our sweaters got soaking wet in lowell, massachusets. and we wore them for the rest of the afternoon, because we had no choice. we warmed up and dried out eventually, and so did our sweaters, but they were changed.
i'm glad to have been writing this log for long enough now that items i've knitted have undergone significant erosion and change. ute lemper's sleeves, due to lowell, were downright uncomfortable; ben reported some sagginess in his sweater, too (which, although mentioned on this blog, actually pre-dates it.)
i knew that where ute was concerned, i had nothing to lose, since i considered the sweater unwearable post-lowell. so i put it through the delicate cycle, and a little time in the dryer. of course it was going to felt; it's made of that rowan big (knit, wool, yarn, i can never remember the name, i can NEVER REMEMBER, stop trying to remind me, i don't care enough to try) and it was only ever a matter of time, really. the result is not bad; it's not the same sweater, but it's not bad. however, it had been my plan to make another of these sweaters in orange, and in the big (knit/wool/yarn) by rowan - it's a good orange. and now i'm more sure i'll do that, because as much as this is fine now, it's not the sweater i used to have, and i did love that sweater. it'll be nice to re-create it in it's original shape and feel. (in fact, i have to look at the color again, but am considering stranding it with some of the very goldfish-orange alchemy thin fuzzy stuff - yes, i stink at remembering what stuff is called. some of you know what i mean, because you've seen me point at it.)
the special button on this one lost one little stone in the washer/dryer process. i expected as much. expected worse, actually.
i figured ben's sweater would undergo less transformation due to the yarn with which it was made, and due to the fact that i would be a little less cavalier about messing with his. truly, all his did is snap back. his rolled stockinette sleeve cuffs are not as rolled as they were, but we have been dampening them and playing with them this morning.
i do like it when things take on their own life, and when knitting goes its own way and out of my control. it seems i have even invited this - in creating pieces that will, by their nature, continue to evolve through wear and environmental conditions. the t-shirt sweater is a good example. current works-in-progress include a linen sweater, partially because i love how linen changes (and mostly because
ben
wanted one.)
looking at previously created garments now is part of a bigger understanding that is taking hold of me in relation to my own fiber and needlework, upon which i will be reporting, at great length, soon.