So… that Christmas present I completely ripped out and restarted just a week and a half before Christmas? It’s now done. I’m writing this on Sunday, January 16, 2011 but it won’t be posted on the blog until after it arrives at my sister-in-law’s house.
Billy’s Tomten Jacket, Front
- Pattern: Tomten Jacket, Child from Knitting Without Tears by Elizabeth Zimmermann
- Size: Approx. 4T
- Yarn: Marble Chunky, color #MC6 Log Cabin
- Needles: U.S. 10 (6.0mm) Addi Turbo 40″ circular for body, hood, sleeves; U.S. 10.5 (6.5mm) Clover Takumi bamboo DPN for i-cord edging
- Started 11/30/10; completely ripped out and restarted 12/14/10; completely finished 1/15/11
- Link to my Ravelry project page (login required)
Billy’s Tomten Jacket, Inside
Since I made this with a chunkier yarn than the pattern calls for, I knew I would need to make some adjustments. As is usually the case with gauge swatches, it lied. I was getting 3.5 stitches per inch, so I adjusted my cast-on number of stitches and the related stitch/row counts proportionately. This resulted in a jacket that, prior to sleeves being knitted on, actually fit me (though it wasn’t big enough around to close, that was reassuring at least). I figured that was a clear sign it would be way too big for my three-year-old nephew. (Granted, the basic concept of the jacket is that a child can wear it for several years but, had I continued with the jacket at the size it was, Billy probably wouldn’t grow into it until he’s ten.) So, much to the horror of everyone at my knitting group, I ripped out a whole two weeks’ worth of knitting just a week and a half before Christmas and restarted it.
Fortunately, by the time I had ripped out and restarted, I bought some clothes for Billy that were the appropriate size, so I was able to compare the size of the reknit jacket to them. The reknitted jacket indeed does seem to be the appropriate size. The only thing I’m not sure about at this point is the armholes; they seemed plenty large enough as flat pieces of knitting laid atop a store-bought size 4T sweater, but now that the sleeves have been attached and seamed up, I’m not sure. I’ll just have to send it off and hope for the best. There are ways I could fix it if necessary without redoing the whole thing again.
Billy’s Tomten Jacket, Back
About halfway through the project (the second time), I decided I would finish off all the edges with a little single crochet. But when it came time to actually do the edging, I changed my mind back to my original choice of applied i-cord. That part went much more quickly than I expected it would, and I’m happy with the results. I’m also very happy with how well the zipper went in. I hand-sewed it; the fabric is a bit thick to run through a sewing machine, and hand-stitching allows more control over the thread tension. I would have preferred a zipper in a darker brown, but my color selection at the local Jo-Ann’s was a bit limited, considering I needed a sturdy, separating zipper at least 16″ long and didn’t want metal. (There are online sources with a wider selection, but I wanted something I could get immediately and finish up the project.) The zipper does hide pretty well when the jacket is zipped closed, though.
Even with the recalculating, ripping, and reknitting, this was a very simple, no-nonsense project. Billy will have a baby sister arriving in Spring (woohoo, I get to knit cute baby girl stuff for a new niece!) so I may make one for her that she can wear in the fall. And I’m seriously considering making an adult-sized one for myself.
Update, February 10th… the jacket has been delivered, and word is it fits. Woohoo!
