 I have a special treat for you today. I present, for your viewing pleasure, Mike! It's been a while... too long, since I last knit for him. But, as you well know, I am a selfish knitter. If he wasn't so darn charming, I probably wouldn't knit for him at all. And, he does make my knitting look pretty good, so there's that. ;-)  This little ditty is Sunshine on my shoulders by Annalise Dione knit using instructions for the size Medium. I did a button band in place of a zipper closure, per Mike's preference, and increased body and sleeve length to fit Mike's dimensions; otherwise, I knit exactly as the pattern instructed. The fit is mostly good. The sleeves, however, run a bit more snug than the rest of the garment. I'm not sure if that is an intentional design element or not. It works for Mike, but I would use a larger stitch count (~10% more) if I had to do it over.  In addition to the cable and seed stitch detailing on the sleeve, there are some really nice design elements to the pattern. The saddle shoulder is a nice touch, especially in a man's sweater, to add a little bit more material over the tops of the shoulders. The whole sweater is seamed, which makes it much more durable and longer lasting than if it were knit flat. And, I'm a sucker for a self-faced collar. I love the heft of it. It's stands up on its own and doesn't look at all flimsy.  I got really, really lucky with the yarn for this project, scoring it at the most amazing estate sale I've ever been to. Seriously, it was ridiculous. I bought a couple hundred balls of yarn for $1 and $2 each. Retrospectively, I wish I would have gotten more. I was overwhelmed and concerned that I was overdoing it, but I've already plowed through a quarter of it. Live. Learn.  When I sat down to write my knitting wish-list for the 2014 fall/winter season, I threw in a couple more projects for Mike, so he'll be back around again soon. Do you knit for your partner? Do you have a favorite man-sweater pattern? Let me know below!
30 Comments
Wow, this turned out awesome! I wish my boyfriend liked wearing cardigans... he hates them (he's more of a zip-up hoodie kind of guy... the kind of hoodie that's made from thin tshirt material, boo), so no knitting for him :( Which I guess is ok, because that means I can be selfish and not feel guilty about it! Ha!
LUCKY YOU! Mike definitely wears his fair share of basic t's, but winter here is too brutal to not wear sweaters. We're both wusses in the cold, so we're huge fans of wool. He picked out some wool knit from Mood last year with specific requests for lounge pants... fancy pants. So, he takes full advantage. HA. Wow, your version of this cardigan is gorgeous! I like the button band and the yarn you used. I've knitted it several times after I designed it, and I've never noticed that the sleeves were snugger then the rest, I have to check my cardigans, but it's an interesting point! Thank you! It was a pleasure to work with the pattern. I'd definitely be interested to hear if you find any difference in ease on the versions you've knit. It could just be that I was knitting tighter as I got more excited and near the end! :-D It does fit. And, it works for Mike. In fact, I think he likes it. Rarely does he get to look as buff as we've decided this makes his arms look. :-D 10/27/2014 08:31:49 am
I've not knit (much) for Husband. Admittedly, he doesn't ask because he's a furnace so knitted items won't do him much good. He's asked me to make him goats (hence my Sacrificial Goats that I've been working on since August) and he has dared ask me for a sweater...but a very specific one: The Dude (as in The Big Lebowski Dude sweater). I could kill him. It's knit flat and seamed, with colorwork...and I'm going to have to rewrite the pattern not only to fit his size but also my gauge (because he's picky about yarn and the yarn he picked is giving me a completely different gauge). It's going to take forever and I'm not looking forward to it. He's lucky I love him or I would not do it. HAHA. Mike makes pretty specific requests when I work on projects for him. It's funny how many opinions he seems to have about his clothes when he has the opportunity to have them tweaked. THE DUDE sweater is so incredibly cool! I've had it in my favorites FOREVER but not gotten around to it. 10/28/2014 12:29:32 am
You always impress me with your knitting skills! I just love this sweater and glad he's happy with it. :) My grandma used to knit sweaters similar to that for my grandpa all the time. I kept them all even though I probably wouldn't wear them as they're very bulky and big. She rarely knitted for herself. I'm about ready to start making my first sweater. I hope it's not an ordeal!!
Your grandma sounds like a really, really sweet lady, and I LOVE that you still have the sweaters she knit! It's cool that you've been able to preserve them! 10/28/2014 07:19:55 am
This looks SO GREAT! WELL DONE!
Having just made a stupid knitting mistake causing me to rip out ten rows of the cardigan I've been working on since February, I'm super impressed by both your knitting skills and speed! And generosity - I'm so slow and terrible at knitting that I would never make anything for anyone else. I want to enjoy the product of all those long, difficult hours myself!
I fully support you on the selfish knitting front! It is a huge commitment to knit a sweater, and we should get to enjoy the fruits of our labor. I hope that your current project starts to be a fun knit again.
I learned a new skill - inserting a lifeline into an existing row that includes lace - but I'm going to take a little break from my sweater to make a big chunky cowl that I hope will be a faster and more encouraging knit.
YES! I love it! Another job VERY well done! He wears it well, and the sleeves absolutely work on his physique. So nice! 11/2/2014 05:34:06 am
Love that sweater - it really suits Mike. I have never knitted for Mr MiH except scarves that he does not wear (there may be a clue there...) - great to see the guy behind the camera ;) 11/11/2014 07:12:26 pm
Oh I love this. This has gone to the top of the list of things I must knit for my hubby! I really like this sweater! I have knit a few odds and ends for The Husband - a New Orleans Saints scarf he loves, a hat he doesn't wear, a hat that no one wears, and I did do a beast of a sweater for him. He selected it - all over moss stitch in a sport weight yarn. Took forever. He does wear it but unfortunately, I'd never used the yarn before and it grew and grew and grew. I had to rip out the bottom and cut back at least 3 inches then add ribbing again (it was starting to look like a man-dress) and now the sleeves have grown to 3 inches too long. Yeah...he'll be rolling those puppies up - no more sweater surgery! Leave a Reply. |
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