The Sweatshop of Love Blog

PT always says to write a lot about nothing at the beginning of these posts because he follows this blog on his Google Reader, so he gets a few sentences fed to him before he has a chance to mark the entry as read. The problem is that I don’t have a lot more to say about PT’s sweater!

When we last visited PT’s Modified Cambridge Jacket I had finished it but I was very worried about the potential monkey-like length of the sleeves.

Oh no.

Remember?

To take my mind off that I attached the toggle buttons!

Buttons!

I’m glad I decided to go with buttons and not the half zipper. While out shopping with PT a couple weeks ago he went on a rampage about how half zippers have no point. ‘If it is going to be a pullover, be a pullover! If it is going to be a zip up, be a zip up. Half zippers are like the worst of both worlds.’

Dodged a bullet with that one.

However when I slyly pointed out a similar sweater to this Modified Cambridge Jacket, he said, ‘I just don’t know if I could pull that off.’ I never really know what people mean when they say that, but I don’t think it is good.

Well, the sweater is wrapped and under the tree, so we can only wait and see for the final decision. Damn you, sweater curse. Damn you.

When we last visited PT’s Christmas Present I was mostly breaking from it. The sleeves were taking FOREVER, and I couldn’t see it ever ending. It was really boring, even with knitting them both at the same time.

But since finishing my Girl Friday Sweater I haven’t had any big projects in the works. I’ve been chipping away at my list of presents to make, but it forced me to suck it up and finish those sleeves.

Thank GOD!

And finish I did! A little too much, actually.

Monkey Arms?

I’ve been using this blue H&M sweater that PT wears a lot as kind of a gauge for the size of this sweater. The style of the sweater isn’t worn as closely as the blue sweater, so I was shooting for slightly bigger.

You can see how close the body is! The collar pops up bigger, and it is a little longer.

But those sleeves! How did that happen?

Oh Dear

It’s like three inches longer. PLUS -

SLEEVE FOIL!

Despite taking 10 stitches off both sleeve totals, those stupid sleeves are still too big I think. I studied the Ravelry project page for this sweater and everyone noted how huge the sleeves were. But it looks like I should have eliminated at least 5 more stitches from the pattern, totaling 15 extra stitches for the sleeves? That is insanity.

Boobs and All

So my dress form has boobs, obviously.

BOOBS!

And I have boobs. And hips!

Hot Back!

So it is very hard to tell what this sweater actually looks like. I know the back looks good!

Damn Sleeves

And the sleeves look long.

Bottom Ribbing

But I love the side ribbing, and the bottom ribbing that I added.

No Douche Collar!

And I’m glad the collar doesn’t look like a douche popped collar. I was worried about it. And the shoulders look manly! I’m so tempted to run outside to look for a PT sized boy and make him try this sweater on.

Original Sweater

So I took this zip up Ann Budd design and made it a pull over! Potentially gigantic sleeves and all. Better a little long than a little short, I think. Worse comes to worse I can fix them later. I guess.

Now I just have to run over to JoAnn and get some toggle buttons for the front closure. Who needs a zipper when you’ve got toggle buttons?!

And with that I have no projects listed on ravelry as in progress. And right now, looking around my apartment nervously for something to do, there is nothing to do. Will I make it to January 1st before starting to knit my next sweater?!

I realize how annoying it is to see CHRISTMAS in the title of a blog post over Labor Day weekend. I’m kind of annoyed with myself for sitting here, in shorts, with all the windows open, talking about Christmas, but I’m trying to set a good example!

When you are knitting sweaters for people for Christmas, you have to start early. Even when you are knitting smaller projects for people for Christmas you have to start early!

PT's Soon To Be Sweater

Let me take a moment to address The Sweater Curse. The Sweater Curse states that if you start knitting a sweater for your boyfriend, you will break up before you finish it. It also states that if you do finish it and give it to him while you are still together, he won’t react like you want him to, he won’t wear it as much as you would want him to, and, thus, you will break up because he doesn’t appreciate you and takes you for granted and can’t even wear the sweater you spent HUNDREDS OF HOURS KNITTING?!

I think there is legitimacy to The Sweater Curse. I have never knit a sweater for a boy before. So why start now? Especially since PT and I recently broke up and got back together? Why am I pressing my luck?

Because I like knitting sweaters. And I like PT. And if any boy would properly appreciate a hand knit sweater it’s PT.

Jalapeno Wool of the Andes

After doing some research on ravelry about the Cambridge Jacket from Interweave Knits, I ordered Wool of the Andes from Knit Picks in Jalapeno. The green is perfect!

I also decided that I’m going to change the jacket into a pull over. I love the ribbing, I love the collar, I love the shape of this sweater, I’m just not a fan of the zipper! So I’m going to knit it in the round and put a button closure in at the neck.

I’m a little nervous. I’ve knit sweaters for my mom before, but this is for a boy! Am I nuts? Am I dooming my relationship?