Assessing my Sweater Collection

What do I actually wear?

I have a rather slovenly habit. I have more than one, but today is not the day for a comprehensive public inventory of my faults. I have an old cedar chest at the foot of my bed where my collection of hand-spun yarn lives. But we're not talking about hand spun yarn today. The top of that chest is where whatever sweater I wore that day gets dropped when I get ready for bed. Often, sweaters pile up there for a couple of days (or weeks) before I get around to folding them and putting them away properly.

In my defense, it's never more than three weeks. A lovely gentleman named Max comes to clean my home every three weeks, and I refuse to make him deal with clutter. I’m paying him to sanitize the bathrooms, not to move piles of stuff. No matter how lazy I get, I tidy everything away before Max arrives. This is a remarkably effective way to keep general messiness in check.

As cold weather has set in, my sweater pile-up has had a side effect: it reveals which sweaters I reach for most. I've been knitting a long time, and I have lots of hand-knit sweaters. But there are some beautiful sweaters I never seem to wear. I decided to pay attention to which sweaters are always in the pile and see what they have in common.

The sweaters I reach for most

These are the sweaters I've been wearing most often this winter.

This is the hand-knit equivalent of a simple sweatshirt. I knit this in the Fall of 2022 using Purl Soho's Hedgerow. It is a tweedy, worsted-weight mostly-Merino yarn with a bit of cashmere and silk blended in. I like this yarn so much that I've used it for a second sweater, which is knit with an all-over slip stitch colorwork pattern. I love wearing this sweater over a plaid flannel shirt.

This sweater was knit in the Spring of 2022 using Cloudborn Highland Fingering. There is no link for this yarn because it is no longer available. Cloudborn was the private label yarn from Craftsy. WEBS bought out the remaining inventory when Craftsy shut down their retail operation. When WEBS put this yarn on closeout pricing, I bought a bunch in every color that appealed to me. I've knit three sweaters with this yarn so far (two pullovers and a cardigan) and have enough in my stash for at least two more. It's a classic, fingering weight, non-superwash wool.

I finished this sweater in early December. It was knit with Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Tweed Worsted. Because of the all-over stranded colowork, this is my warmest sweater. It layers well over a button-down shirt, a tee, or a lightweight turtleneck. I'm a fan of the entire Wool of the Andes line from Knit Picks. I bought this yarn when it was discounted by 20% last October, but it’s a bargain even at full price.

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You may have noticed that there are no pattern names or links for any of these sweaters. These are all one-of-a-kind. As a knitwear designer, it is a great luxury to make a sweater just for me. I only have to do the bare minimum of math for the size that fits me perfectly, as opposed to working out the numbers for eight or nine sizes. I can just knit, feeling my way along without thinking about how to write clear instructions for what I've done. I don't have to draw a schematic or write a properly formatted pattern. I can just make the sweater I want.

Other than being bespoke designs, what else do these sweaters have in common? They are all crewnecks. They all have long sleeves. They are all basically stockinette stitch—no cables, lace, or fancy textures. Except for some colorwork, they are all very simple garments. All are wool or mostly wool, and none are superwash.

My sweater drawer contains more than a dozen other sweaters featuring lots of fancy stitch work. My choices may have been different if I worked outside my home. If my days were full of people and events, I might wear "fancy" more often. But these are the three sweaters I've worn most often in recent weeks.

So what?

This exercise will inform the decisions I make about where I invest my time and money going forward. I know I'll get the most wear from a stockinette stitch crewneck long-sleeve pullover knit in a non-superwash wool. Does this mean I'll never again make a V-neck sweater or something with cables? Of course not. Exploring lots of shapes and techniques is how I continue to grow in my craft.

The vast majority of the sweaters I knit are not for me. Yarn companies and publishers usually want samples with a finished chest circumference between 36” and 40”. That is too small for my ample bust (thanks, Mom!).

Knitting a sweater for myself is a choice, not a byproduct of the work I do. When it comes time to invest in a sweater to add to my wardrobe, it makes sense to spend my time and money on a piece I'll reach for often.

I encourage you to take a similar look at your own sweater collection. I know some knitters who have dozens of sweaters which they never wear. If you identify the three or four sweaters you reach for most, I'd love to hear about it in the comments. What do your choices have in common?

Some things that caught my eye

• If you enjoy a dark and twisty mystery, you'll love None of This is True by Lisa Jewell. This plot is so filled with twists and turns, it will thwart your best efforts to figure out which character to trust. The audiobook version is excellent, with a full cast headlined by the always superb Nicola Walker (Last Tango in Halifax, Unforgotten, Annika—all on PBS).

  

• I fell in love with Daniel Levy while watching Schitt's Creek. He is back and better than ever as the writer, director, and star of Good Grief on Netflix. This gentle movie is a funny and tender exploration of love, friendship, and grief. Highly recommended.

• I bought this hyacinth bulb 10 days ago at Trader Joe's. It's been sitting on my desk perfuming my office all week. Best $4 I've spent in a long time.

Thank you for letting me share these thoughts with you. If you know someone who would enjoy these musings, I’d appreciate your using this link to pass it on: