I had this in my head, and then I just made it. La-laaaa!!

not

Well, I did have something in my head. I was striving for a chunky sweater with chunky cuffs, pocket, collar, and big-ass buttons that would wear like a coat. Soft & cozy, something to hide away from the cold, but would make a statement. This bulky yarn is rough but gets quite soft & fluffy after blocking. I love the dichotomy of making a tailored garment using rustic yarn. It’s a surprise to the senses as you look at, feel, and wear it.

In this project I tried shaping for the first time. Having a mannequin changes everything. I just kept putting it on as it grew, made decisions on the fly in some instances, and when in doubt, let the mannequin wear it for awhile as I kept looking at it… and thinking. l’m pretty sure everything was pulled back at least once - first bust dart, front & back princess seams (all misplaced - corrected them vertically), first arm & cuff (3x), bottom cuff (5x), button band, collar (3x), pocket (4x). Yup, everything. And so far, this is the best knitting project I’ve ever done! It was exciting and fun.

• Top down with short rows at back.

• Princess seams both front & back, with back start about 2” sooner than front.

• 2” bust darts. This Cocoknits tutorial was really helpful. Shadow wrap short rows - where have you been all my life?! I’ll never use any other short-row technique from here on out.

• Princess seams about 1/3 in from each side, front & back using k2tog and I only ever use Patty Lyon’s SSK.

• Picked up bottom pocket stitches, knit straight, then tubular cast-off after ribbing. Attached each side to garment using mattress stitch.

• Tubular cast off on all edges - round, soft, springy, and delicious.

• Faux seams up sides and inside of arms to prevent any twisting and add structure.

• Vertical button band knitting using this method for the button holes. Thank God there are so many smart knitters who make awesome YouTube videos!

• With set-in sleeves, the coat needed a bit of structure at the shoulder, so I sewed in 1/2” shoulder pads… only to have the sweater slide off the mannequin because they were covered in a polyester sleeve. So I knit up a sleeve of my own for the pads. See pic to the left.

• Custom 1.75” black leather buttons are handmade by Purl and Hank. I sent Crystal a note through her website and then we chatted on the phone. I knew what I wanted, and Crystal made it happen. Woot-woot!

• Buttons sewn with matching smaller leather backing buttons. Nicer finish and without the worry of the thread cutting through the yarn and losing the front button.

• The coat has about 7” of ease shown here.