This week, I'm excited to share about something that is at the heart of both what we do as a business here at Knit Collage AND my own personal creative practice: Intuitive Knitting.

I just added this video to YouTube that I created for last year’s Solstice Hug Challenge where I riff on this idea, but the concept is all about tapping into what YOU love and making something that becomes an expression of who you are inside. It’s a manifestation of your own unique, inner creative voice through knitting and there’s no wrong way to do it!

Intuitive knitting is all about leaning into what feels good in your body when you’re knitting it. What lights you up and makes you excited about your project. What gives you that “just one more row” feeling as you create. It’s about feeling totally alive and engaged with your creative work.

My first real experiment with Intuitive Knitting was my Penguono sweater, by Stephen West, that I’m wearing in the photo above. When I knit that piece years ago, something unlocked for me ~ the freedom and sheer JOY of combining color and textures. It’s like the doors to my creative self-expression blew open, never to be shut again. Have you ever experienced something like that? If you want to hear how I approached knitting the Penguono sweater, I created a YouTube video about it here too!

This stunning Kaleidoscope Cardi, designed by Laurel Gervitz, was knit by a former team member Vanessa Reyes and it’s such an inspiration for what’s possible when you embrace this method of creating. Vanessa is such a talented designer and knitter who is more than worth a follow.

In this intuitive creative process, there’s no wrong way to do something. There are no rules. It’s absolutely your world. This might feel a little scary at first, but as you practice this skill it strengthens your connection to your intuition and eventually it becomes second nature.

Intuitive Knitting requires you to trust your gut and embrace the creative process which sometimes involves ripping back your previous work. When you embrace intuitive knitting, frogging doesn’t have to be a dirty word. It’s all just part of the process of playing with yarn and achieving your dream result. It’s all about checking in with your creative self and asking “Do I like this?” “Would I like it even better if I did this instead?” “Where do I want to go next?” It’s a conversation between maker and the making.

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 When I posted on Instagram about the modifications I made to my Lotus Sweater over the summer, I got some questions about what I changed to achieve this cropped aesthetic. 

So, here is an informal roadmap for the mods I did in order to get this look:

First, I cast on for the Front Hem according to the instructions in the pattern for my size—size 2. Instead of knitting to the length called for in the pattern, I knit my front hem to 1.5'' / 3.75 cm and placed my stitches on hold.

Then, I cast on for the Back Hem according to the instructions in the pattern and knit to 1.5'' / 3.75 cm, just like on the front. Then, I followed the instructions to join in the round and begin knitting the body of my sweater.

I followed the instructions for the body for 9 total Lotus rounds, ending after a row 15 of the pattern repeat. Then, I continued to follow the pattern as written for both front and back armhole and upper body shaping, front and back neck and shoulder twisted ribbing, and the 3-needle bind off called for in the pattern.

The total body length of my sweater from shoulder to hem ended up being 15.5” / 38.75 cm.

For sleeves, I opted to do a 3/4 length sleeve. From where I picked up my sleeve stitches per the size 2 pattern instructions, my sleeve measured 11.5” / 28.75 cm in total length, including a 1.5'' / 3.75 cm cuff.

To make my Lotus flowers, I used a rainbow gradient of stash Wildflower yarn. I've listed each color used below, in order from the bottom up:

1. Ochre Rose

2. Blossom

3. Lotus Petal

4. Goldenrod

5. Come Alive Green

6. Reflection Pool

7. Caribbean Waters

8. Iris

9. Caribbean Waters

10. Reflection Pool

11. Come Alive Green

12. Goldenrod

13. Lotus Petal

14. Blossom

15. Ochre Rose

16. Blossom

I've now knitted two of these sweaters for myself—this cropped style and the OG version in Aquamarine! I love them both dearly in different ways and think both definitely have a place in my wardrobe.

Let me know if you have any questions about the mods I made or if you plan to knit your own! I'd love to see pics 💕