Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Quid pro Quo (Part II)

The thought of trading a sweater for art filled me with joy. It meant my knitting was not only a hobby I enjoyed, it was something other people found value in, too. (I will spare the whole side reflection on whether a hobby should be more than enjoyed, whether my need for others to find value in it means it's not a hobby, but another performance arena, etc. That thought is there, though.).

I poked around on-line, sent images of different styles (cardigan, pullover, bulky, slim silhouette, cabled, gansey, etc.). He settled on Snorri, from Reynolds. I'd never knit cables before, but why not start with this? Actually, it gave me a welcome excuse to jump in.

Six months after I finally "got gauge," I finished the behemoth. The friend is six feet tall with even longer arms. Thank heaven the yarn was bulky.

Without further babbling, I give you my "will knit for art" sweater, modeled by the recipient:



Pattern: Snorri from Best of Lopi.



Yarn: 12 skeins Cascade 128 in colorway 7633 (brown tweed). This is GREAT yarn. All the Peruvian softness of Cascade 220, but in a beefed up size. I will use this again.



Needles: Clover bamboo circulars, size 9 and 10.



Notes/Thoughts: I couldn't be happier with how it turned out. The knitting went quickly, cabling was a snap, and the pattern read well. I was a bit intimidated by sewing the thing together and let it sit in pieces for about two months. When I got down to it, even the assembly went well. I added 4 inches to each arm to make sure it would fit the ape-armed recipient. It ended up with just a little extra length in the arm. Whew!




This barter equation:

=

Labels:

4 Comments:

Blogger Anne said...

Wow, that's gorgeous! At first I thought the photo was scanned in from the book that the pattern was in, and that he was the model. Congrats!

2:42 PM  
Blogger Alwen said...

The best trades are where both sides feel they've gotten such a good deal.

7:06 PM  
Blogger Shells said...

This is not trading a sweater for art. This is trading art for art. It is beautiful and making a sweater like that means you will never fear sweaters again.

Plus, once you start trading your "trade" for others "trades" you won't look back. I've received many a beautiful woodworking tool in exchange for handspun and hand knit items.

That sweater is truly gorgeous and so is the photography.

9:06 AM  
Blogger naomi dagen bloom said...

splendid! good for you to be open to this--and the other artist to know there was value in your great skill.

traded art for therapy in the old days and know others have also. we need a serious revival of barter and it may be coming!

4:22 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home