Miscellany

I finished the biker jacket! It is blocking as I speak! The only thing left to do is find someone to install a zipper...

I know I probably should have blocked all the pieces before I sewed them up, but I was so excited! I also felt relieved that I didn't have to face all that seaming- once I sewed on the last cuff, I was essentially done. Pre-blocking, it fit almost perfectly. The neck seems a little wide, which looks kinda strange with the moss stitch band, but oh well.

I really like seaming. On this sweater, I learned mattress stitch- stitch to stitch, row to row, stitch to row. I also had the challenge of seaming moss stitch trim to much smaller gauged stockinette stitch... Interesting.

Dragging this thing out of the washer (I spun it dry, didn't actually WASH it) was interesting, too. The wet fabric felt really delicate and stretchy- I hope it isn't too deformed! The yarn is Katia Cotolan, a 50/50 wool/cotton blend. I can't wait to see what it looks like when it dries. In hindisght, this yarn produced a fabric that is probably a bit drapey for the pattern. As a jacket, it should be somewhat sturdy and stiff, especially since the neckband is supposed to stand straight up. My version is much softer and really cuddly. I'm dying to see how the final product looks....

While this is my first COMPLETED sweater, this is not my first attempt. When I first started knitting, I decided to knit a sweater right off the bat. I picked a simple cardigan pattern, the cheapest Red Heart tweed yarn I could find, and off I went. Boy, was that an education.

First off, I had somehow started knitting through the back loop every stitch, twisting the stitches and making a much firmer fabric than intended. I also had a death grip on the yarn, leading to uber-tight gauge. I got through the back and I think one front before I was so disgusted I just gave up and threw it away.

Anyway, I'll post pictures of the utlimate finished zippered sweater as soon as it is totally complete- hopefully in a week or two.