π πΌββοΈ You don't need a knitting pattern
Published 1 day agoΒ β’Β 4 min read
"Perfectionists are their own devils."
β Jack Kirby
Hello there fellow knitter!
This is The Yarnist. The daily newsletter that makes you love knitting the same way Bowser loves Peaches.
Disclaimer: This newsletter may contain sponsored ads and affiliate links. When you buy using them, you support our work here at The Yarnist, as we get a small commission.
Knitspiration
π πΌββοΈ You don't need a knitting pattern
A couple years ago I was invited to do a presentation at the Knit Your Wardrobe summit.
I suggested to the organizers a controversial topic; Knitting a Sweater Without a Pattern.
I know.
It sounds crazy.
But it's entirely possible.
The truth is you don't really need a pattern to knit anything.
In fact using a written pattern to make a project is a pretty modern development.
Today I want to talk about why knitting WITHOUT a pattern can open up a world of creativity for you.
Knitting patterns used to be full paragraphs of text
Written Patterns Are Relatively New
For thousands of years the art of knitting was primarily passed through word of mouth.
You would be taught how to knit certain items by your mother or grandmother, and you memorized those instructions.
Written versions of knitting patterns really didn't start getting published until the mid 1800s.
It wasn't until WW1 that written patterns became more widespread, with standardization in terms and instructions.
But even then, knitting patterns remained relatively simple until the 1970s, when bold colors and synthetic yarns took over.
Today some patterns are like little books, with pages of instructions, schematics, and charts.
While clear instructions have helped more people knit complicated items, we've also lost the understanding of how knitting "works."
So how does one knit their own projects without a pattern?
You Don't Have to Become a "Designer"
Knitting without a pattern is something pattern designers do all the time. But how?
Designers have an understanding of three important things:
They understand how to use swatches of fabric to get the look they want.
They understand the garment shapes needed to construct an item of clothing.
They understand how to manipulate the yarn into the shape they need to make.
Fashion designers mostly take pre-knit fabric, cut it and then sew it to create a garment.
We hand knitters work with the yarn more intimately.
We shape the fabric as we knit, sometimes sewing everything together at the end.
But we often do this while blindly following a pattern.
We don't always think about what we're knitting as making fabric.
And when you start to understand that you can make that fabric do whatever you want, many possibilities open up.
Knitting Inside the Box
Think of the shape of a beanie.
It's basically a rectangle with a half circle on top.
If we were to outline that shape we have the form of the beanie.
Think of it like a blueprint for constructing a hat.
Once we understand what the shape needs to be, or even how to construct that shape, we can started to color inside the lines.
You can play with the texture, change up the ribbing, or even do something different with the crown shaping.
We can even do all kinds of thing with colorwork.
The key is to learn what those shapes and forms are for different types of projects.
So how do you do that?
Finding the Knitting Blueprints
There are dozens of books, blogs, and videos that can teach you the basic blueprints of knitting.
Before you go...below you'll find a few ways we can work together, and other bits & bobs:
Here's some ways to take our relationship to the next level:
βοΈ Buy us a coffee (Now accepting PayPal!)β Each of our emails is the culmination of many hours of research and lots of cups of coffee. If you want a simple way to show your appreciation you can buy us a coffee here.β β
βΊοΈ Sign Up for CAMP YARNIST βOur next session of Camp Yarnist will be launching very soon. If you want to dive into *patternless* knitting while making new friends at the same time, sign up HERE.
Your Email Preferences:
You're receiving this email because you signed up for the Yarnist, a daily digital newsletter for Fearless Knitters.
If you don't remember doing that, you might have had a little too much wine that night...or it could be Gremlins. Can't stand those guys. Always causing mischief.
Your email address is Reader and your first name is Reader. To update your info click here.
