Baring It All - Almost

Part of my whole Knit and Fit philosophy for 2014 was to knit sweaters that look good on me and fit.  Sometimes that is very hard to do.  Not because I don't have the tools to do it, but because sometimes I just want to throw caution to the wind and knit what everybody else is knitting because I like it.

I envision in my mind, as many of us do, that I look like the model in the photo and so I can wear the sweater as well.  Problem is, you know and I know that isn't the case.  On Sunday, with the help of Baby Boy B, I took some pictures of my profile and side view as Amy Herzog in her Knit to Flatter book and Craftsy Class suggested.

It is not a pretty sight, but because I want my blog to represent what is going on with me and to use it as a diary of where I am today, I am posting the picture.  I am hopeful that when I look back in 2015, I see a bit of a different body then the one that I am seeing today.  Of course, with the hands spread out like that it does enhance the roundness of those hips.

I am thinking that I really like the side view, much better than the full front view.  What I see from this, which is something I already knew is that sleeveless is not for me and I wonder if it is possible to lose some of that arm fat at 56?  

The whole point of this exercise is to figure what type of body I have, which I already knew, but the pictures really drove it home for me.  Amy in her book and Craftsy Class really zones in on the types of sweaters that each body type should wear and what lengths both the sweater and the sleeves should be at for each of the body types.  She discusses neck options and shaping and just whole lot of different ways to make sweaters look good.

The only down side for me is that the sweaters in the book that were for my body type really do not float my boat.  But, the newest thing out from Amy is her Custom Fit website.  By putting in my measurements and my swatch specifics, I get to have it generate a pattern for any one of several standard sweater types.  Yes, there is a charge for each pattern you generate, but I thought it was worth a try on my Madlinetosh that I have been having a devil of a time trying to find a pattern to go with it.

More hours in the evening and weekend have been spent on trying to find a pattern that would look good on me and use less than 1700 yards.  Finally, after coming up with bupkis, I decided to take my swatch and try to come up with a pattern on Custom Fit.  

I am not sure that it is going to be 100% stockinette, because the single variety of this Madtosh I am pretty sure is going to do a little pilling.  I am thinking of incorporating into it, the stitch pattern that Bonne Marie uses in her Uma, maybe at the hem, neckline and sleeves.

What I am really going for in this sweater is this look.  Something that I can wear for early Spring and Spring should it ever come.

A nice casual day and weekend sweater, stay tuned.