December 24, 2005

My dad's Papa Vest has been completed and has already been sent to him so he'd have it for Christmas. Ho, ho, ho!

Details: Papa Vest, or Debardeur Encolure Ronde pattern 9 from Phildar's HOMME Hiver 04/05, using Phildar Quietude. I knit the XL size and did without the stripes because my father said that he wanted something in a solid color. (All that 5/2 rib, in dark gray yarn. Who loves ya, Dad?) Side seams were joined using mattress stitch, and shoulder seams were joined using three-needle bind-off. I picked up stitches for the armbands and neckband, and knit them on in 1/1 rib. [See closeup of armband and neckband here.] My dad has big shoulders and arms, so I picked up more stitches than required for the armbands. In order to keep the armbands from flaring up at the shoulder area due to the additional stitches, I decreased a couple of purl stitches in the ribbing as I bound off the last row. I blocked the whole thing when finished by throwing it in the delicate cycle of the wash and pinning it to measurements on my d.i.y blocking board. [Here, make your own d.i.y. blocking board.] Sometimes acrylic is gooooooooooood.

But that's not all the Christmas knits I'm doing. I'm on a race to finish my son's Letterman Jacket:




I'm finishing up my son's Letterman's Jacket because I am determined that he wear it tonight when we celebrate Christmas Eve with family. Captain Destructo WILL wear a completed Letterman Jacket today, oh yes he will. Even though I still have a Nochebuena Salad to prepare and I'm sitting here in my pajamas and morning bedhead.




I picked up stitches for the neckband and am halfway through knitting it. The yarn used for the neckband is much smaller gauge than the yarn used in the body of the sweater and I am making the neckband large enough to fold over and sew down inside the jacket, so knitting that ribbing is a party. When that's done I still have to sew in the zipper [previous zipper slideshow here] and - if I have time - sew some ribbon or knit facings to hide the wrong side of the zipper. Oh, zippers! How I love sewing you in! If I didn't have to have this jacket ready by today I'd just knit the neckband and leave the jacket out with a plate of cookies and milk in hopes that Santa would get an elf to sew the zipper in for me. But I'll get it done!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS! :-)

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