myself in a nearly permanent state of “edit”. Well, this time I think I may have over done it.
I was so intrigued by the Selbu mittens that inspired this sweater and so happy with how the swatch fit the bill. Then I began paring it back, looking for what was essential in the design and now when I look at the swatch, I feel like I’ve lost something. It may be that the “essence” is in the very “busy-ness” of the design. Going back to the mittens that were the primary inspiration, I think that must be what I like the most about them.
From a technical point of view, the design as it stands has some very long floats which I found quite unpleasant to knit. The notched vertical lines would solve that problem and likely smooth out the look of the increases as well.
Of course, I’m just about finished with the body; this would mean a total tear-down, but this worsted weight sweater worked up super fast. Though I need just 2″ of ribbing to finish the body, I’ve decided to put the project on waste yarn and block it. I will try to put the notion of “almost done” out of my head and strive to make an impartial decision whether to continue or to rip back and start over.
Later that same morning…
As Solveig soaked in the soapy water, I had an epiphany. Why not snip a single row of stitches about 1/2″ to 1″ below separation, rip back and re-knit the yoke, then reattach the body using the Kitchener stitch?? It’s risky, I know, but I happen to be an expert Kitchener stitcher and I think it’s just crazy enough to work. Wish me luck…I’ll keep you posted.
Knit on bravely, Sistas and Bruthas!
