I introduce you to my most interesting, involving, issue driven, creation to date. Oh the things we do for those we love. As mentioned before I thought it was due time for the husband to be upgraded from hat status to other wearable garment status. It was well worth the effort of taking measurements, dissecting patterns to create a pattern and finally knitting it up. It was a long process but I’m quite proud of it. So proud of it, the photos aren’t getting resized for this post!
Front view
Detail view of the diamond panel
Back view
Buttons
So lets rehash on some of the good, bad and ugly shall we?
- There’s only one 2ton hole. Seriously I expected more since the project was so big. It’s in the diamond pattern. You can’t really see it unless pointed out. By the time I discovered it I was about 12 inches away. While I’m all about redoing mistakes I was too far in this one to turn back.
- I learned how to shape a hood. It only took two tries and it fits!
- I also learned how to knit with two colors to create vertical stripes. Easy peasy. Except when you let the yarn twist up from the balls. Lesson learned, keep the yarn untangled!
- Measure twice cut once. Rib patterns are stretchy. I know that. I should have not been in denial when I said, oh it will stretch out with blocking. I used a 1×5 rib. It did not stretch out with blocking. I had to add to the front red panels to make it wide enough. Without them it created a hugged look which hubby does not do. Which brings me to the next…
- My seed stitch gauge is tighter then my SS gauge. The red panels where the buttons are were added on to extend the length. I picked up stitches and added a dozen or so rows. What happened is that the front middle is higher at the bottom then the rest of the shirt. It’s probably not terribly noticeable but I see it and know it’s there.
- Blocking was a mess. I had read up on it on multiple sites and books. I prepared the towels. Soaked it in water, squeezed the excess water out and pinned it out to measurements. It took for-ever to dry. It ended up smelling terribly. I had to soak it in baking powder water for a few days then decided to hang it to dry. My foray into blocking may end there, I’m afraid.
It took a few months but I wasn’t working on it continuously. I made quite a few things in between and then had a hard time finding the right buttons.
Previous posts:
Part 1 – Hubbies Hoodie – The Search for Buttons
Part 2 – Hubbies Hoodie – Buttons Found!
Crafty Cathy 