modest creations by michelle: a saddle-shoulder sweater {for my boy}

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

a saddle-shoulder sweater {for my boy}

Here is my latest sweater. I got this yarn on clearance for $2 a skein. I bought all 6 skeins left in the basket with a project in mind for me. But 6 skeins of DK yarn isn't enough for a sweater to fit me, so I decided to knit something for Logan.

I tried to knit him this cardigan earlier this year, but I forgot to add in some ease. The cardigan was just too small and I didn't need him looking like a beer-bellied 7-year-old about to pop the buttons off his handknit sweater. But the best thing about trying out your own pattern for the older boy is that if it's too small, it can be handed down to the younger boy. So that one was given to lucky mr. Trent.

This one turned out much better because I had the smart idea to measure one of his long-sleeve t-shirts that fits him well. So I used those measurements and this Elizabeth Zimmerman pattern to make a boring, latte-colored sweater for my 7-year-old.

Even he said in the midst of knitting that the color was boring and asked if I could add another color. Not only did I not have any other DK weight yarn in any other color, but I was afraid to add too much to this. This sweater just had to turn out well. And while it is boring, even after knitting it all up, it did turn out wonderfully and it fits him almost perfectly. It's a tad bit bigger than he is, but I think it's true to a boys 8 and should fit him for the next year or so barring any unplanned growth spurts.

The most interesting detail about this sweater is the sleeves. This sweater is worked from the bottom up and some clever and well-timed decreases give way to a fun saddle shoulder. Although I'm sure this type of shoulder can be feminine as well, I think the saddle shoudler is a subtle way to liven up a man's sweater without actually livening it up. Men don't typically like cables and lacework or even stripes for that matter, so incorporating something interesting into the shoulders of a plain men's sweater makes me happy enough to keep making them for all my boys.