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The World’s Fastest Sweater Knitter Is Me
Dear Ann,
I know what you mean about gauge shock. After a summer of knitting socks on size 1 needles, I’m having a blast knitting my Main Squeeze Cardigan on US 11s.
I am going to look exactly this cute in it. PHOTO BY ELYSA WEITALA FROM MDK FIELD GUIDE NO. 12: BIG JOY.
I started on Sunday night. Here’s where things stood on Monday morning, 1 skein in:
Here was yesterday (Wednesday) morning, 4 skeins in:
Message from my floor: when you are 90 years old you will be scuffed up too.
Whoa, right? A person could get a closet full of wooly goodness knitted up at this pace.
A Few Notes
Speed
For fun and the expansion of human knowledge, I’ve been running the stopwatch on my phone when I’m knitting. Do you want to know how long it takes me to knit a skein of Rowan Big Wool?
Of course you do.
My four skeins on the body of the cardigan have clocked in at 1 hour 39 minutes for the fastest and 2 hours and 30 minutes for the slowest. I sometimes forget to turn the stopwatch on or off for a few minutes, but I think it’s fair to say that a skein takes 2 hours.
Since the size I’m knitting takes 11 skeins, that works out to a 22-hour sweater.
[Insert wide-eyed emoji here.]
One Sneaky Little Danger
I’m in love with the nubbly Sand Stitch that Jen Geigley chose for the body of the cardigan. The fabric has all the bumpy rhythm of moss or seed stitch, but the WS row is all knit, so it goes faster that the RS row, which is k1, p1. That knit-back row enhances the speed of knitting this sweater.
I’m never going back to seed stitch. Sand Stitch is the stitch for me! I want to use this stitch for blankets and scarves and everything that needs a little nubble but wants a little speed.
Believe it or not, this well-behaved fabric is the WS of sand stitch.
Small note of caution: the WS may be all knit, but the stitches present themselves as a k1, p1 rib. More than once, I have worked a whole WS row as k1, p1, and had to un-knit it. DOH! Still better than k1, p1 the whole way, though.
In the MDK Shop
What’s Next
I reached the 4-skein milestone 2 inches (so, less than an hour) before reaching the point in the pattern where the sleeves are attached and the raglan decreases start.
The pattern calls for the sleeves to be knit first. They are in plain stockinette. I was itching to get to the Sand Stitch portion of the program, so I started the body first.
Therefore, next up is knitting 2 sleeves in a hot minute (estimate: 4 hours total) and then doing the Exciting Sleeve Attachment Procedure.
For this, I’ll be re-watching Jen’s video guide to this very procedure.
Here it is:
Whee! Join me over on Instagram, where I’ve started the hashtag #KnitaCardiganinaWeek so that all us speed-knitting freaks can find each other and hang out together. We’re going to have a cute new sweater for Fiber Festival Season.
Love,
Kay
Ok, so I am getting suckered in. I may be casting on one of my own soon. One question first. Since the skeins are relatively short and we will be joining lots of ends, what method of joining are folks using? I would hate to have the joy of speeding my way through an entire sweater be ruined by the torturous idea of having to weave in a bazillion ends and possibly ruining my beautiful fabric. What’s the plan?
I always go with spit splicing. Can’t beat for joining wool;)
I’m totally going to experiment with spitfelting–this merino is fluffy and nonsuperwash, so I’m hoping it will eliminate most of my ends. Stay tuned . . .
I would do anything to avoid weaving in the ends. So happy when I discovered spit splicing!
The skeins go a long way. There are no color changes so I think we’re only talking about 30-40 ends. I’m weaving mine in.
Russian join would work with this yarn but I don’t find it less fiddly than weaving in.
I am inching closer to purchasing Field Guide 12 (other things are currently intervening). It has caught my imagination like no other and my one previous run-in with Big Wool (a hat) was a smashing success. And of course I would look exactly that cute in whatever I decide to knit from it also. Chloe
Field Guide NO. 12. Dang. It doesn’t have the same ring to it without the “No.”. Chloe
Your writing is hilarious as always. Well done, world’s fastest knitter!
It looks really great! Did you swatch or are you playing it fast and loose? I think I need to swatch first.
I HATE big needles and big yarn, but I watched Jen’s videos and then sighed and ordered the book. I think I have to have that sweater.
Video is super helpful – thank you for sharing! I didn’t see this referenced in the pattern – it would be nice to have a link to it in the digital version. Maybe I just have not found it in there yet. Fun knit!
SO fast Kay!! Can’t wait for my Lopi to arrive so I can swatch & get going. However I have finished a mini version of Brambleberry Cowl. The bobbles are so fun;)!!
I on the other hand am the world’s slowest knitter. . it literally took me a year to finish my last sweater. that being said, I love the look of this and may have to try it. currently I’m knitting a seed stitch Afghan for my daughter in law for Christmas… wish me luck.
Clear the dance floor! Kay will be doing the Exciting Sleeve Attachment Procedure! (Management is not responsible for any injuries.)
Hey Kay – sounds like a good Bang-Out-A-Sweater candidate. Is the stitch pattern too busy for a multicolor/gradient?
I love it, but wouldn’t it be a heavy sweater.
Bang out a sweater! Why didn’t I think of that right away? Ann and Kay – you totally must be debating that… because this seems perfect for banging!
This sweater is gorgeous. I have never knit anything this size and am anxious to do so. I just finished my pair of socks from your last book. They are wonderful and it is so nice to have the little book to carry around with so many ideas in it. Thanks for all your positive comments that get me knitting.
The title of this post cracks me up – it’s fun being fast, huh?
Wow! That’s impressive! I look forward to photos of the finished sweater. And…I am always looking for an easier way to get the look I want, and I will definitely add Sand Stitch to my knitting toolkit. Thank you! (Speaking of easier textural stitch patterns: I also do the less-switching-of-yarns-front-to-back Half Linen Stitch instead of Linen Stitch. Most of the look for a fraction of the effort.) Re: mistaking WS for RS with Sand Stitch. Thanks for the warning about that, too! I will definitely keep a Right Side stitch marker in place while I do this, as I think I will be more likely to absent-mindedly knit a row, rather than K1, P1.
You make it very hard to resist
I couldn’t get the gauge on a 13 so am switching to an 11. Should I do the ribbing on a 9 like I usually do?
Haven’t gotten my Field Guide yet. Is there a recommended ease for The Main Squeeze?
The video has stitches cast off for the sleeve on the body, but the stitches on the sleeve are put on waste yarn. Shouldn’t it be the saame process on both? No way to kitchner the sleeve stitches to a bound off section.
I’ve had a couple of people at our LYS advise me that Big Wool pills a lot. Does Anybody else wish to weigh in on this, as I’m considering whether to use it for this cardio,or swap it out for another (not as pilly) yarn.
Argh, autocorrect…I meant cardi
How to style your cardigan. Matching bra? Over a jeans jacket? https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/lifestyle-buzz/katie-holmes-fall-outfits-are-full-of-must-try-style-lessons/ar-AAHgnLo?ocid=spartanntp I am sure yours will look great however you wear it!!
I loved this sweater as soon as I set eyes on it! I have always been a fan of chunky warm cardigans, so much so my girls threaten to purge my closet to “bring me up to date in fashion”. This one is a keeper!
If anybody noticed a scuffed floor, they need to get over it! The sweater is way cool, I intend to knit it, and the sweater is all I saw when I looked at the picture. I would much rather knit than worry about a floor (and even after being told the floor was scuffed, I couldn’t see it. Looked normal to me). Therefore, I am advocating for a law that requires people to do the things they enjoy before completing any housework.