C'est Finis

Just in time for the really crisp weather, the Raglan sweater I made for Mom is officially finished. Buttons bought, sewn on, fully blocked, ready for serious fall afternoon dog walking.

Here we are in the backyard reluctantly modeling the finished project. Despite this reluctance I am told this sweater will be used. Glad to hear that.

There were some modifications I had to make on the way to completion. I noticed some recent weight gain during one of the previous fittings. Weight gain is a happy outcome because she fretted for almost two years about how much weight loss had occurred. To the point that she had to take in many skirts and jackets. I said nothing, fearing serious misunderstanding (a frequent occurrence when becoming more mentally fragile) but decided to give the sweater some ease in the hips. That meant ripping about 7 inches back on the body and reknitting, adding a total of 16 stitches in the hip area. Do you see it?

I also made the sleeves a bit longer and with greater ease. She likes sleeves to cover her wrist bones hence the length. And fewer decreases as I worked down to accommodate wearing long sleeve turtlenecks underneath.

I am completely amazed how nicely this yarn eases and relaxes after a good bath. When the sweater finished blocking the fabric is even, the yarn feels nicely skooshy and it looks almost perfect. I am very pleased and will be interested to see how it wears - will it pill and fuzz, ultimately destined to look like shabby cheaply made garment from a big box store?

One note of caution - the yarn bled like a mo'fo' while soaking in COLD water! Next time it gets washed we will add a good dose of white vinegar. Anyone else seen this happen with Cascasde 220?

And yes, that's Lola's big beautiful Coonhound butt in the background. Eating dirt, a favorite (and seriously strange) pastime.

Here are the specs for this one now that we are finally finished!
Pattern: Adult Basic: Top-Down Raglan #60 by Gail Tanquary
Yarn: Cascade 220, Lake Chelan Heather Green, #9451; 5.5 skeins used (1210 yards)
Needles: Size 8 for the body, Size 6 for the ribbed edges
Buttons: 6 Brass buttons from M&J Trimming
Started: July 2007
Finished: October 2008