My Inspiration
 

I started knitting with a sweater pattern for baby Jirina from Kaffe Fassett’s Family Album.  That sweater was horribly misshapen, as I knew nothing about gauge.  But I persisted and eventually figured out how to match my gauge to the size of the sweater.  I only used large needles and thick yarn, because I didn’t think I had the patience for anything that took too long.  I got graph paper and marked the stitches and rows and filled in the sweater shapes with pictures, with the different colors marked with numbers.  I only made vests because I didn’t think I could handle sleeves!

Once I was brave enough to try, it was actually freeing to take on sleeves and fully embrace every aspect of a sweater.  I liked starting with a lace trim and working up from there.  I found I liked the complexity more than the previous simplicity.  Here is Amaran in her (first of two) beloved O Canada sweater.

Another big turning point for me was the book Sweaters by Tone Takle and Lise Kolstad.  It was very challenging to take on the idea of circular needles and steeks.  It really requires faith to make a steek for the first time!  There was something so distinctly different about knitting a repeating pattern.  This V sweater for Jirina was the first result of this type of knitting.

My current knitting is a mix of pictures and more traditional-style patterns.  It was certainly easier for me to design picture sweaters when my children were young and actively fueling my imagination.  My growing granddaughters Layla, Shaina and Kelsey are opening new doors for me - while also slowing me down!
Here is Levin in his Northern Lights sweater during a spring break trip to Seattle.

References



Family Album, Kaffe Fassett

Sweaters, Tone Takle, Lise Kolstad

Small Sweaters, Tone Takle, Lise Kolstad

Charts for Colour Knitting, Alice Starmore

Here Be Wyverns, Nancy Spies

The Tap-Dancing Lizard, Catherine Cartwright-Jones, Roy Jones

Kids Kids Kids: 40 Winning Patterns from the Knitter's Magazine Contest

The Shore, Leif Garbisch

Conduit, Leif Garbisch

The Magic Us, Leif Garbisch

I Shall Never Return, Levin Garbisch

7000voltfilms.com, Levin Garbisch

Jirina Linnea, Jirina Linnea McCarthy

O Canada, Ted Harrison

D'Aulaires' Book of Norse Myths

D’Aulaire’s Book of Greek Myths

Comet in Moominland, Tove Jansson

Goodnight, Marjan van Zeyl

Linnea in Monet's Garden, Cristina Bjork, Lena Anderson, Joan Sandin

Who Said Red? Mary Serfozo

Redwall, Brian Jacques

The Complete Book of the Flower Fairies, Cicely Mary Barke

Frog and Toad, Arnold Lobel

Alanna, Tamora Pierce

The Adventures of Tin Tin, Herge

Hiawatha, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Susan Jeffers

The Evergreens, Odds Bodkins

My Neighbor Totoro, Hayao Miyazaki

Thomas the Tank Engine toys

The Magical Puppetree