Commission Work

Out of the blues, I landed up with 2 projects & being paid to knit them. This is too good to be true - to be able to indulge in my favorite pastime & being paid to do it. Although I was not given a deadline, I did cast on immediately ........

This was a dream to knit with & it's the 1st time that I am knitting with quiviut, one of the most luxurious fibre in the world. The yarn was purchased in Canada & I was asked to knit a neck warmer. I search for an appropriate pattern & found this .....

.... it's the Old Shale Smoke Ring which is the perfect pattern for the yarn. It turned out perfect - so soft & light as feathers. I felt really sad when I cast off as I could knit on forever.

The owner is really pleased with the results & she has more yarn and may want another one knitted up. I don't mind knitting this again & again & I could even knit it for free!

But my happiness was short-lived as I cast on the 2nd project. I was not really pleased when I saw the pattern .....

...... it's the Waistcoat with a collar (on the left). It's a very old design & the construction of the garment is antique. I nearly cried when I read through the instructions as all of you know I only knit garments in 1 piece & this pattern had a band that is knitted separately! I can't do this but I also can't turn down the request as she really wanted the waistcoat. So I re-work all the calculations & the instructions & I knitted it in one piece & pick up for the band. It worked !

I think the waistcoat turns out alright & it does look like the one on the pattern. Although I was not really pleased with knitting this, there were 2 things that kept me going - the yarn which is Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK - a gorgeous & soft yarn to knit with although it does has quite a bit of stretch. The other thing is that I learnt a new stitch pattern which is something I have not seen before. It's a really nice textured stitch ......

.... looks a bit like a waffle stitch but it's prettier. It's a 2 row garter stitch pattern where on every alternate stitch, you knit the stitch below & then just knit all the stitches on the wrong side row. I really like the stitch & will use it for my own design. I still have the waistcoat & will be handing it over to the owner next week & I hope she is happy with it.

I am glad that it's all done & I can get on with my knitting. I think commission work is like having a job & you have to do what you are asked to whether you like it or not. It has been a good experience for me !