The Knitting Fiend

 

It looks so easy.
This bulky shapeless sweater
is a bitch to knit!
 

 

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When I saw this bulky sweater I thought “How 80s!”

It’s a typical shapeless, figure hiding, drop sleeve sweater coat knit at a gauge of 2 stitches per inch using between 3 and 5 strands or yarn at a time. Still, it didn’t stand out of the pack of shapeless 80s sweaters.

Then I read the directions.¹

I bet you think that nondescript fabric is stockinet knit from novelty yarn. You say to yourself, “At least the jacket was quick easy knit.” But Noooohhhhh!

That rather messy looking surface texture is achieved with some difficulty. Rows 1 & 2 require slipping the same stitch in both rows. That’s common enough when knitting color work.

These are followed by the horror of row 3, which includes this instruction:

…* drop sl stitch off needle to front of work, k1, then pick up dropped stitch and knit it, repeat from * …

Yes, intentionally drop a stitch that has been slipped for two rows, knit a stitch and then pick up the dropped stitch! Yikes!

Ok, there are no knitting police. I wouldn’t want to do this, (especially since there is an easier way to work left or right twists.²) Still, if other knitters prefer to drop stitches, that’s ok by me. But I ask you: would any thinking knitter want to drop a stitch that was slipped for two rows? And if they wanted to do this, would they want to deal with five strands of yarn held together?

Yep, the stitch pattern is a bitch, it’s worked in an unnecessarily difficult way, and the final effect is nondescript and rather messy. Just the type of pattern to make this aging 80s knitter reminisce!

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Footnote:
1. The stitch pattern directions are, by the way, screwed up. The stitch multiple of row 3 does not match that in rows 1 and 2. But this is isn’t notable. It’s the sort of run of the mill editiorial screw up one expects from knitting editors who can’t seem to count.

2. To see the more conventional way to do this without dropping stitches or using a cable needle, read Wicker Work

Credit: From McCall’s Needlework and Crafts July/August 1983