The Big Blue...

I finished the knitting on my Dad's birthday jumper ages ago - in plenty time for his birthday at the end of February in fact. However, I always had a nagging feeling that the top half wasn't going to be quite right, so I left the lifelines in just in case...


...my nagging feeling turned out to be correct, but in the end the solution didn't require me to resort to frogging to the lifeline (and just as well because this yarn is seriously sticky - a bit like Shetland - and doesn't rip well).


The neck line was way too baggy for Dad. The rest of the jumper actually fitted pretty well (which I was delighted about as it was the first major garment that I've designed myself) but the neck was just too large.

While I was willing to rip and re-knit if necessary, I thought that first I'd try to reknit the neck band a bit tighter. I had to cut out the old band - sticky yarn problems, and instead of picking up a stitch for every row, I picked up two stitches for every three rows and used a slightly smaller needle. I also changed the stitch pattern to 1x1 rib from 2x2 rib, and knitted a facing to the band which I sewed down afterwards.


The effect is quite marked and the fit is much improved. I'm really pleased with the result as while the lifelines were still in, I didn't really feel the jumper was finished and I couldn't move on to a new big project. When the lifelines came out on Sunday after Dad tried it on again, I could heave a huge sigh of relief!


Project details: Yarn - New Lanark 100% Wool Aran.
- colourway = Denim (colour best in top two photos).
- quantity = 8 balls for 56" chest jumper.
Stitch pattern - mistake rib over 4 stitches.
Needles - Addi turbo 4.5mm and 4mm.

Knitting by numbers

I suspect that by now, you've all realised that I don't follow patterns too well. It's not that I can't follow a pattern, it's just that I just can't help improving on them, changing the construction or altering the fit. I can't think of a single thing I've knitted for ages (other than lace - which the thought of altering brings out a cold sweat) which hasn't been subject to some sort of meddling. However, in all of these projects, there has been an underlying pattern to follow (with the exception of a couple of pairs of mittens).

Now, however, I'm branching out in a big way... My Dad likes big warm chunky knitted jumpers in Shetland-type hard-wearing wool... My Dad has a birthday coming up... I found myself arranging with Mum to measure one of his better fitting jumpers on the sly so I can surprise him with a hand-knitted jumper on his birthday...

Here's the thing - Dad has a 56" chest (yes, you did read that correctly and no, it isn't a typo) and a long back and likes fairly traditional fisherman-style jumpers with a vertical rib . I didn't know where to start looking for a pattern that would accommodate these requirements without quite a bit of alteration so I'm just working from the numers, for the first time ever!


I bought the yarn (my choice of yarn - aran and Mum's choice of colour) from New Lanark which spins beautiful traditional wool and wool / silk yarns on a traditional spinning mule. I then picked a rib pattern which I think will work well (2x2 mistake rib) and knitted a big swatch (the biggest I've ever knitted at 7" x 8"), washed and blocked it out, let it dry then measured for gauge.


After that, it was just maths. 56 inches at 14 stitches / 4 inches indicated a round of 196 stitches. I'm going to work the body in the round to the armholes, then the sleeves in the round to the armholes, join them together onto one needle and work raglan shoulders and a V-neck. I think that this should fit well and the rib means that the jumper will not be sloppy on as it should pull in for a little negative ease without being too tight either.

NB the photo of the swatch doesn't look particularly like a rib, all I can say it that it looks much better in person.