I Can Do It Myself!

I get the impression that, as a kid, I said those words a lot. Now as an adult, I think them all the time but rarely say them. I still believe that I can do almost anything by myself and for myself... but I so rarely get the chance simply because I am not an island in this world. I have people, thank goodness, and help is there, it is offered, it is helpful. But what about when you get that feeling that you can do something yourself, and you don't want to share credit or blame? How do you exercise that independence muscle in a life where there are people to help you? You turn them away and risk hurting feelings, or you find an activity that is just yours and run with it.

Knit.

I do have knitting friends, only 2.5 real life knitting friends, and only a few more virtual knitting friends. We enjoy discussing our projects, showing off our finished projects, and checking out the softness of each other's yarn choices. But it's not full emersion. It's not elbow to elbow knitting. Part of me wishes that more of my people were knitters. But in this particular case, on this particular day, I am thankful that they aren't.

I have decided to do it myself. I am designing a sweater. What I hope will be my first perfect sweater because it will be based on what I want both in a project and in a garment. It will fit. Perfectly. I can do it myself.

In order to begin this process, I had to get real about what I look for in my favorite pieces of clothing. I love fitted black tops. I love turtlenecks. I love something with understated attitude. I love longish hems that stay down below the top of my pants. I love the sleekness of an Audrey Hepburn look. And I don't need pure wool because I'm from Southern California, and this won't be a sweater made for warmth.

It began a few weeks ago with yarn choice. I picked Cascade Venezia Worsted in black. 70% Merino, 30% Silk. I chose it for its subtle sheen, its yardage, its price, and of course, its color. Last night I cast on.

More to come as I explain how I go about designing my firt major project. You'll be there. Failure or success. Let's see if I can, in fact, do it myself.