Pransellknit

It’s impossible to leave the last finished object for 2009 go unblogged. Victory is finished!

Your Victory Jumper by Home Notes (via the Victoria and Albert Museum)
2.5 balls grey Gignasco Bambi, 1.5 balls royal blue and 0.5 balls cream
2.75 mm and 3.25mm needles
Started: June 2009
Finished: December 2009
Modifcations: lengthened and added another repeat, stitch wise, to the body
Ravelryed here

If you heard strains of The Halleujah Chorus floating on the breeze sometime last Sunday, it was likely coming from me as Victory was unpinned from the blocking board. It was not so much the relief of finishing, but the excitement that she could finally be worn. I already love it to bits.

The lace pattern came out really nice and crisply with the yarn, and although I opted for a non-patriotic colour combination (the pattern was published in England just after VE Day, and recommended the use of blue, red and white yarn), I’m quite pleased with how well the grey, blue and cream worked together.

I found the sleeve’s shoulder cap construction a bit strange, in that there was no cast off at the armpit, just a gentle decrease from there to the top of the shoulder. This did make it a little difficult when seaming but the sleeve and body stripes match up, so I’m happy.

If you are interested in WWII era knitting patterns, it’s worth looking at the collection hosted on the Victoria and Albert Museum’s website. I tend to think Victory is the pick of the bunch, but there are some other nice patterns on there that I’d consider making down the track, once my pattern queue and stash has diminished significantly.

The back of Victory is sort of finished and the front is well on the way. I can’t quite claim the back as finished, as the stripe sequence is a bit… off. While idly reading through the pattern after finishing the back, it became apparent that I really hadn’t paid enough attention. On the right hand side of the photo is the back piece and on the left hand side is the in-progress front piece, featuring the correct stripe sequence.

Normally a mistake of this size would result in the offending project (because it’s obviously its fault and not mine) being placed (or tossed, depending on mood) into a corner so it can think about what it’s done. Projects like Matt’s Suave Sweater received such punishment. This project’s a bit different. I kept going, following the pattern properly for the front. It really comes as no surprise, but it does look better with the correct stripe sequence. So once the front is finished, I’ll rip out most of the back and redo it.

The ribbing is excruciatingly boring and the combination of 100+ stitches, 4ply yarn and 3.25mm means it’s by no means a quick knit. However, the non-ribbing sections are really enjoyable and I can’t wait to see what the finished product will look like.

I’m hoping I’ve turned a corner as a result of this recent large boo boo. Hopefully I’ll avoid the silly mistakes by not rushing into a project. Hopefully I’ll be a bit more relaxed when things go awry. I’ll just have to wait until the next spate of dufferism to find out I guess!

It recently dawned on me that I haven’t posted any progress photos of the Victory Jumper. I think that’s a bit rude of me, expecially given the much appreciated (and needed) help I received when starting this project.

Apologies for the photos as they are a bit below par. The light’s a bit weak here today, and surfaces that aren’t boxes are in short supply ’round here still.

It’s not a fast knit by any means, but it’s still enjoyable. The pattern write up suggests that it’s really easy to remember, which has been true for me. Whenever I see “easy” mentioned in a vintage pattern I’m a bit wary, as rightly or wrongly, I tend to think that the general skill level of knitters was higher back then, and there’s a lot more assumed knowledge. That said, it’s all been pretty straight forward so far.

The only drawback of this project is that it’s not very portable. The three balls of yarn get tangled up pretty easily so I can only really work on it when I’m at home. It’s a little bit of a pain because I’m back to using public transport in my commute to and from work, but it’s really only a minor irritation.