Since it was a gift, it was important for me to "get it right"...
That meant following the pattern's suggestion on gauge, measurement and fit...
Did the Habu Kit-70 redeem my faith in knitting or knitting patterns?
Well, it is what it is...
Airy - A sweater that's light as a feather, knit on fine gauge yarn and large needles:
Fragile - An extra effort needed to avoid catching the sweater on sharp objects and being cautious about pulling on buttons/stretching button holes:
Minimal - A sweater with clean lines, simple shaping and construction.
And in keeping with the minimalist styling of the pattern, I took it a step further...
Stockinette - Decided to make the public side of the garment in stockinette stitch instead of reverse stockinette (smoother appearance - less 'bumpy'):
Hidden Seams - Employed mattress stitch for the arms/shoulders/neck, invisible horizontal seam for the sides and grafted the collar pieces together:
Improvements - More minimalism:
If I were to make this sweater for myself, I would make it even more minimal by changing the closures, attaching some hidden metal or magnetic snaps.
While I'm on that tangent, is there such a thing as magnetic yarn? I suppose you could get some metallic yarn and 'charge' it with a magnet. If it actually worked, you could hold the magnetized yarn with the main yarn where needed, resulting in a very minimal and invisible closure.
Fabric - Denser:
Fine gauge yarn is perfect for this pattern, only it needs to be knit on a more 'appropriate' needle size. Next time, I would probably choose a DK weight yarn and knit it on size 4-6 US needle. This would give the garment more strength and 'memory' that is lacking.
As noted on my previous post, I used US size 8 needles and got the corrected/suggested gauge of 16 stitches & 25 rows per 4 inches of stockinette fabric.
It would also be cool to incorporate some of the Habu stainless steel yarn into both the collar and plackets. That way, those pieces would hold their shape 'vertically' when unbuttoned or left open.
Sizing - Larger:
All the panels were knit and shaped to the specifications of the pattern, but the sweater came out more form fitting than what Habu's photo represented (the photo makes the sweater look more 'over-sized' and 'roomy' than it really is).
I like the oversized jacket 'concept' better and would resize the garment accordingly (more positive ease - additional length/width/larger arms/broader to fit my shoulders).
That meant following the pattern's suggestion on gauge, measurement and fit...
Did the Habu Kit-70 redeem my faith in knitting or knitting patterns?
Well, it is what it is...
Airy - A sweater that's light as a feather, knit on fine gauge yarn and large needles:
Fragile - An extra effort needed to avoid catching the sweater on sharp objects and being cautious about pulling on buttons/stretching button holes:
Minimal - A sweater with clean lines, simple shaping and construction.
And in keeping with the minimalist styling of the pattern, I took it a step further...
Stockinette - Decided to make the public side of the garment in stockinette stitch instead of reverse stockinette (smoother appearance - less 'bumpy'):
Hidden Seams - Employed mattress stitch for the arms/shoulders/neck, invisible horizontal seam for the sides and grafted the collar pieces together:
Improvements - More minimalism:
If I were to make this sweater for myself, I would make it even more minimal by changing the closures, attaching some hidden metal or magnetic snaps.
While I'm on that tangent, is there such a thing as magnetic yarn? I suppose you could get some metallic yarn and 'charge' it with a magnet. If it actually worked, you could hold the magnetized yarn with the main yarn where needed, resulting in a very minimal and invisible closure.
Fabric - Denser:
Fine gauge yarn is perfect for this pattern, only it needs to be knit on a more 'appropriate' needle size. Next time, I would probably choose a DK weight yarn and knit it on size 4-6 US needle. This would give the garment more strength and 'memory' that is lacking.
As noted on my previous post, I used US size 8 needles and got the corrected/suggested gauge of 16 stitches & 25 rows per 4 inches of stockinette fabric.
It would also be cool to incorporate some of the Habu stainless steel yarn into both the collar and plackets. That way, those pieces would hold their shape 'vertically' when unbuttoned or left open.
Sizing - Larger:
All the panels were knit and shaped to the specifications of the pattern, but the sweater came out more form fitting than what Habu's photo represented (the photo makes the sweater look more 'over-sized' and 'roomy' than it really is).
I like the oversized jacket 'concept' better and would resize the garment accordingly (more positive ease - additional length/width/larger arms/broader to fit my shoulders).
