09-05-2022

Cast on and knit garter neckline with US5 wooden cubics. Switched to US6 after neckline.

09-10-2022

Pay attention to your yolk length. I had to rip back to fix. I went too long.

09-16-2022

I didn’t want the sweater to be too long. I think this fabric may get longer when blocked out and the butterflies relax. So I’m making it shorter than the pattern instructs.

I knit to 10 inches (instead of 11.5) and then created the pockets. Used pink tosh dk I had leftover from Gracie’s baby sweater for the pocket linings. Knit lining to a couple of rows before end and then switched back to yellow so that the pink wouldn’t show when knit together with the sweater body.

I knit my pockets a bit deeper than the pattern states. I think the proportions are off, too wide and shallow. What are you going to do with a pocket like that? If I knit it again, I would use less stitches for the pocket opening/width and still make them deeper.

09-19-2022

Time to knit the sleeves. I go up a needle size to US7 for knitting in the round, since I knit tighter in the round.

I used this video for closing up the underarm holes. This works very well most of the time.

I’m going to knit the sleeves full length. So knit to 9 inches before garter border.

I decreased 3x on the second half of the sleeve. I think sleeves without any decreases look flared, especially with garter border, and I don’t like that.

09-26-2022

Knitting done. Just need to weave in ends and seam pockets.

09-27-2022

Ends weaved in and pockets seamed.

The whole sweater weighs 202g. I have a small ball of yellow left that is 11g. I forgot to weigh the pink before/after, so I’m going to estimate that I used 190g of yellow and 12g of pink.

Still needs washing/blocking and buttons!

Collar to hem 14”
Underarm to hem 9”
Chest 23.5”
Sleeve 9.5”

The chest measurement is bigger than the pattern specifies, but I’m not worried about it. I laid a 2T t-shirt over it and the sweater looks a little bigger, but not overly so, it looks like the right amount of ease to me.

I’m not happy with the pockets. Despite trying to tighten up those stitches (and I’m a tight knitter), there were holes that I had to sew up during seaming and it looks like the pockets may gape open. Will have to see after blocking, but I don’t imagine that would improve.

Perhaps this simple afterthought pocket would be a better choice. Maybe I’ll try that next time a pattern has a pocket construction like this. I thought about it on the last one, but didn’t do it. I also considered no pockets and kinda think I should’ve skipped the pockets.

10-06-2022

I thought I forgot to make the first buttonhole, but I think it was just hard to see. I stretched it out and all is good. But in the meantime, I found some solutions for adding it after the fact.

Well, here’s a way to add a buttonhole after the fact by cutting the knitted fabric and binding off the hole. Ah! Not sure I have the nerve to try it.

Another way of stretching out the fabric to make a hole and then reinforcing the hole.

Elizabeth Zimmerman’s method of afterthought buttonhole.

Here’s a way to add a buttonhole with stabilizer / interfacing and a sewing machine.

More solutions from Tech Knitter.

10-21-2022

Finally sewed buttons on today. Gifting the sweater tomorrow. I made the buttons myself to match the sweater.

10-22-2022

Sweater fit great with some room for growing, just as I planned. Gracie liked her sweater and liked the matching doll sweater and her mom really liked it.

11-14-2024

Received a photo today of Gracie casting her ballot while wearing her yellow sweater. It looks so small now! Her mom says, “She still loves it when she’s wearing a short sleeve shirt it kinda looks like it’s just a 3/4 length fit lol”

It may be time for a new sweater. I will have to measure her next time I see her.