An End in Sight for the Hopsmere Sweater Pattern

While it hasn’t been much per day, I’m still making progress on the Hopsmere sweater. It’s finally feeling like there’s an end in sight. It’s certainly not a completed garment yet, it’s reached the point where it’s wearable. All that’s left are the finishing details… I think.

Got This Project by the Throat

After finishing the sleeves (finally!) I moved on to the neck. I knit this as a separate strip, that I’m now sewing into place. Since I’d already figured out the braid cabling, this piece was very easy. The trickiest aspect of it has been making sure it’s the right length with the elasticity of the ribbing. It’s difficult to get an accurate measure, and needed my partner to try it on several times so I could check the numbers again on my tailor’s tape.

I did have to buy more Brava Bulky yarn to finish. I was about 2/3 of the way through knitting the neck strip when I ran out. That brings the total up to 14 skeins of yarn so far. That will likely be the final number at this point.

Hopsmere All Buttoned Up

Once the neck is attached, the final knitting step will be adding the button panels. For that, I’ll actually want to make a run to the craft supply store first. I haven’t yet bought the leather I plan to use, nor decided on the buttons. At minimum, I’ll need to know what size the buttons are before I can go ahead and knit the button holes. I need to know how big to make them.

At Least… I Think That’s the End in Sight…

I’ll be honest, I’m a little worried about jinxing myself. There are still a few steps that could go wrong. Attaching the buckles and leather patches will be firsts for me. I expect that it will take some finagling, much like any unpracticed skill. Thankfully, I do know a couple of leatherworkers I can turn to for help or advice, but it may take a couple of attempts to get it right.

Speaking of multiple attempts… I may need to do the sleeves again. When I lay them flat or hold them up, all the measurements are correct. However, when my partner tried the sweater on, there was a bit of bagginess under his upper arms. I’m hoping that will smooth out with blocking and wear. Thankfully if it doesn’t, I can remove the sleeves without affecting any other sections. That will allow me to make another pass at them. I know they’re at least very close to correct, so adjustments can be minor.