2012 Holiday Sweaters

It was tough deciding what to knit for the boys this past holiday season. They have cabled sweaters and striped sweaters from previous holidays that still fit them so I needed to find something different but still practical. I entertained the idea of sweater-vests (but I could not endure Alex's ridicule on that one!), hoodies, and cardigans. I finally settled on a cardigan style with a collar.

My friend Troy calls them "old man sweaters", but we both agree that style is seriously cute on little boys. I'm kinda loving how they turned out.

The pattern is called Sammie and it was designed by Terri Kruse. It was great! Easy to follow, and the sizing was just right. I will admit to having to turn to YouTube for help with the wrap and turns needed for the short rows on the collar. And this buttonhole tutorial on Knitty was a little easier to follow than the one included in the pattern. But, those were non-issues for me really. Overall the pattern was well-written and clear.

The yarn I used was Swish from KnitPicks. The blue is Delft Heather and the green is Lemongrass Heather. Both colors are rich and gorgeous. I know, I know...I've been ordering from KnitPicks a lot lately. I love supporting local yarn shops, but sometimes when I need enough yarn for an entire sweater it just works out better to order online. The stripes are just from the stash...I couldn't even begin to tell you what they are.

One of the reasons I chose this pattern is because it required worsted weight yarn. I was a little behind the 8-ball during the holidays and I needed these sweaters to knit up as quickly as possible. Most of the sweaters I knit for the kids require DK weight yarn and I just didn't have "DK and size 4 needles" kind of time!

And then there's the buttons. The ones I ended up using were from Jo-Ann's. I guess they're fine. Made of wood and cute enough. But what I really wanted was something in the shape of an animal head. Like little bear faces or maybe even foxes. But, try as I might, I couldn't find the animal faces I was imagining. I wanted the style to be sort of Bavarian wood carving or possibly even something metal molded and realistic. Know what I mean? I scoured etsy and google searched until I just gave up. By the time I decided that I would settle for handmade horn buttons...it was just too late. I would never get them in time for the holidays.

So a trip to the store Christmas Eve morning (ahem) and a quick sew with embroidery floss finished the sweaters in the nick of time. I take this as a victory though, seeing how last years sweaters were seamed up on the way to the family gathering! Maybe next year I will be done by December 23rd...maybe.

–Cassandra