Ok, so I finished knitting Flair a month ago. Then I didn't have buttons. And then I couldn't decide on buttons. And then I had to knit that Homespun (stupid Homespun) Fish Hat. And then I couldn't commit to sewing the buttons. But this week, I finally did it.
Pattern: "Flair" by Wendy Bernard
Yarn: Bristol Yarn Gallery Somerset, in the extremely descriptive "101" colorway. It's a cotton/silk blend and super soft and silky (duh).
Notes: Standard modifications, lengthen the torso, shorten the arms. I got the yarn before the pattern (the yarn was a gift from my in-laws), and I didn't read the pattern before I cast on (be ye not so stupid), so you can imagine my surprise when I realized that the torso length for my size was something like 10". Too short! Too unflattering! Since it was knit top down, I increased fewer stitches, resulting in less flare on the shape of the sweater and letting me knit to my standard length of 14".
Slightly off-topic, but do you want to know just how short my legs are? I tried on a pair of cropped pants yesterday and the stupid things almost looked like normal pants on me. If The MWP and I ever have kids, they're going to be proportioned like Plankton from Spongebob Squarepants.
I was dreading putting buttons on this because of the overlapping fronts. There's enough of an overlap that it has to be attached on the inside somehow or the inside edge droops and looks bulgy and ridiculous. I finally broke down and just sewed them on, very carefully so the stitches wouldn't show on the right side of the sweater. Luckily for me, I buttoned them and checked before I finished doing the sewing because look what happened:
Once I had the sweater on, the puckering was even more obvious and isn't that just the look we all want, 4 giant button puckers right on our chest? I never would have worn it if I had left the inside buttons as they were.
I thought about sewing in hooks and eyes instead, but hooks and knitting? Together? No. I finally just sewed the inside edge down in a few spots. You can still see it a bit, but it's better than the puckering and I can wear it happily. I'm sure that the yarn has something to do with how visible the inside seam is, the cotton/silk blend shows everything. On a darker wool, I bet they wouldn't be noticeable.
I would like to make this again someday with something woolish, maybe with 3/4 length sleeves.
Now that Flair is done and the Fish Hat is done, all I have left on the needles is a sock. I have completely lost all my urge to knit, and it's not that I'm bored with my sock, I am just not in the mood. I guess this will be my last knitting-related post for a while!
Thursday, July 09, 2009
If you want to get technical, the buttons took a month
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8 comments:
LOVE IT! The color, the buttons, all of it. Great job.
If it makes you feel any better, I bought a pair of pants at the Gap last fall labeled "ankle" and I wear them as regular pants - they come over my shoes ...
Hi, I came over from Maggie's to see the buttons--I love the color and the pattern of the sweater! I really admire people who can do that kind of work.
My legs are so short that I should have a frequent hemmer's discount with my tailor.
Yay, you finished it! It looks great! Are you going to model it for us next Wednesday? (and then let us pet the soft and silky yarn?)
Hooray! I'm going to hunt you down and steal those buttons, btw. :-)
The sweater looks great, and I love those buttons! Also, for what it's worth, I had to reread the part you wrote about the puckering, because I couldn't figure out what you were talking about. That must mean it's not bad, right?
Nicely done! I have zero knitting mojo as well. Haven't knit a stitch since Friday, so it's been a week. Perhaps it's because I'm motivated to finish these quilt bindings? I hope that's it!
It looks great ... especially the buttons :)
really love the color, and those buttons! Looks great on too.
I'm hoping that my kids will be taller than me (looks like Corra will she doesn't have much left to go), I have a pair of capri's that I had to shorten. I love the color and the fit, but dude they looked like flooders before I shortened them up!
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