Workbasket

Besides travelling, teaching, online college classes, motorcycle blogging, remodeling and yard work… I have also been working on two little sweaters for my grandsons.

Back in February 2018, I rode the train up to Tacoma with some of my knitting friends to attend the Madrona Fiber festival. While we were there, one of the classes that I attended was Franklin Habit’s class on how to recreate knitting from extant examples.  One of his examples was the cutest ever child’s sweater that he’d made from a pattern from 1916.  I vowed that I wanted to make this sweater for the boys (each their own, of course).

Lucky for me, he’d already knit one and had “translated” the original pattern into modern day knitting speak.  He even had it listed in “stitches in time”  on the Knitty.com website.  It is Child’s Middy Jumper (1916).

Fast forward to this year, and I was on track to have them done in time for Easter.  I figured I would knit one up, see which boy it fit on and then adjust the pattern up or down depending on my need. That was my plan.

The first sweater fit L and I was surprised.  As I was knitting it up, I thought for sure that it would fit E. But no, they are growing faster than I can knit apparently. As you can see above, I finished the first sweater.

It was different from the modern sweaters that I have knit up in the past, but pretty straight forward with easy to follow instructions.   After finishing the first one, I quickly figured out my adjustments and cast on the second sweater.  I drug it around with me, knitting like mad every chance I got.  I was completely on track to finish on time and it was with a little spark of pride and satisfaction that I made it to the halfway point.  I rounded the shoulder and…

was at a complete loss to how much to decrease for the front of the sweater because I hadn’t written down any of my adjustments.  I tried several times to figure it out without success.  I frogged the whole thing and set it aside.  I now was too late to be able to finish on time with the teaching season gearing up and the Disney trip fast approaching.

Recently I sat down and again picked up the pattern.  I knit a gauge block to figure out how many “ridges” (this is knit in garter stitch and two rows make a ridge) made an inch and how many stitches made an inch.  Then I decided on how many inches I wanted to add to this sweater over the last one.  This has worked out better for me.  I can figure out what I need as I go by measuring and adding the correct amount of rows/ridges to make the amount of inches that I need.

These sweaters are knit all in one piece and finished with a seam up each side/under arm.  Due to the return of our cold weather, I may even be able to finish them while they can wear them once or twice before they grow out of them.