Friday 22 May 2015

The story of Rose's Enormous Striped Sweater ✓

Are you sitting comfortably, then I will begin.
A long long time ago, way back last Spring or Summer I saw a gorgeous striped sweater in the Debbie Bliss Magazine that would be just perfect for Rose and I bought the yarn straight away. I then promptly forgot about it!!!
In January I opened up a sewing box in the front room to look for something completely different (stitch markers I think)  and found all the yarn for it, so gave myself a stern talking too and got knitting..........and although the pattern was a joy and the knitting very easy, I have the attention span of Dory and got tempted by lots of pretty shawl patterns (I've knitted 3 and a bit shawls in this time!!!!)  so the jumper was knitted here and there at clubs and swimming, when I needed easy no thinking knitting.
And then there was the that moment when Boris ate the pattern, there was tears, tantrums (all from me and a bit from Boris when I wouldn't let him finish eating it!) and lots of guess work on the pattern also, which slowed me too.
Then in April with the back and front completed and the sleeves started I added it to my 2015 FAL Q2 List to give me the much needed kick to finish it. And finish it I did...........
And I love it, BUT.......
Knowing how slow I am at knitting garments and that Rose is fairly tall I made the 5-6 years size and........
.....it is ENORMOUS!!!! Gorgeous, but far far too big for my little lady at the moment and probably for a while!!

In hindsight this project taught me quite a few knitting lessons, the first being to keep the pattern away from the dog.
Secondly, to use the measurements and knit to fit!!!
The next is that I can now drop a stitch several rows down and fix a problem without frogging rows and rows of timely knitting.
And lastly I have finally learnt to join knitting pieces properly, thanks to YouTube. I always used a blanket stitch with the pieces right-side facing (thats the sewist in me), which gave a messy and bulky finish, but I have discovered that with knitting it's all about having the right-sides out!! It gives such a neat finish.
The details:

Pattern - Striped Sweater from Debbie Bliss Magazine Spring Summer 2014
Yarn  - Debbie Bliss Eco Baby in White 01 and Royal 35
Size 5-6 years old

So it will be packed up with a anti moth packet until next year and then I will have a handmade knit all ready for 2016, I'm so unorganised!

6 comments :

  1. It's a lovely sweater Joanne and finished beautifully. Kids grow so quickly so I'm sure she will get to wear it in the next year or two! I have knitted for 41 years and it wasn't until I took it up again seriously that I found out that I had been joining the pieces wrongly. Thank goodness for Youtube!

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  2. Picking up a dropped stitch is a great skill to learn. It saves SO much time.

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  3. YouTube is brill, isn't it? I taught myself to knit socks entirely from it. And I am envious of your three shawls!! And, you know, better too big than too wee.

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  4. It's a gorgeous jumper and looks as though it should be a fairly relaxed fit, going on the photo on the pattern. Just not that relaxed! I join my pieces using mattress stitch - if you knit one stitch at the beginning and end of every row (regardless of whether it's a knit or a purl row) then it makes it much easier to sew up, which is one of my least favourite jobs!

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  5. Ha ha at least you know she will grow into it! I had the opposite where I had cut a dress in age 4 for my eldest not realising that the arrival of her little sister would mean that I didn't sew for some time! By the time I made it she was almost 6 (but happily a small and skinny 6) so I 'borrowed' a bit from the seam allowances and she squeezed into it for a few months. Now the little sister is 4, she is wearing it (cheerfully believing that it was custom made for her!)

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