Theo's Koigu Sweater

But first -- I finished the Baby Surprise last night (except for buttons). That's a big 'except' since I hate attaching buttons, so I won't allow myself a final proud photograph until they're in place. But i can say now that the attached i-cord looks terrific, and I remain grateful to the two Blog-readers who suggested it.

Theo's Koigu sweater


Something has gone wrong. The technique I've been using to upload pics has failed me this morning.

This is the sweater I finished last week in Kirkmichael and blocked yesterday for my nephew Theo. I've been knitting it since last November.

The photograph is not very forthcoming about style details. The design is very loosely based on No 32 in VK Fall 2002, but the shaping is all Elizabeth Zimmermann's "percentage system". Woolgathering No. 69, where her daughter Meg discusses and refines the idea, was constantly to hand.

The VK sweater is done in 10-row stripes of various Koigu shades. I did that. The VK pattern has horizontal welts at waist and wrist. I started out with that -- started with a sleeve -- and soon decided that this wouldn't do for a young man at all, because the welts didn't pull in, and would therefore drag in the soup. So I started again with plain-vanilla ribbing, but I liked the welts, so I decided to put them at the top of the sleeves, just before everything was joined together, and at the corresponding place on the body.

But as I was finishing the second sleeve, I decided that I hadn't made the first one long enough, so I added a couple of inches more -- thereby pushing the welts down. The sensible thing (I realised yesterday) would have been to omit them on the body, but I put them in, and they come rather oddly more or less at navel-height. Just as well that you can't see them.

For the top, I went for EZ's "hybrid" sweater with a shirt yoke. The photograph above is from the back, and you can perhaps just see that feature. I like it.

Pictures of Theo, and of other people from time to time mentioned here, are on my website, www.jeanmile.demon.co.uk. Maybe one day I'll have a picture of Theo IN the sweater. He's working for Senator Kerry, a member of the team who go to venues of political meetings in advance and get everything set up. Theo's particular job is keeping the press happy. So he's pretty busy right now.