How to Choose a Sweater Pattern

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-sheila-reilly-cardigan

Happy New Year 2018!

This post as been updated from last year as my sales were the same as last year, accessories sold before Christmas Day and garments started peaking again immediately afterward.


It's the New Year (2017) and gift giving season is over. I can see by my pattern sales that many knitters are now choosing patterns most likely to be knit for themselves. There was an uptick in accessory pattern sales before Christmas and now I see a shift back to garment pattern sales. While my Prudence Crowley vest is still a top seller I'm also seeing sales on the heavily cabled garments. If you are also thinking about a garment project to start your 2017 knitting here's some points to consider.

Is the pattern for a garment shown with gorgeous photos on a tall, skinny model taken in places you would like to visit? This is where our fantasy desires kick in. Resist! Devoting all those knitting hours to a fantasy might not make a lot of sense when reality kicks in at the end. I know I want a wearable garment which works in my real life when I get to the end of the knitting. 

Take a careful look at any pattern you are considering. Is the design something you are very likely to wear? How do you know? I might take a chance on an unusual silhouette when I'm buying something, especially if it's on sale. It's good to stretch our sartorial limits. I like to be open to new styles, colours and shapes. However, if it involves hours of knitting I tend to stick to the tried and true types of garments I already know I wear frequently. 

That leads me to the next thing to think about. How will you wear it?  Does it fit in with your current wardrobe? I rarely knit a project without already knowing what I'm going to wear it with. I'm even happier if I know I can build more than one outfit around a hand knitted piece. As you can imagine I own many hand knits. I also have lots of basic simple wardrobe items which act as background support pieces to what some fashion bloggers call 'Hero" items. Many of these are in neutral colours. I have solid coloured black, grey, white and denim (yes, I think of denim as a neutral) in pants, skirts and tops which allow me to showcase my knits. Last year I added in some burgundy items, including a pair of ankle boots and a bag as new base. It gives me a column of a single colour to layer on top of and works beautifully with other neutrals as well as shades of green. I add in the colours of the knitting with accessories to tie these outfits together. When I finish a project I'm ready to wear it as soon as the finishing is done. What about you?

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-prudence-crowley-vest-2