My first ever garment!! I knitted this jumper in Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran. It is for my colleague Karen's baby, which is due at the end of September. It knitted up a little bigger than 0-3 months so it should be just right for this winter. It only took me 5 days to knit up, but sewing it together at the end proved quite tricky. I had never made a piece of clothing before so I decided to block it properly and take a whole evening to put it together. I certainly needed it!! The blocking went really well, I decided to use a wet pillowcase and steam block it with the iron as I didn't have a lot of time. I had never used Mattress stitch before and wasn't totally sure what I was doing so I started with the neck, which went great. I then began tackling the sleeves, which were so fiddley because of the increases at the end of each row. I've sinced been advised by my boyfriends mum that you can increase on the 2nd or 3rd stitch in the row to maintain a straight edge, which is so much easier to stitch together! Anyway, after much ado I managed to stitch the sleeves up; they weren't perfect but they weren't terrible. The jumper was really well recieved by Karen, so hopefully I will have a picture of the new arrival wearing his/her jumper in a few months time.
