Tuesday, September 18, 2012

A Violet Cotton Sweater


I started this sweater last summer and actually finished it quickly, but when I sewed it together the shoulders were disappointingly Too Wide. This may be a common failing in Sarah Dallas' Vintage Knits because it has happened before. Grr.


It took a while to figure out how to fix them, and in the end I ended up hand-sewing (with yarn) a big tuck in the actual shoulder. So that there's an inverted pleat at the very front and the very back of the sleeve. I call it a style choice, okay? But the good thing is it hardly shows, in real life *or* in the picture.


The neckband also gave me trouble. It was originally knitted separately and sewn on, but it stood out weirdly like a Nehru collar. Clara offered to pick up stitches and make me something a little smaller and subtler. I said yes. And then I knit the separate bow strip and googled how to tie it in a not-too-bulky bow, and stitched it in place.

And finally, like many of the patterns in this book, it's very short-waisted! It will be fine with my 1940s trousers, but not with anything that sits low.

9 comments:

Rose said...

Isn't it aggravating when the fit is wrong! What stitch is that please Anna, it's come up so well in the cotton.

Anna said...

Rose, I don't know what the name would be, and the sad truth is, I've forgotten how I did it and Clara has the book at school with her! It does end up looking like a tiny cable though.

Gail said...

It looks lovely, and I'm extremely impressed.

Lisa said...

The color is beautiful.

Lisateresa

Unknown said...

Very Lovely! Thanks for sharing your creative fixes!
Paula

Farrah said...

I like the bow...obsessed with bows!

WendyBee said...

So lovely though, so very lovely. That's the thing about knitting, though, so simple and yet so very complicated. There are rules and unwritten rules, and then there is freedom and creative choices. Well, I like it. Will blocking help the length?

Margo said...

It IS very pretty, but I don't knit clothes for all the reasons you described! So much easier to fit things and fix mistakes with fabric, I think. Maybe there are knitters who think sewing is hard, too. . .

Carol said...

Anna: This is gorgeous. (in MD)

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