This cardigan is called Popcorn Ceiling. It’s a piece of wearable art. My knitting project isn’t quite done yet and I already love it.
I love making weird stuff.
About a year ago, I found myself with some extra glow-in-the-dark yarn. Obviously, I had to come up with something fun to do with it. The first thing I thought of was my favorite crochet stars. Which, of course, made me think of the glowing stars we stuck to our bedroom ceilings when we were kids.
I think you can see where I’m going with this.
I was so excited about this project from the start that I knew I had to make sure I was going to wear the finished sweater. Something this fun has to be seen!
Over the years, I’ve found that if I stop to think before casting on, I’m way more likely to love the finished object.
So, before I thought about patterns or yarn, I asked myself a series of questions.
- What is this sweater for? It is a piece of art and a conversation piece. A sweater I will wear and talk about.
- How can I make sure I like wearing it? Make it custom fit to my exact preferences. No pattern.
- What yarn will meet my needs? Something affordable, but not cheap-looking. I don’t want my sweater drawing attention because it’s so pilled up. 100% wool, but I don’t mind handwashing.
This is an art project, so I wasn’t really worried about coming up with an interesting sweater shape or innovative new fit. I pretty much copied the custom cardigan I had just finished for my Raspberry Tart Halloween costume. I loved the shape and fit of that one so much that it was in regular rotation after Halloween. I just added the textured stitch pattern and the stars.
When you don’t know what your expectations are for a project, it’s hard to satisfy yourself. If you figure out what you want ahead of time, you have something to aim for. Having that map makes it much more likely you’ll get there.
{If you want to start planning your knitting projects for success, you may be interested in my Perfect Fit Map, Sweater Vision Workbook, or Love it the First Time Project Planner.}