The Tutorial That Never Was

Part of the “Joy of Knitting” design year’s goal is to get Meanwhile in Maine back on track.  To do so required (another) design detour!  I decided to step back and design a KISS sweater.  Sometimes when designs are so complex, I lose sight of basic pattern writing skills and the result is a jumbled mess of complex design with a “cliff notes” writing style entangled into a blob of incomprehensibility.  So, this KISS staple was like clearing out the cobwebs and going back to focusing on one thing – writing a great, simple, and easy to follow pattern. 

Though basic, it still needed to hold my interest, so I’d know it’d hold yours.  KISS was design principle 1.  Speed was design principle 2 – both in terms of Meanwhile in Maine as well as knitting speed.  And Principle 3, a surprise design element, of course!

Hooked on MCAC from the Malabrigo quickies design proposal I submitted for an SQ for a double stranded sweater and Malabrigo loved the idea!

As I was working up my sample, I dutifully paused at each hem transition to snap a how-to photo tutorial.  But as I struggled to handle the different needle sizes between MCAC yarn and just AC yarn, I realized this wasn’t KISS.  So, out it came and and I went back to the swatching to figure out a better way to accomplish the desired design elements!

Speed, well for me it was fast… from concept to finished published pattern in 13 months!  Knitting time zoomed in at 30 quick days, including frogging, reswatching, reknitting, and aging time… I turned 41 over this WIP 😊.  But more importantly it refreshed the little grey cells on basic pattern writing, helping get over some of the mental blocks on the Meanwhile in Maine pattern.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll never have to do if you knit Tweedy Chic!  Get the pattern to discover the super simple change that keeps this a KISS design 😊.

Oh, don’t know KISS? Keep it simple, stupid – said only and ever to self!