New Jamesey

Hello everyone, I'm Mel, a knitter in the highlands of Scotland who has just started a Jamesey for the DH.  This won't be his first present by any means he's received hats, socks, a scarf and an Adirondack sweater in the past.  I loved Jamesey since it first came out in Knitty and with a bit of coaxing has convinced the DH that he'll look really lovely in it.  I'm knitting it in the smallest size with Rowan's Denim yarn in Nashville.  The colour is extremely blue, much more than it does in photos, so I'm hoping it will fade a bit in the first wash.  It's actually not all that bad to knit with, just a little stiff and of course my hands turn blue afterwards.  I'm about 7 inches into the body and it's fabulous for TV and reading knitting, I'm hoping to get through half a ball a day to be done before we go to Japan in April.  I'll take pictures once it gets a little more exciting than ribbing.

-- Mel

Comments

[Robin]

Welcome, Mel!

Jamesey is a great pattern and I think we have at least one member of the group knitting it.

I have never made an entire sweater out of Rowan Denim, but I have swatched with it and I know what you mean about the vibrant "blue-ness" of it. I haven't washed the swatch though.

Do you have the Rowan "Denim People" book? I like that one too.

Welcome!

Robin

[marjorie]

That's a very nice sweater. I planned to do a Celtic style later in the year, but for me, not DH (a Jo Sharp pattern). I've read that Rowan Denim fades and shrinks when washed, so you might want to wash your swatch before starting to see if it does. I'd think that using cool water would keep it from shrinking. It is supposed to soften up, just like denim fabric. I tend to be more of a wool fan rather than a cotton fan, so my experience with cotton yarn is limited. My first cotton sweater was discouraging, but it was my fault. I didn't decrease the ribbing enough, and it "billowed". I guess that is why your design doesn't have ribbing that is designed to pull in. I have a UFO in Cotton Fleece that is shaping up successfully, so maybe I'll rethink my experience with cotton yarn.

[Courtney]

I'm about to start this handsome sweater myself, was just Googling for advice and found this discussion. I'd love to hear more about your experiences as you progress, as I am a little nervous about the sizing/washing. I am using the Pakucho Organic Cotton used in the pattern, and am about to work up a swatch to wash to test shrinkage for gauge. Good luck with yours! The denim sounds lovely.