- Olive Looks into the Forest WIP (Ingrid)
For the last six weeks or so, my Mum and I have both been knitting Ann Weaver’s Tempest cardigan from knitty.com. Not so we could look ever-so-cutesy together: we are both too British and too old for that, plus hers looks like Dennis the Menace might wear it and that’s not really my style. We actually chose the same pattern so that my Mum could knit a more complicated garment along with someone else so that when something inevitably went awry, I could generally speaking, quickly and easily sort it out for her from the other end of the phone (not to insult my own mother, but she freely admits that she can’t see so well since having a stroke). The secondary reason was that I could do the finishing for her at the same time as my cardigan. I like finishing garments and thought that this idea, in particular, was a great idea at the start of our impromptu knit-along.
- Blocking
- What could possibly be the problem with pinning out and blocking, then weaving in sixty-bajillion ends on the ten pieces of two stripy cardigans, sewing them up whilst matching the seaming thread to the stripe colours and then picking up and knitting both button bands and hems. Oh, and sewing on 28 buttons. That didn’t seem like it would take four days so far, two of which have involved 8 hour stints of weaving in ends and seaming. I really didn’t think this through!
- Sewing up Dennis the Menace (Mum’s Tempest)
Don’t get me wrong. I actually really like finishing a garment, finding the seaming in particular rather meditative, but these cardigans are really taking the biscuit.
Onwards, then to the buttonband!
What beautiful work you’ve both done! I like your color choice better than your Mum’s, though if she has trouble seeing I can understand why she chose higher contrast yarns. 🙂
My next sweater will involve seams, button bands, and all sorts of finishing details; I’m rather terrified. Any tips for a first-time-finisher?
Thank you. I’ve just completed the buttonband and hem and am really pleased with mine. Just the buttons now 🙂
The most important thing to remember is to not panic when there seems a lot of finishing! Just block it all properly (before weaving in the ends), you can sew up by using either mattress stitch or back stitch and it’s easiest to get these right by watching a youtube video, if you’re not familiar with them. If you do back-stitch, use pins to make sure it all lines up correctly too.
Oh, and leave yourself enough time 😉 Good luck!
I’m so glad to hear there’s an upside to finishing– mostly all I read about is the giant chore it can be. I like the idea of it being meditative 🙂