Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Creative destruction

As I was packing and unpacking around this last move, I was forced to come to terms with the fact that I had a lot of handknit sweaters I never wear. Some didn't fit my person, some didn't fit my lifestyle (mostly by being too warm), and some I just plain didn't like anymore. I gave a couple to a church-basement thrift shop in the neighborhood, but a few were worth salvaging for the yarn, which is how I went from this (double-stranded cashmere/silk, hot as blazes):
to this:
And from this (weird poochiness at the chest/neck, no matter how many times I steamed or blocked it):
to this (Karabella Magritte, their dk cashmere/merino):And from this (handspun alpaca/silk, not wholly comfortable next to the skin, plus I knit this back before I knew much about the finer points of fit, so the neck wasn't shaped at all and I was always pulling at it):
to this:I know it's not for everyone, but I find ripping out something that didn't work — even years after the fact — to be incredibly satisfying. Fresh starts are my favorite.

2 comments:

Linda said...

Fresh starts and salvaging good from waste is wonderful. congratulations!

Gina said...

I may follow your example and reclaim yarn from knits that no longer fit me. I can't give them up, but they are like unworn thorns in my side, taking up space in my dresser.