It's going to happen slowly, yes, but it's going to happen.
I am going to design a sweater.
I have never done this before. I've only knit one sweater—a cardigan with minimal body shaping—and I've never designed anything more complicated than a small pouch. I am nervous about it, but excited, too.
The sweater will hopefully have these characteristics:
1. Top-down knit
2. Raglan style
3. Fitted with decreases at the waist and horizontal and vertical darts at the bust
4. V-neck, but not super-low
5. Probably a bit of non-colorwork design at hem and cuffs (lace? Cables? Knit-and-purl patterns?)
6. Worked with minimal seaming, possibly none at all
7. Knit in worsted-weight yarn (not so chunky as to be unflattering, not so thin as to be a slow knit)
8. Cuffs that bell out slightly, maybe, or at least don't get tighter than the sleeve, and a hem that doesn't pull in.
9. IT WILL BLOODY WELL FIT ME, AND IT WILL FIT ME BLOODY WELL.
I just bought a copy of Barbara Walker's Knitting From the Top. I'm also planning on buying a copy of EZ's Knitting Without Tears. I have seen the "Incredible Custom-Fit Raglan" not-quite-pattern online. I am going to buy a couple issues of Yarn Forward in electronic format so I can acquire the bust dart tutorial written by Honeybee33 on Ravelry. I think that these tools, and possibly the help of a friend in taking my measurements, will help me to get a great fit.
I am willing to spend on some pricey yarn for it. I'm considering Dream In Color Classy. It's a gorgeous handpaint, and it's washable merino: soft and easy to care for. Soooooo pretty!
