FO: Mulled Cider Jacket

#1

I love this design! Thea Colman patterns are impeccable! I’m drawn to most of what she designs!

My two most pronounced modifications are the height of the collar (for my short neck, I had to
forego all that height, and my collar fits me perfectly)…and the ‘leaf frog’ closure in the front.

[B]The Back[/B]

This “Leaf Frog” design can be found in Nicky Epsteins’s book “Knitting Beyond the Edge” on page 119.
I love it! Especially since the coat itself has leaves built into the vines!

I loved the original frogs on the model coat…but for me…when they are closed, they pull that ribbed ‘band’ something awful. If I were stick straight up-and-down, top-to-bottom…then maybe they wouldn’t pull so much. My single little frog stays buttoned, too! Yay!

I could knit up two more, and have the 3 frogs…but so far, I’m not convinced I need 3.

Here is the model coat. It’s adorable.

And here are my Rav notes, if you care to read more…

#2

That’s beautiful! :yay:

#3

Spectacular sweater! I’m always compelled to read your Ravelry notes…one can learn so much.

The model sweater doesn’t hang evenly…that would drive me insane!!!

:cheering: :cheering: :cheering:

Judy

#4

Beautiful and I love your frog closure. Perfect match!

#5

Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous! I love the “frogs.” It is just lovely. Do you make your cardigans so they are long like hip length? They all see to be longer for the most part.

#6

I do seem to gravitate to hip-length, now that I think about it. :think:
Longish, but not cupping the caboose. That isn’t a pretty side view!

I’ve made a few waist-length sweaters, the Macao twinset being the most recent. Maybe the reason I like over-the-hip length, and to-the-hip-length, is cuz I’m so short. I think waist-length chops me in half. I could be wrong. Wouldn’t be the first time. :wink:

#7

Gorgeous, exquisite and always a delight to see and read about. The detail is perfect. Enjoy wearing this lovely sweater.

#8

Oh my goodness!!!

Your sweaters could sell in the finest boutiques, my friend!!!

Beautiful job!!!

#9

Oh, so interesting. The leaves closure is quite unique. Is it a bobble that goes into the loop? Does it hold well?

#10

The ‘bobble’ is created by folding the i-cord, with the leaf at each end of it, in half…then making a knot at the fold. I was sure to secure the ‘knot’ bobble by sinking stitches into it…so it won’t come unknotted.

Yes, amazingly…it does hold really well! The pattern suggested that you also place a hook and eye underneath the bobble-knot and loop…to add more security…but it wasn’t necessary in my case. It holds closed just fine 'n dandy.

Possibly there are instances where people knit a size too small, or are going for “0” positive ease, which I call “T-shirt ease”…and so any closure, frogs or buttons, would be strrrrained. I don’t go for that look. I always just think the sweater looks like you knit the size too small. When I have underestimated my sizing…I have been know to knit buttonbands that are wider…so the darn thing doesn’t pull and strain. You can get away with a little like that.

I have two cardigans where the button closure has become a bit strained. Gah. Since the two cardigans are designed to be worn buttoned up…I’m going to stitch down the buttonbands, overlapping them with the buttons buttoned…and then permanently close them with hidden running stitches. The neckline is scooped, so the thing can be pulled on over my head. I never wear it unbuttoned anyway, so what’s the diff? :shrug:

#11

Aha! I could see that it’s not really a bobble but something really bobblelike :slight_smile: thanks.

#12

Your “leaf frog” (not to be confused with “leap frog”) is the perfect thing for this jacket. It goes so well with the other leaves. Lovely jacket. :thumbsup:

The original looks more rustic than yours. You got a more sophisticated look. Someone pointed out the weird hang of the original. What’s with that? It wasn’t part of the design was it? I like it except for that. Could be just the way the gal was standing or something.

I have two cardigans where the button closure has become a bit strained. Gah. Since the two cardigans are designed to be worn buttoned up…I’m going to stitch down the buttonbands, overlapping them with the buttons buttoned…and then permanently close them with hidden running stitches. The neckline is scooped, so the thing can be pulled on over my head. I never wear it unbuttoned anyway, so what’s the diff?
Sneaky, and what a great idea to solve a problem.

#13

I didn’t notice anything unusual about the hang. I think you’re right…it could be the way she was standing. Another thought…maybe her fronts weren’t the same length. Or maybe blocking stretched something out of proportion. I didn’t see the comment, or the Mulled Cider you mentioned.

Mine fits perfect. Prolly won’t close the leaf frog all the time, but at least I have the option. Closing one lone frog isn’t stressful.

You are right…the original Mulled Cider is more rustic, especially in that wonderful color, which isn’t that great on my complexion. Besides, I didn’t have that color in my stash. Trying to knit 100% from stash this year.

I didn’t think about mine being dressier, but I suppose that’s true, with the deep dark (almost chocolate) wine red tweed, plus the little leaf frog.

My collar looks mandarin when it’s just laying there, but it doesn’t fit like a mandarin. I gotta model it tomorrow or Friday, when hubby is out of town at that 4 day semi-annual mega swapmeet in Packwood, Wa. I haven’t got the fortitude for it. Acres and acres and literal ACRES of stuff, mostly man stuff. :wall:

#14

The model sweater doesn’t hang evenly…that would drive me insane!!!

This comment from JudyD, I believe it is post #3 in this thread. It is talking about the model sweater you gave the link to. The ends aren’t even at the bottom.

I gotta model it tomorrow or Friday, when hubby is out of town at that 4 day semi-annual mega swapmeet in Packwood, Wa. I haven’t got the fortitude for it. Acres and acres and literal ACRES of stuff, mostly man stuff.

I look forward to seeing the sweater on. No matter how nice they look laid out flat, they look even better on.

The swapmeet sounds like something Tom would love too.

#15

Oh yeah, gotcha! The model was bent forward, slightly more to the left leg. That made the hem dip down, thereby appearing uneven. I hadn’t even taken note of it cuz I saw her stance.

JudyD is observant!

#16

Ladies, I’m also a seamstress and have a fairly good eye when it comes to “even-ness”. On this forum in the picture linked to ArtLady’s comments (even though model is leaning) there is a discrepancy between the right and left sides of about 1 to 1 1/2 inches…note location of toggle to loop. However, I didn’t make my comment on this photo alone…go to Thea Colman’s Mulled Cider Ravelry notes on the sweater and scroll down to photo #7 where the sweater is buttoned…click once on photo for a really good view. As I originally said, this would drive me insane! Were it my sweater I would’ve either shortened the longer side or lengthened the shorter side of the sweater.

Judy

#17

You’re sure right, Judy! , I never noticed the uneven hemline! The left front seems to hang about an inch beyond the right front. It’s hard to fathom that the model coat chosen to represent and ‘sell’ the design would be knitted unevenly, one side longer than the other. Then again, perhaps the toggles/buttons were misaligned. Then yet again, maybe the coat was misbehaving, the toggles & buttons aren’t capable of holding things in place. They are mounted in a precarious position. They aren’t as stable as buttonholes and buttons would be on overlapping ‘normal’ buttonbands.

I dunno. I think there’s more to the story that we don’t know. It’s unfathomable to me that a designer would allow a ‘misknit’ garment to go to the publishing stage. Ha ha! Misknit Misfit!

My method of knitting would never allow my pieces to become misknit misfits! I ‘measure’ only the Back. So many inches til you begin the armhole shaping; so many inches from the armhole bindoffs to shoulder shaping. Then I make note of EXACTLY how many rows for each ‘milestone’. I’ve installed thread markers each tenth row along the way. They stay in place til it’s time to block EVERYTHING, fronts, back, sleeves.

I knit my two fronts to EXACTLY those number of rows, hemline-to-armhole, armhole-to-shoulder. Given that my gauge is spot on (not putting the project on hold for a year or longer) my fronts are mirror images, and are exactly the same length as the Back.

#18

I’m often disturbed by the final image they go with. Take this one… she looks like she’s picking her undies out of her butt. After taking multiple pictures that’s the one they went with?!

#19

Good one, Jan!!!

:roflhard:

#20

First, I erred in my earlier post when I said to check your Ravelry photo, for which I apologize. I corrected it to read Thea Colman’s Ravelry photo.

Second, I love the Misknit Misfit description!

Third, the reason we all admire your work so much is that you are so meticulous and precise in planning, execution, blocking, and final details…(I never miss reading your Ravelry notes!)

Judy