As you all must know by now, I love a challenge and because it's the beginning of a New Year I feel the need to be challenged to motivate me to use up some of the mammoth proportions of stash yarn that is literally cluttering up my home. So when Pat one of the members of Loving Hands invited us to join her in her challenge to make boy jumpers I jumped right in there.
Although I do try to even things out with my charity makes it's usually the little girls that win, lets face it everyone likes to make sweet pink pretty little things that make your heart sing when you look at them. So I am challenging myself to make twelve jumpers for the boys this year not tiny baby boy clothes but larger sizes to fit older kids because they usually miss out.
January Sweater
I found the pattern for this sweater in this book which I borrowed from the library, there are some lovely projects in there and I couldn't wait to start.
However the making of this sweater was not without it's problems. The pattern calls for Aran weight yarn and I happily began to use the variegated Aran I had bought from Aldi. Of course silly me didn't do a gauge swatch and was about six inches into the sweater when I began to realise it was turning out very wide so I pulled it off the needles and started again, this time I knit the smallest size meant for a child age two, it was turning out at a 30 inch chest so I stuck with that and just adjusted the lengths to match.
Just to irritate me a little further look how the patterning worked up on the variegated yarn! how did it do that! this is the back of the sweater..
someone suggested embroidering a cats face onto it, hah I don't think so! anyway other than pull it all out I did the only thing I could think of....
some swiss darning to try and disguise it a little..
Of course I still know it there but I think it looks better at least better than before what do you think?
Anyway one boy sweater all complete to fit a child 8 - 10 years.
Lessons Learnt..
It took 283 grams of yarn so deduct that from my total of 29,740 that means I have a mere 29,547 grams left to bust.
Linking with...
Snickerdoodle Sunday
Cooking and crafting with J&J
Handmade Monday
Lunamon Design
Link and Share Wednesdays
Although I do try to even things out with my charity makes it's usually the little girls that win, lets face it everyone likes to make sweet pink pretty little things that make your heart sing when you look at them. So I am challenging myself to make twelve jumpers for the boys this year not tiny baby boy clothes but larger sizes to fit older kids because they usually miss out.
January Sweater
I found the pattern for this sweater in this book which I borrowed from the library, there are some lovely projects in there and I couldn't wait to start.
However the making of this sweater was not without it's problems. The pattern calls for Aran weight yarn and I happily began to use the variegated Aran I had bought from Aldi. Of course silly me didn't do a gauge swatch and was about six inches into the sweater when I began to realise it was turning out very wide so I pulled it off the needles and started again, this time I knit the smallest size meant for a child age two, it was turning out at a 30 inch chest so I stuck with that and just adjusted the lengths to match.
Just to irritate me a little further look how the patterning worked up on the variegated yarn! how did it do that! this is the back of the sweater..
someone suggested embroidering a cats face onto it, hah I don't think so! anyway other than pull it all out I did the only thing I could think of....
some swiss darning to try and disguise it a little..
Of course I still know it there but I think it looks better at least better than before what do you think?
Anyway one boy sweater all complete to fit a child 8 - 10 years.
Lessons Learnt..
- Always do a gauge swatch.
- When using variegated yarn, watch how it's patterning and cut the yarn and start further along the ball if necessary.
It took 283 grams of yarn so deduct that from my total of 29,740 that means I have a mere 29,547 grams left to bust.
Linking with...
Cooking and crafting with J&J
Handmade Monday
Lunamon Design
Link and Share Wednesdays
What a beautiful sweater and how kind of you to think of older boys.
ReplyDeleteSehr schön! :-)
ReplyDeleteLiebe Grüße, Manja
Your Swiss darning has worked a treat, it looks much better. Good luck with your challenge and the stash-busting. xx
ReplyDeleteGreat sweater Linda. You did a fantastic job. It looks awesome.
ReplyDeleteLinda
Love it! I'm guilty of NEVER doing a Guage swatch!!
ReplyDeleteWow...this turned out so cute!
ReplyDeleteThanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!
I think it looks fantastic, and it all counts towards the busting! xx
ReplyDeleteThe little patch looked like a heart. It would have been perfect on a little girl's jumper. But I can see why you wanted to disguise it. I must look for that book in the library.
ReplyDeleteI never do a guage swatch either....does anybody? The swiss darning worked out well....a creative solution to a problem.
ReplyDeleteWhat a kind, generous challenge, Linda. That is a very nice sweater. I have a ten-year-old boy here who would like it, so I am sure it will be much appreciated by anyone who receives it.
ReplyDeleteI'm too lazy/in a hurry to get on with it that I never do a gauge swatch either! Ops!
ReplyDeleteI love the swiss darning save that you did, very impressive. I would have probably started again, your idea is much better.
Very nice jumper, Linda and you made it very fast even with the issues you faced. Great job!! Your library books are coming in handy :)
ReplyDeleteI love the variegated yarn and your correction is brilliant, not sure mine would have looked as good. Did look a bit like a heart though
ReplyDeleteI love the colours of the sweater and a very worthy challenge. Swiss darning the patch is a great idea. I would never of thought of that solution.
ReplyDeleteIt's a lovely jumper I'm sure who receives it will appreciate it x
ReplyDeleteWell done !!!
ReplyDeleteHug
Anna
What a generous thing to do , I hate tension square but it is a necessary evil .you have done a fabulous job
ReplyDeleteWonderful sweater and a very creative way to cover up that spot
ReplyDeleteHello Linda, this boys sweater is nice and will go to one lucky person! You did a great job making it.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this at Cooking and Crafting with J&J!
It is a wonderful sweater Linda, and you have used your stash for a great cause.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Meredith
You made a great job of fixing that little blob on the jumper. It looks really well and I'm sure any little boy would be delighted to have it.
ReplyDeleteThat's a really nice sweater for a boy. We always find with our Operation Christmas Child Charity that girls get more things donated than boys. I try to keep most of my puppets gender neutral!
ReplyDeleteSuper cute jumper, Linda. The blue spot looked odd, but not so bad; yet your fix was just perfect.
ReplyDeleteGood luck on making 12 of these. It will be quite a challenge, but I am sure you will do great :-)
♥ Ana BC
Piękny kolorowy sweterek. Śliczne kolory.Pozdrawiam.
ReplyDeleteWhat a pretty sweater, Linda! The problem with the pattering is one fact I also don't like about such kind of yarn, although its very nice and convenient. You did a great job by improving the pattering! Oh btw, I wanted to look up that boy sweaters campaign at Loving Hands but found out that the link leads to the button of your Stash-Buster Link Party. Could you be so kind and give me the link to that campaign? Thank you!!
ReplyDeleteSorry Nata I have corrected it. This is the direct link to the thread but you may need to be a member to view it, you can join here....http://www.lovinghands.org.uk/home/4589418585
DeleteDirect link to thread here http://lovinghands.freeforums.org/viewtopic.php?f=202&t=16319
DeleteWow, such a beautiful sweater! Pinning and tweeting to share. Thank you for linking up with us at Snickerdoodle Sunday!
ReplyDelete~Laurie
Thank you for sharing at my link up last week, New party is now open
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea
ReplyDelete