Dad's Sweater

Denise's - I finished my Dad's sweater in time for Christmas '09. It took a while, but task complete. I bought the Lincoln/Targhee fleece from Cory Simpson. I sent it to Going to the Sun Fiber Mill for processing since I had about 4 fleeces and little time.

Total time from spinning to wearing was about 1-1/2 years. I had to take a little bit of time off to have my finger heal from a cat bite(I'll not share those photos). New cat and "helpful" dog ended poorly for me.

Let it be known that while my dad chose the pattern, he had no real idea how challenging the cables really were for me. He always wanted an "Irish Rover's" sweater. I tried to guide him towards an easier one. He had his heart set on that sweater. For me, the mere thought of the cables gave me heart palpitations.

While I spun up the fleece, I had the chance to think about my approach. I charted out each pattern on a separate page. I made my charts in color. Soon, I was ready to go.

After a few rounds of crosses, I realized that the extra cable needle was cumbersome (my kids and cats really liked that thing). I researched on the net and found out how to cable without a needle. I really made progress.

I tried out steeks for the first time. Knitting them was easy. At the end of the torso, I prepared for the cutting and tacking. This too went well.