# Neccesity is the mother......



## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

I thought long and hard about your admonition, WIHH........ considered it seriously and sincerely, and, regretfully, I must decline (for now).
Knitting these super chunky sweaters is an accomplishment my wonder and passion for which I find difficult to convey.

Let us compare the experience to that of an avid sky-diving enthusiast who has never been in a plane..... though he has been fascinated by and attentive to the sport from his earliest recollected youth.
Then, one day, one of the experts offers him an opportunity to ride along on a run....... and, twist of fate comes to full-blown opportunity and they strap him in a 'shute and he jumps.......

Now, such a fellow is going to be hard-pressed to ever thereafter find contentment upon the ground, or even by climbing high towers, riding Ferris wheels or roller coasters, or even flying in a closed airplane.... no, he wants to jump..... so.......

I started another project. 










Now this one had to be a successful culmination of many concepts learned since my first, um.... jump . Had to be thick. Had to be fluffy. Had to be really soft and pliable..... and, had to be large, but _proportioned_.
Now, having made the few jumps that I have, I dared this go 'round to dig into my lighter stash as I progress toward white. 
You see, I may never knit a snow-white sweater. That is perfection.....and I'm certain that I am not deserving, but, alas, I can come close, so, cream/natural/beige/off-white it is.
Now the crux. I still only have my one circular in a 36, and that's a 40 inch--perfect for chunky sweater bodies....right up until the arm holes, and I just couldn't wait another week for my two 32 inchers to show up, so.....

I dug a broom stick out of the tool barrel.... 54 inches long.......









Funny that a push broom handle is eerie close to the same diameter as a size 36 knitting needle..... and, 54 divided by three is eighteen.










I got out my trusty hack saw......










....then my trusty hoof rasp.....and set to work.


























After sufficient shaping, a spot of sanding to finish.....










And, add the finished pieces to the collection.
(as can be see, the project grew throughout)


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## katy (Feb 15, 2010)

Are the white things key chains ? that just happen to fit over the needle tips ? Necessity is the Mother of Invention. Looks great. Your take on a white sweater is interesting. This one is already looking good. WOW


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## lathermaker (May 7, 2010)

Wow! beautiful work. You're a pretty handy guy to have around...I wonder what you'll come up with next????


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## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

lathermaker said:


> Wow! beautiful work. You're a pretty handy guy to have around...I wonder what you'll come up with next????


Well, I hadn't done a turtleneck with 36s yet, so I tried it.

Wow. Just, wow.

It is incredibly soft and bulky.
Now I'm thinking....... we've got a stash of old wooden ball bats out in one of the sheds..... a little shaping, a little sanding......:sing:

Katy, the white things are size 36 dpns, eight inches long. I use them for the small end of arm sleeves and for mittens.


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## Katherine in KY (May 11, 2002)

Amazing, Forerunner. You are so talented! And it looks like the sweater will be lovely although it's hard to think about with the temperature here 90 degrees at 8 am!


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## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

Understood.........

For this particular sweater, I cast 56 stitches, 5 strands of wool on a 32 inch size 17 circular needle, and K2P2 the ribbing for about 6 inches.
Then, upon switching to 36s, I added in 4 mohair strands and knit up 24 inches of body before I split for the arm holes.










As can be seen, the new needles serve nicely when knitting up front and back. I used my 40 inch and one of the dpns for each round, using another dpn to hold the stitches in back while I knit up the front. No snags on the new needles and though they are smooth, they hold the stitches well.

















.....which brings us to the neck. I've been reducing the body down to neck size by making a decrease (K2tog) at the shoulders every time I make a round. Going from 56 stitches to the 40-44 that I like for the neck doesn't take many rounds that way, and on these heavy sweaters, it doesn't look bad, either. I have discovered another trick to shrink my stitches and strengthen the cloth at the neck..... When closing up, I switched from the 36s to 19s, then to 17s until I got to the turtleneck. The big neck hides the tighter stitches, but the overall strength of the garment is enhanced.










I don't know why I failed to get a pic of three eighteen inch wooden dpns laced in that neck during manufacture..... nor why I failed to get a pic of my 40 inch 36 chasing those wooden needles back out, each round (a technique which works well when your circ is a little too long).
By the time I was 8 inches or so into the neck, it was loose enough that the 40 worked fine on it's own, greatly speeding up the process.

But, wow.....










Picking up stitches gets easier and easier. I grabbed about 52, each side, and knit out with my 19s...... 32, then 24 inch, making reductions 2 out of three rounds to get to 22 stitches by the time the sleeves were 19 inches long, then ribbed with a 16 inch #17 for about 6 inches, leaving enough to turn up the cuff. The sweater is long, (just past my knees) sloppy and super comfy.
It's also rated for 10-35 below zero. 










I think I'll do my next in a dark blue...... with a few twists in the design plot.


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## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

Well, hopefully to ya'll's relief, my sense of fashion does have it's limits. 

What I've got going is pretty much as chunky as need be.
I am looking forward to cabling lessons with Cyndi.... there is the fascinating creativity of that German woman to pursue.....

As for yarn quotas..... well, I have a dozen 15 gallon steel barrels..... all quite spotless and in a lovely shade of royal blue. Each has a sealable lid and clamp....and has the color of the yarns inside labeled on the barrel lid..... all pretty much full and some quite overflowing (gotta sit on them to get them closed)..... and, one of my ships just came in today. :bouncy:

This is about half the shipment...... all 78%, plus, English mohair.....










I can't wait to see how some of these colors look in action.










My 32 inch 36s came today, too. :kiss:

.......and, did I mention starting something thick and chunky in darkish blue ?










One of these days, it's gunna get hot and I'm going to have to change careers again. :sob:


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## bigfoot2you (Oct 3, 2007)

Just because I'm nosy, do you sell these sweaters? And, why do you want the sweater shown to be below your knees? Doesn't it get caught on stuff? Absolutely beautiful!


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## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

I haven't sold any....... have given a few away with plans to do so again...... deserving family members, you know.....
As for the length, the strong ribbing does a fine job tucking up around the waist to make for a sloppy/comfy fit just below the jean pockets, or.....for the fashionably daring, the ribbing can be pulled down to make for something a little different.

As for getting caught on stuff, well, that would depend on the wearer and their preferred environment. I have it on the highest authority that some of my work would make "the best winter sleeping bags, ever". 

I have wondered what some of the better ones would bring on Ebay&#8482;, but am almost afraid to find out........ lack of confidence in the fickle market, perhaps ?


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## bigfoot2you (Oct 3, 2007)

I'll bet you could sell them just fine!! Especially with angora or cashmere in it.........have you looked at Etsy to see what others might be selling theirs for? Good luck if you decide to go that route............lucky relatives!!


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Great thread. I especially appreciate the repurposing of broom handles into needles.
I say you should just let this 'bulky sweater phase' run its course. 

Despite WIHH's comments about running out of wool, those sheep (and goats) are growing new fiber as we speak.
It is one of the 'green' aspects to fibercrafting...renewable resources!

Im excited for you to learn cables and the kitchener stitch. 
Plain knitting gets old after a time.

Keep on with it. I envision meeting your family one day and being unable to distinguish their features,
but I will recognise them anyhow by their shroudings of fluffy wool.


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## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

It will run it's course, sort of.....but only until I do get my knitting horizons properly expanded. Then, those sheep (and goats) better grow some wool........

Here is a link, for those who haven't seen.....
This is the German woman who redefines "chunky" every time she picks up her needles.
Be sure to check out her archives. I haven't seen more heavy wool creativity anywhere.

http://www.modetempel.com/


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## Mrs. Homesteader (May 10, 2002)

Forerunner, you are going to LOVE the newest post I just posted before viewing this one!!!


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## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

Mrs. Homesteader said:


> Forerunner, you are going to LOVE the newest post I just posted before viewing this one!!!


I found it difficult to take that girl seriously. :indif:
All that yarn! 
I'd have been tempted to spin that up just a little finer and.......




Wind in Her Hair said:


> where in the WORLD did you get all those cones of lovely yarn?!?!?!?!  wow


42 cones, in all..... A kindly lady in the UK had it on Ebay.:ashamed:

I should be good until, say, late August.


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