knitting neels

I know I already blogged about Thermal but I promised some FO shots. Thanks to my favourite photographer, I got some action shots taken this evening.

There’s another good full-body shot here. I really like how the buttons suit the top, and I’m pretty pleased that the button placket behaves itself (most of the time).

I was a little worried about picking up stitches along the neckline because I’ve had bad experiences with necklines before. Thankfully this one worked out really well. I think alot of that was to do with the bounce of the Jaeger Matchmaker. Yummy, yummy stuff.

You may or may not recall from the pattern that it is mostly knit in the round. I wasn’t thrilled about having to knit the front and back separately around the placket, or having to set in the sleeves. That said, the placket was worth it and the set in sleeves lend the garment stability and structure.

And as much as I hate knitting sleeves, watching the increases grow naturally through the stitch pattern provided at least some entertainment. Here they are in all their glory.

And lo! there were sleeves

All in all, I’m really pleased with the top, despite the miles and miles of knitting that went into the body. I love the shape of the top but I probably wouldn’t knit it again. Some details!

Yarn: Jaeger, Matchmaker Merino 4-ply.

Needles: 3mm circular for the body and neckline; 3mm DPNs for the sleeves.

Time: I have no idea. I cast on in February some time and abandoned it for about two or three months before finishing it off quickly.

Glee: 95%… if only it didn’t take quite so long to finish!