Three and a half years ago, in mid February 2015, I started knitting myself a jumper – the first one since the Eighties, in fact, the first one in nearly thirty years.
Back then, I knitted lots of jumpers. All in mohair of course, as was the fashion, and all of which have long since disappeared into the ether.
Nowadays I favour a more practical yarn, one which doesn’t shed or tickle and one that washes well, so when I happened upon Stylecraft Special Aran with Wool in “Oatmeal” in our local garden centre, I bought a couple of 400g balls. A nice Aran jumper pattern also caught my eye.
Sometimes I wish I’d gone for the green in the photo on the pattern leaflet, but I figured that “Oatmeal” (aka “Beige”) would go with more things and would get worn more.
5mm needles, Aran weight yarn and a simple cable design ensured that the jumper knitted up relatively quickly.
I can’t remember exactly when I finished it, probably later the same year, but it immediately got relegated to the bottom of the wardrobe until a few weeks ago when it reappeared during a clear out.
Here it is.
I remember loving the generous ribbed roll neck…..
….and the simple but pleasing cable running down the centre front and back of the jumper.
The yarn was so nice that I even used the plentiful leftovers to make a two matching hats, one for myself and one for a present….
….and a pair of fingerless mittens for a Stitching Santa present.
So why didn’t I like the jumper?
I had set in the sleeves too tightly using a basic oversewn edge and it was uncomfortable to wear.
That was it.
Biting the bullet, I carefully unpicked the sleeves, shoulder and side seams of the entire jumper and started again.
Taking my time, I used a more appropriate method of construction which resulted in more flexible seams and a neater looking jumper to boot. A simple solution that took just a couple of hours, but one that I had procrastinated about for three years.
I was impatient to wear it but I’m naturally a hot kind of person who rarely feels the cold and rarely wears a coat, let alone a jumper. So, as soon as the weather turned cold enough this week, I gave it a try.
A freezing cold, frosty morning with blue skies and no hint of a breeze – perfect for a walk through the woods.
Knowing that a T-shirt and jumper would be more than sufficient, I confidently left the coat at home.
Even standing still whilst The Boys worked up a sweat on the rope swing, I was as warm as toast.
By now, the temperature had risen to around 6°C and I was almost too warm thanks to that cosy roll neck!
Oh, and the handknit socks that you can just see poking out of the top of my walking boots:)
November 3, 2018 at 1:30 pm
Looks great. I wish I could knit. Great family photos
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November 4, 2018 at 7:55 am
You should learn! Not that I’m the type to get easily stressed, but knitting is great therapy. Not only that, but you get a unique piece at the end of it that quite often becomes a talking point.
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November 5, 2018 at 7:36 pm
May have to do that
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November 3, 2018 at 3:25 pm
Isn’t it funny how we’ll let a near-finished project go because of a small thing (usually a hem in my case) and then when you finally get to it you think, “Now why didn’t I do this sooner?” It looks great on you! And I can’t believe that boy is taller than you now! They grow so fast. 🙂
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November 4, 2018 at 8:57 am
That’s SOOOO true! Just think, I could have had three Winter’s wear out of it by now! No.2 Son has shot up this last year and has only passed me in height during the last two week’s school holiday. I am only 5’2” though….
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November 3, 2018 at 5:22 pm
Yay for finishing things off – I have a laundry basket filled with ufos – always items of clothing – that can linger there for years before I have a moment of inspiration and a new garment appears in my wardrobe. Crazy huh!!
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November 4, 2018 at 7:53 am
I know and with this jumper I couldn’t face unpicking the seams straight after sewing them first time around. I just forgot about it but now, of course, I wish I’d done it ages ago. As you say though, it’s nice to have a new garment appear in the wardrobe!
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November 3, 2018 at 7:07 pm
Looks fab!
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November 4, 2018 at 7:50 am
Thanks, it’s so nice to wear that, as always, I wonder why I didn’t fix it before:)
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November 3, 2018 at 10:14 pm
Nice jumper, but my your boy has grown!
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November 4, 2018 at 7:49 am
Tell me about it – thirteen yesterday and he’s already taller than me and has, wait for it……size TEN feet!!
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November 4, 2018 at 8:48 am
A brave move but worth it in the end – the finishing is definitely what makes the difference between home made and hand made as far as knitting goes.
I just impulse bought 4x 100g balls of dk pure wool in a lovely blue colour and now desperately looking for a pattern to use them for. It’s difficult doing it that way round but I never learn.
Back in the 80s, I knitted a beautiful black and red mohair jumper which I’ve only recently been able to part with despite not wearing it for 30 years or so. Maybe I should have repurposed it somehow but too late now.
I expect you’ll be knitting socks for those size 10 feet 🙂
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November 4, 2018 at 9:02 am
You know, the finishing is everything and that’s the reason I couldn’t consider it ‘finished’ until redone properly. I’m more than happy with it now though. I always fall in love with the yarn first and then look for a pattern – isn’t that the sensible thing to do? Hmm, not sure you could have repurposed a mohair jumper; it would have been impossible to unravel, I reckon. It’s tricky enough having to unpick a few stitches if you go wrong! No knitting socks for No.2 until his feet decide on a size and stick to it…..
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November 4, 2018 at 10:52 am
I loooove the sweater, it looks gorgeous on you! Oh, and I’ve done the same thing with the We Are Knitters sweater I made for Quinn. In the end it’s all worth the extra effort, don’t you think? Marianne xx
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November 5, 2018 at 8:02 am
After spending all that time knitting, it makes sense to redo the finish to get it right. I just took three years to realise that!
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November 5, 2018 at 8:52 am
Well done sorting out the problem. It’s always sad when something you spend so much time making isn’t quite right and great if it’s possible to fix. Enjoy your jumper – it’s lovely.
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November 6, 2018 at 7:37 am
I can clearly see why those shoulder seams just looked uncomfortable. Looking at the pictures now, they look easy and comfy on the shoulders and not tight at all. That is a great remake. 🙂 Well done.
A beautiful and perfect day to wear it. And I love the hat!!
Take care and keep warm if your weather is slowly turning colder now.
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November 6, 2018 at 8:24 am
The shoulder seams have relaxed even more now, so it’s lovely and comfy – well worth the (eventual!) effort. As I mentioned, early on it was frosty and hovering around freezing but getting warmer, so a jumper was all I needed and certainly not the matching woolly hat. This one is great for shielding my eyes from the sun as I’d rather not wear sunglasses. If the rest of Autumn is like this…..bring it on!
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November 7, 2018 at 8:48 am
The sweater was well worth the amended shoulders. They look much more comfy now.
Love your hat. I should wear one more often to, as I just seem to remember sunscreen and sunglasses. 🙂
Your autumn is splendid. We did not have much of a Spring, its already feeling like Summer here. At least it does make for great Happy Holiday vibes each day.
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