May 10, 2005

Somebody got to wear a new cotton jacket this weekend!



Quick project details: Design 11, "gilet asymetrique" (asymmetrical jacket) from Phildar Pitchoun Spring/Summer 2005. The jacket is in 3x1 ribbing and stockinette stitch. I knit the 6 year old size, using size 3.25mm needles (addis, bay-bee!) and 10 skeins of Phildar Coton No. 4 in "JEAN'S". [Note: This color FADES in the manner of jeans after it is washed. It creates a nice faded denim effect which, unfortunately, my camera is refusing to pick up properly and is showing as a striped or variegated effect instead. Grr.] The fabric created has a slight sheen to it that makes the 3x1 rib and double decreases show up really nicely.




I did not change the sizing on this jacket. My son is four and a half years old (he'll be five in September), but I knit the six year old size in the hopes it would come out a little big so he'd be able to wear it a couple of seasons. However, it's not too large for him to wear now. I think it looks cuter this way, actually. It's the baggy look, dude.

[Footnote: While I didn't change the sizing, I should mention that I did change the pattern a bit in technical terms. Looking at the photo above will show that the ribbing at the hem blends into the ribbing on the side panels of the front pieces, like the way it does in the photo of the pattern book. But if I had blindly followed the pattern instructions the 3x1 ribbing at the hem of both front pieces would NOT have corresponded with the 3x1 ribbing at the side panels because the pattern drafters were being naughty when they wrote the pattern. The pattern instructions for the 6 year old size had the ribbing at the hem and the ribbing at the side panels completely and pitifully off, most likely for purposes of the double decreases at the armhole shaping, which need to begin within a purl stitch of the 3x1 ribbing a few stitches from the edge. I disregarded the pattern instructions and reworked so that the ribbing at the hem would continue into the ribbing at the side panels while still being able to work the decreases where they belonged, but this did not change the size or measurements of the pieces. End of blabby footnote.]

And! The jacket is a hit with Captain Destructo. [BONUS: Silly shots of happy boy dancing in his jacket.] He's really happy with it and could hardly wait to debut it, which he got to do this weekend. One of the first places the jacket got to visit was the AQUARIUM in Lyon:




Thankfully, the visit to the aquarium was also a hit with him. We went to Sea World when he was a baby, but he was too small to enjoy it. And last year, he got to visit the aquarium at the Beauval Zoo at Saint Aignan, but he was so tired out after walking through the whole zoo (enormous...there are several hectares for the elephants alone) that the aquarium wasn't enjoyed. This time he got a chance to leisurely watch all of the fish and got a kick out of touching live clams and starfish. [BONUS: You knew I was going to include a slideshow too, right?]




Final finishing notes on this jacket: I'm really happy with the way the whole jacket turned out, especially the collar and zipper facings. I've sewn zippers [see a zipper slideshow here] into jackets several times, and have covered up the wrong side of the zipper using ribbon or knitted [see hooded vest] facings. This, however, is the first time that I knit double facings separately, sewed the zipper into them and then sewed the facings to the fronts of the jacket. [BONUS: Look at how I sewed the facings onto the jacket. Incidentally, I used the yarn itself, not sewing thread. I simply split the yarn and used a single strand of it to sew on the facings.] HELLO! Not only was it easy and quick, it makes the zipper - from both sides - look neat and polished, which is a plus as my boy likes to constantly open and close zippers on his jackets. If I weren't so tired from snapping all those aquarium shots, I'd be sticking this jacket with its fab zipper facings on a flagpole and waving it around while I run around the block triumphantly.

« Category | Main