Sunday is for slowing down, reminding myself that intentionality in my work is an act of grounding. And today is international Women’s Day, I cant think of a better day to be immersed in knitting, reading the works of women who changed the craft, thinking about how every woman’s hands have physically captured culture, and continue to preserve and make as the creators we are.
Creators must reckon with what it means to make in 2026. How are we as knitters impacted by capitalism and over consumption? Especially when women dominate both knitting and the buying power in the consumer market. So what if any responsibility due knitters hold in perpetuating the destruction by capitalism?
Its becomd trendy for people to knit multiple sweaters in a month and to end the year with more sweaters than anyone would need in a lifetime. I have never been and have no intention of ever being a “fast” knitter. It’s taken a lot of self reflection to help myself to not get anxious seeing the amount of pieces some people manage to produce. As much as I love seeing closets stacked with gorgeous hand-knitted pieces I remind myself that’s the goal of a lifetime not a year. (If you are interested in reading more about slowing down your knitting I have two recommendations in the bibliography.)
Process:
I greatly enjoy my finished pieces but I ultimately knit for the process and research is a huge part of that for me. As I delve into my cable journey I am first reading through Elizabeth Zimmerman and her daughter Meg Swansen’s work on Aran cardigans and sweaters. If you are unfamiliar with Elizabeth Zimmerman’s work she was a huge proponent of circular knitting which is not traditional construction for an Aran cardigan. Though I am a fan of seamed construction I am also very interested in doing some steeking*, a technique I only usually use on small projects. Zimmerman’s pattern reads more like a recipe than a pattern as we know it today, offering percentages of stitches needed for the different elements of the piece and suggesting means for altering the pattern to end up with a unique final product that will fit you and your sensibilities. Zimmerman’s patterns rely heavily on the knitter creating an accurate gauge swatch.
Its very common that knitters will say they never knit gauge swatches, that they find them tedious, a waste of time, or a distraction from the actual pattern. This may be a controversial opinion but I think knitting is more than just the knitting of the piece. The research, the gauge swatches, the knitting of the piece, the blocking and other finishing techniques its all part of the knitting process. Accomplished knitters do it all.
Gauge:
If you aren’t familiar with knitting terminology, gauge is the amount of stitches across a particular measurement. Its fairly standard for gauge to be measured across either 1 or 4 inches, or 10cm. Gauge can either be taken counting the amount of stitches or it can be taken measuring both stitches (horizontal) and rows (vertical). Depending on the garment rows may or may not be necessary.
Gauge is important because it allows a knitter to accurately follow a pattern and achieve an end result that has accurate measurements for fit. Gauge is very important when designing your own work or when altering a pattern.
Gauge is impacted by tension (tightness an individual knitter has in there technique), yarn weight, fiber composition, needle size, stich type, blocking, and knit construction. A knitters gauge will be different when knitting flat versus in the round because flat knitting requires alternating purl and knit rows while in the round is all knit rows. However you plan to knit a piece is how you should knit the gauge. An individual knitter can alter their tension by changing needles, construction style, or blocking.
Cardigan Plans:
Though “non-traditional” I will be following Zimmerman’s instructions and knitting my cardigan in the round and steeking for the body and arm openings. I will also be following Zimmerman’s recommendation and knitting a cap (or maybe just a headband) to test for gauge. The large sample that will result from knitting a cap is so that I can test out my stitch patterns and determine if I like the drape of the final textile. I also personally find that the size of a knit piece can alter my tension, when given the space I am a looser knitter but my tension becomes tighter in smaller pieces.
But before I knit a guage swatch I will be researching and planning stitches. I also need to turn my 1920 yard skein of wool into knittable balls. Once I have a sketch with chosen stitches and yarn I can work with I will knit up and then block my swatch. I will then use the swatch to layout the full pattern with my specific measurements and stitch choices. I will knit up the cardigan, steek it, attach the arms, knit the button band and shawl collar, block, and then sew on buttons.
If you’re hoping to see a finished product soon please dont hold your breath. I do not have a deadline for this cardigan, just my step-by-step that will take however long it takes. Once complete I hope my cardigan lasts longer than me and someday finds a home on someone else’s shoulders. If its too last that long spending a few months working on it is more than worth it.
*Steeking – the process of cutting knitting to produce an opening. It must be done with non-superwash wool or other fiber that naturally felts. Steeking can be used for button holes, arm holes, pockets, etc. It is a technique commonly used with fair isle color work.
P.S. From here on out I will be numbering these Aran cardigan posts so that those who are interested can easily follow the project’s many stages.
Bibliography:
Slow Knitting: a journey from sheep to skein to stitch by Hannah Thiessen
Seasonal Slow Knitting by Hannah Thiessen
Knitter’s Almanac by Elizabeth Zimmerman
The Opinionated Knitter by Schoolhouse Press
Kathryn D'Agostino 
Leave a comment