I've been thinking a bit about this, having found a new favourite among my recent FOs during the past two weeks of summer vacation: The Twenty Ten Cardigan [blog link | Rav link]. I just love wearing it! The fit is great and so is the yarn and its complex colour. And all those red buttons make me smile :)
Other favourites in my (rather overwhelming) sweater pile are my Cabled Sweater Dress [blog link | Rav link], Pine [blog link | Rav link], and the Cabled Spiral pullover [blog link | Rav link] - long-time readers will know this by now :)
I'm very happy to have found a new go-to sweater, and I'm asking the headline question because I'd like more such successes in the future. Knitting a new sweater, I very often have a feeling whether it's going to be a favourite or not, but I can never be quite sure. One could also ask whether sweaters I think are not going to be favourites should frogged immediately, but I think you need to have some not-quite-favourites in order to have the favourites. Kinda lies in the definition, doesn't it?
So what makes a sweater/cardigan/etc. a favourite for you? And can you tell before finishing it?
On a related note, I'm impressed with the new fall Twist Collective. Having been quite disappointed with printed as well as online publications lately - thinking that it's all been seen before or that it's just plain boring - I'm very happy to find one cardigan I need to cast on for immediately (that's Acorns - I also love how they've set up this photo shoot) and another cardigan I think I might make (that's Cityscape - I think I'd make it in black rather than white, though). I'm also happy to see some new or at least more interesting ideas in the other designs, e.g. Kiloran, Red Oak, and Stratocumulus. And as usual with Twist Collective, the photography is pleasing.
5 comments:
I can't even tell when I have finished it!
Sometimes I've even shoved 'failures' in the back of a cupboard and then dragged them out later to discover that they've become favourites.
I am trying to choose my knitting more 'safely' so that my FOs will get worn out (or at least worn outside the house) but sometimes you just have to have fun and take risks. :D
Oh, if I knew an answer to your question... But, if I haven as little as a hint of a feeling that the FO is not going to be as I had expected it, I normally do not finish it (or find it very hard to do so).
I also love Cityscape and Kiloran from the new Twist Collective.
I'm with you on the Twist - I especially love Cityscape and Stratocumulus.
I haven't made any sweaters for myself yet so I can't really answer the question. As for hats, of which I've made a lot, I think it's more with use that it clarifies which ones I'll love and always go to. Honestly, though, there's been one or two which I didn't like as soon as they were done and I just gave them away immediately (to people who liked them, though!).
1. Farven - det bliver kun en favorit hvis det er en af mine 'sædvanlige' farver.
2. Garnet - hvis det ikke er lækkert at strikke i og en god strikkeproces, bliver det sjældent en vinder.
3. Design. Det giver sig selv, men jeg tænker på enkelthed, detaljer der passer sammen og er gennemtænkt. Håndstrik der ser professionelt ud.
4. Realistisk/sikkert valg ift egen figur og stil :-)
Hmm, det lyder lidt kedeligt, men det er sikkert og vist at det er de trøjer der opfylder ovenstående krav som bliver brugt.
Jeg er helt enig med Lena. Det er den slags trøjer/sweatre, der bare bruges. Gerne ukomplicerede modeller, hvor man føler sig godt tilpas uanset hvordan man har det den dag. Pine er i den grad et hit hos mig - stort set altid den jeg trækker ud af skabet og kryber i. Den lever også op til alle Lene's kriterier.
Og ja - jeg tror faktisk godt jeg kan mærke allerede under strikningen om den vil hitte - nogle gange skygger strikke-begejstringen dog for at kunne mærke den følelse - og så opdager jeg det først rigtigt bagefter.
Jeg tror faktisk også hitterne er dem, der er blevet strikket hurtigt (og dermed ikke tykke pinde) - hurtigt fordi man bare ikke kan vente med at få den på.
:-) Britt
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