My initiation

I have finally decided I'm no longer a novice knitter. After my last completed project that is no longer an accurate status. Yaaaay!!! It all started when my co worker found a knitting book at a book store (maybe Borders) called Easy Baby Knits. She loved the baby patterns and wanted me to get some done for her (she is a crocheter) for her new and 1st granddaughter . We also showed the book to another co worker and she also wanted me to make a sweater for her little two year old granddaughter. And they would pay me for my work and time!!! Wow!

I started with the 2 yr old's sweater, the Double-Breasted Knit Coat. I had never made anything that was knitted separately. And I had only ever made an infants sweater that was for practice, was never worn and it was knitted seamlessly.

It took me about 3 weeks to complete knitting the seperate pieces and it was soooo pretty. I had chosen an Encore Plymouth yarn in a dusty rose color. Very vintage looking and it seemed very appropriate to the pattern. My co worker had also wanted a Beanie to match which I kinda had to improvise. Very intermediate if you ask me ;). I finished and stood back to admire my work. Beautiful. I took out my new 5 dollar puzzle mat from Wal-mart and started blocking. I realized I need to buy blocking wires. Life would have been a little easier.

The hardest part about this pattern was the seaming! I kinda held off for a few days, but the impending job was always looming over me. It was not till I finished the project did I realize I could have modified the written pattern to knit most of it seamless up to the raglan decreases. Would have saved myself a lot of grief. I finished one side all nice and pretty with a few snags in the process here and there. I figured the second side would be much simpler since I already had the knack to the mattress stitch (yup, first timer on the mattress stitch). I started the second side at around 11pm. I went about half way up the "sleeve" until I noticed that the sleeve was much wider than the first one!!! Had I knitted off gauge?? Nope, I had just seamed the front of the coat together instead of the actual seam. Brilliant. I un-seamed for about 45 minutes and started the actual sleeve.

La-dee-da, I'm seaming as neatly and effecietly as I can without distractions Done!! But alas I never realized.... I had seamed on the wrong side!!!! My inside seam was on the outside of the sweater!!!! It was 2am at this moment and I just buried my head in the mismatched seam sweater fighting back tears. Oh the pain!! I contemplated un-seaming then and there that way I could wake up the next morning ready to seam. But my vision was blurry being that I was 4 hours past my bedtime and exhausted at looking at stitches. I put it away fighting back the urge to toss the darn thing and very kindly and gently put it away. I figured if I was nice to it, it would treat me better at my last attempt to seam it.

I woke up the next morning (Sunday) refreshed, rested, and ready for the task at hand. I got myself ready to un-seam and re-seam with out a problem. Finished and finished!!! Now I handed it over the the grandma who wants to pick out the buttons for it. Im just waiting for her to pick them out and I will sew them on for the final product. I even made a label for it "Couture knits by Jessica" with a pic from Word that is a ball of yarn and two needles stuck in it. I feel so professional :).



Credits for the Pattern : Easy Baby Knits by Claire Montgomery