The Digger Sweater

This is undoubtably my favorite project so far for children's knits. Well, second favorite, my first being the matinee coat I made for J just before he was born. I seem to recall blogging on this sweater when the first panel was drying (but I might not have, let's just say there is a blogging black hole for the last year... I've photographed stuff and written posts in my head that never made it to the the actual typewritten stage...), which was back in March-ish - just checked, it was March!

The knitting was done in between other more important and still unfinished works, socks, scarves, etc. Then we had the summer-that-never-was, and I decided he needed something to keep the chill off. So when we went on holiday in August I took the yarn to make the sleeves with. Finally I had my chance, some child free time which was surprisingly rare, and wouldn't you know it - I didn't pack any 4.0mm needles. But I found I'd thought some 3.75mm circulars were 4.0mm(it is a mere/.25mm difference!) and thought, eh, won't make a difference!
Ah hahahahaha you laugh to yourself! Yes, you're right, it DID make a difference. Not too much, just you know, about 1.5inches of sleeve legnth. I realised this when I finally got a tape measure and measured poor J's arms, and realised that I was indeed an idiot, and that there was also no way the width was going to fit the arm socket. So I improvised, picked up the cast off stitches again, added the length which magically fixed the issue with the width.
Other that that (and fidgetting with the seaming of the armholes), it was smooth sailing. This is also the first finished item since Ling and I took a finishing course from Debbie Ahbrams at Stash. Well worth the money already!



So, stats: Digger Sweater from Rowan's Miss Bea's Colors. Can't say enough about how much I love this series of patterns. All simple and effective!
Started March 2007
Finished Sept 2007
actual time spent knitting - about a 2 weeks
Made with Rowan Wool Cotton, shade Aloof, about 4-5 balls. 3.25mm, 3.75mm, and 4.0mm(for main body) addi turbo, straights and circulars.


Jamie seems like he likes it! I've already gotten several comments from total strangers about how nice it looks! Needless to say I am quite chuffed about this sweater. I just hope this is a sign of things to come, more finished stuff.

<----- Don't you like the seams on this? I'm so impressed. This sweater makes most of my previous efforts look like pretty dire amateur work...






I just love the details on this sweater as well, like the open vents on the bottom where the ribbing is, and the few rows of garter to delineate where the circles start.

Also, surprisingly this is my first knit item that I have made with wool cotton. Love, love, LOVE this stuff! Will definitely be looking for something to make for Maddie with it as well. I've had my eye on the sweater that's the front cover of Miss Bea's Colors (the Fleur cardigan). One of the mummies at M's new school has a little girl wearing it in the color called Hiss, it is adorable. Is it bad that I can recognise most Miss Bea's patterns a mile away (and Rowan yarn/shades...) ?

Anyhow, that's my latest knit item. Unless you count the new sweater M's Big Bird is sporting. M picked out the yarn herself - some orange acrylic, I mean 'microfibre'. She got very upset when I finished J's sweater, saying she wanted Big Bird's sweater too. So, as the upsetness included tears, 24hrs later a custom made (sleeves are wing-shaped) sweater. I will post a pic as it's too funny not to!

On the needles at the moment is a new sweater for M - a warm one in Kid Classic's discontinued shade of Iced Jade. Does anyone else feel like yarn colors are decidedly more sombre these days? Just take a look at the shade card for Kid Classic - it's boring and dark. Ah well. I've got lots of discontinued wacky colors - 4ply soft in Goblin - about 15 balls of that! What I'll do with it is beyond me. Didn't they initially do 4ply soft as a replacement for Botany? And now most of the 4ply is also sombre. Where's my Wink! ? Where's that lovely darkish purple? And bright turquoise? It's all dark and mud. yelch. also thank god for ebay!!!

Okay, well my steak dinner has arrived on a tray for us to eat in bed. How decadent. Life at the moment is good:)