Just call them "done"

Both the Dolman and the Raglan sweaters for Nihon Vogue Year 2 were on mandatory "time outs" for longer than they should have been. I had to find inspiration deep from within to finish both of them. For reasons I can't quite explain, I dreaded pulling them out of their respective project bags to work on. If they were not required projects for Nihon Vogue one or both of them would have officially ended up as an "Unfinished Object". I was pleased with the design of the raglan and was especially proud I had used remnants of yarn from my stash for it - meaning no new yarn was purchased for the making of the sweater! However, sewing of the 4 raglan seams was more daunting than I had imagined. I finally came to grips with the fact that the sweaters were not going to finish themselves. Every day I felt the huge burden of them not being completed whilst embarking on a new, more favored project - Aran with saddle shoulders. There is a specific process to sew the raglan seams together which involves going into a stitch that sits underneath the decrease stitch that is leaning along the edge. Now I know why I don't normally knit with black yarn - the stitches were so difficult to see! I worked each of the 4 seams during different evenings as it was almost too overwhelming to do more than one in a single period of time. Once I got each of the 4 seams attaching the front and back to each sleeve completed, the rest was smooth sailing. The raglan albatross was no longer hanging around my neck! I sewed the side seams, sleeve seams and then knit ribbing in the round on the neck. I had to adjust the number of stitches and size of needles to make sure the neck opening would accommodate going over my head. The last step was sewing on a little ornamentation of an abalone and silver polar bear button that I had purchased during the last Beppa button sale. Rob advised against it (he doesn't share my "more is more" philosophy) but I did it anyway - it just seemed right.

The Dolman. What a history this sweater already has! From a knitting architecture standpoint it was fascinating, but sadly, the end result does not rank as one of my favorites. I did a Whelk slipped stitch pattern to break up the opportunities for pooling by the variegated yarn. Because slipped stitches compress row wise, the gauge was difficult to calculate. Using size 9 (5.5 mm) needles, the resultant fabric is a bit thicker and has an insulating quality to it. The pattern stitch made it easy to match the seams on the shoulders. I liked working the placket and was happy to incorporate some new learnings. I wanted to do a collar as well but didn't have enough yarn for that on this sweater. Perhaps the next sweater will get a collar. For some strange reason the sleeves are a few centimeters longer than what I had planned. Not sure how that happened because all of the other pattern measurements are exact. Because of the way the short rows are done at the cuffs, this is not an easy sweater to adjust the length of the sleeves, after the fact. So I decided to just give it to my younger, much taller sister. She is a willing, receptive and grateful recipient of all things hand knitted. Isn't that what Elizabeth Zimmerman recommended? If the sweater doesn't fit, find someone who the sweater fits to give it to? Not wanting to make the sleeves even longer with ribbing, I crocheted a nice edge around each cuff using a single crochet and twisted stitch. Quite lovely. I made the bottom ribbing longer so that the sweater wouldn't be too short for my sister. In retrospect, I would have done some things differently for the design of this sweater. As much as I like slip stitch patterns, I wouldn't do that again on a Dolman. I would stick with stockinette stitch or a simple pattern. I liked the placket and would do that again. At least I now know what to do for the Henley sweater Rob wants me to knit him. Believe it or not, I would make the bat wings larger and a bit more prominent. I was intent on making them as small and unobtrusive but in turn that affects the fit of the sweater. I find I like the structure and fit of the Set In sleeve style better than the Dolman style of sleeve. This sweater feels different on while wearing since the seam is on the shoulder and not around the armhole. I keep wanting to pull my sleeves up at the shoulder because they feel as though they are "falling down" even though they aren't. All in all, a fabulous learning experience - that is what it's all about, isn't it?



Put a fork in them and just call them "done"!