The Wings Sweater
I must admit that the Wings Sweater design was an accident.
I barely know how to knit and decided to try making a sweater with large cables. I thought the cables could lay horizontally across the body like big braids. I made the first two cables which were intended for the sleeves, and realized that they were much too big to have more of them.
I decided to crochet a quick border around the large cables to even out the slopes and connected them at the top and bottom leaving enough room for an off-the-shoulder look. I was using very chunky yarn and the ends were hanging off the sides of the sleeves like rugged tassels. I crocheted a few more rows at the bottom to finish the body and tried it on.
I put the sweater on and all I could think about was how different the design was looking from what I had in mind.
I was hanging out with my family that night and decided to show them my failed attempt. When I came into the family room, the reaction I received was unexpected. They loved the sweater! It took them a while to convince me not to unravel it. I decided to keep it and said that I was going to refine the sleeves but my mother protested so strongly that I leave it the way it was loose ends and all. She convinced me that it looked high fashion and very artistic. I decided to add more tassels because you can’t half-heartedly do tassels.
The more I let go of what my expectations were, the more I started to love the sweater I had made.
As usual, I had no idea how my design would be received but I had nothing to lose and decided to have my dear friend Kofi Dodi photograph it. I was surprised yet again by the response. I immediately had orders for the sweater and had many requests for a pattern.
I tested the sweater with a small team and released the pattern. It was a new experience to write a half-knit pattern when I barely understood the craft. Eventually, I had the pattern graded and edited by no other than Melissa Metz-bower and it is always a joy to see makers wearing it.