Helena With Leaves

I finished another baby gift last week. Just 2 more to go.

I love this sweater from start to finish. The pattern is Helena by Alison Green Will and I loved it as soon as I saw it. It hasn't disappointed me at all. It is well written and super easy. All good things.

You may recall that the last time I discussed this project I was pondering the finishing details. It was nice but as it neared completion I felt like it was missing something to move it from nice to outstanding. My first thought was a contrast edging so I took the sweater to my LYS in search of a cream or shell pink yarn to set it off. I got solidly shot down. The woman at Uniquities said that a contrast would make the sweater more sporty and cause it to loose something. Looking at it with the cream yarn next to it I could see it was true. I decided to stick with the burgundy but I still felt like there was something missing.

The more I looked at the sweater, the clearer it became that the problem was the closures. Those little ties weren't doing a thing for me but my aversion to installing buttons in things is well documented. What to do? I vaguely recalled seeing some knit closures so I ordered up Nicky Epstein's Knitting Beyond the Edge and started the finishing work while I waited for it to arrive.

I've got to say that I enjoyed the finish work on this sweater. Picking up the stitches for the garter edge was fine and sewing down the picot hem was really satisfying. Isn't that a bizarre admission from someone who really hates to sew? I think that the difference is doing it correctly. Now that I've studied the finishing books a little and I work things in the proper way, it's kind of fun. The frustration is gone and all that remains is neat edges.

After a short hiatus the new book arrived and in no time at all the right closure was identified. The whole family got in on the act and agreed that the Leaf Frog closure was the right one for the job. It was so much easier than I expected and now that it's finished I love it. With the fancier closure this sweater looks just a bit more polished and elegant. Let's hope it fits.