Thursday, December 4, 2008

Well how about that.

I just finished knitting the neck band on my Orange Crush. It needs a bath, and I have buttons to sew on, but it's done. I'm curious what another good wash will do to the sweater, but overall, I'm really pleased with it.

You might ask why I want such a heavy sweater in SC, and I don't have a good answer, other than that I do get cold, and it would work as outerwear. The color is fantastic. The drop sleeve? Not very flattering, and it fits a little oddly. But I will wear it, because, as I mentioned - I love the color, and sometimes you just need a snuggly sweater.

My choices now are a) to seam up the Cutaway Cardigan I started ages ago, which is probably a good plan, b) to finish up the Cable Yoke sweater that's been marinating beside the couch, or c) to start Mr. Greenjeans. Now, I have to admit, seaming isn't that bad. It's just not as enjoyable to me as knitting, so choice a isn' t the most appealing. However, the sweater is really cute, and it's cool enough to wear it right now. Choice b requires working on another sleeve, which I don't find incredibly motivating, however, there's not that much finishing to the sweater, so I could potentially have another wearable sweater in a relatively short time. Choice c is in some ways the most appealing, because I like novelty. However, it means confronting my confusion as to what flipping size I should knit for myself. I'm guessing the medium, as it gives some ease at the bust, but I'm not sure if the ribbing is really going to take care of the 7 inches of ease that I'll have at the ribcage. Yes, short rows are an option, if I knit a smaller size, but I suspect swatching some more may provide the answers I'm looking for. I get the impression that the sweater model in the photo may be a curvier gal than some of the people on Ravelry who knit the sweater and were complaining about how much the garment pulls in at the waist. For my short-waisted self, this is a good thing.

Photos soon.

1 comment:

Elizabeth said...

I just worked out complex alterations to a sweater for a friend of mine her. She's fairly small overall, but with a ginormous bust line.

She made the Refined Aran Cardigan, which was on the cover of IK a few years ago. We planned the size that would fit her based on her back measurement. That is, the back half of the bust measurement. In her case, it was less than half the total bust measurement.

Then we planned extra increases coming out of the waist shaping in the front to give her enough space in front. And then she worked short rows to give the needed length in the front. Then, she had to work extra decreases above the bust to make the shoulder area fit correctly.

The funniest thing was when she blocked it. I had her put rolled up socks inside in the "pockets" while it was pinned flat on her floor. This accentuated the contours. It was the first sweater she's ever worn that truly fits her.

I'm not sure how adaptable Mr. Greenjeans is, but I'd would try for as close a fit as you can get in the bust area.(It's top-down, right?) Maybe throw in just a couple short rows (not a lot) to get a bit of length over the bust. Then, work some decreases fast and furiously under the bust, to get rid of some fullness there.

Good luck!