Two months to the day after I cast on, the Husband Sweater is off the needles and I love it! The fit is almost perfect. Next time I'll make the arms shorter by an inch or so, but other than that it's a knockout. I probably could have knit it in half the time if I hadn't had to rip from the shoulders back to the underarms. Then I reknit one of the saddles twice; I was a perfectionist with this sweater, I wanted it to be worthy of the Husband.
The Project Details
Pattern: Elizabeth Zimmermann's Seamless Hybrid from Knitting Without Tears
Yarn: Cascade 220 in colours 9459 (the heathery tobacco-ish green) and 4002 (charcoal) for the inner cuffs. I think it took 5.5 hanks? Maybe 6. I can't find the original receipt, so I'm not sure how many I started with.
Needles: Size 8 bamboo
Started: October 28, 2006
Completed: December 28, 2006
Modifications: According to EZ's directions, I knit the t-shirt yoke. You knit one saddle, bind off half the stitches and continue knitting the half saddle across the back and graft it to the second saddle. It makes the back of the sweater a little higher than the front. You may remember that there was going to be a gray cross on the front as well, but I've scrapped it for now. I may duplicate stitch it in later on, we'll see.
Final Verdict: I love it! The Husband has been wearing it since the photoshoot, so I'd say it was worth waiting for.
FABULOUS!
Congratulations! It looks fantastic!
Posted by: Amy Mac | December 29, 2006 at 16:01
It's so gorgeous. The perfect sweater!
Posted by: Kim | December 29, 2006 at 17:29
Wow! That's really amazing. I think it's one of the nicest sweaters for a guy I have seen.
Posted by: Areli | December 29, 2006 at 17:34
Beautiful job! I think I see a sweater in my husband's future.
Posted by: Allegra | December 29, 2006 at 17:40
It's perfect! Love the details.
Posted by: isel | December 29, 2006 at 17:49
I agree that your Husbeast's sweater is one of the finest examples of a man's sweater I've ever seen. Your details, including the contrasting color inside hems and collar, are perfection. You deserve to be proud!
Posted by: Dianna | December 29, 2006 at 18:10
OOOOooooOOOOoooohhh, what a handsome sweater. I'm going to show this to my mister. He's very particular and I think he could go for this! Beautiful job, love the secret colors tucked inside the cuffs and collar.
Posted by: Debbie | December 29, 2006 at 18:13
Ohhhh that's awesome!
Posted by: Scoutj | December 29, 2006 at 18:25
How manly! (I would say beautiful, but that doesn't sound right describing a man's sweater). What a wonderful accomplishment!
Posted by: jennifer w. | December 29, 2006 at 18:31
It looks positively genius. Bravo.
Posted by: michael | December 29, 2006 at 18:33
GORGEOUS!!! I love it too! It looks great on too - you are right it's perfect! I can't wait for the new episodes of Uncommon Threads either - it's so very cool! I have a Jo Sharp sweater on the list for my hubby, but after that I might just make him one of these.
Posted by: AmyDe | December 29, 2006 at 19:16
I've been going back and forth in trying to decide whether to make this for DS#2. Now, there's no question after seeing yours. Which looks great. Now to find the right color/yarn to get started.
Posted by: Jeanine | December 29, 2006 at 20:05
Congrats! Knitting a sweater that a guy loves is NOT THAT EASY!
Posted by: Zarah | December 29, 2006 at 23:19
You deserve a trophy for this one. It's a perfect husband sweater. The color, the fit, etc., are fabulous and... he's wearing it?!?!? WOW! haha That's what's always held me back from knitting anything for my husband. He's so picky. But I really do think he would like an EZ Hybrid. And if he didn't, I would definitely wear it for him. :)
Posted by: Karma | December 30, 2006 at 00:39
That looks so great! Especially the hem- turn down in the accent color! Wow. Very professional. You should be proud!
Posted by: Susan | December 30, 2006 at 02:59
I'm about 3/4 of the way through this sweater now, and I love the recipe. (I bought the book after seeing how nicely yours was coming out.) I am, however, having difficulty fitting the saddle shoulders to Chris. I've ripped it back once, and now I've downgraded to raglan. :( I think top-down might be the answer for his future sweaters.
But your's is a perfect fit! I'm going to have to fight the urge to rip back and try the saddle shoulder again. You've hit a home run here!
Posted by: s t a c i | December 30, 2006 at 10:27
What a perfect sweater!
Love the accent colour too...
Posted by: allison | December 30, 2006 at 12:54
I love it. When I first saw that pattern knitted up (I think it was in burgundy and on another blog a while back) I knew it would be perfect for my husband, who is near impossible to fit (a raglan would work, but I like the look of this one much better than a basic raglan). I will have to add it to my list to knit in 2007, especially since I just showed these photos to him and he likes it a lot.
Posted by: BlackRayne | December 30, 2006 at 14:25
Wow Caro! That is true classic.
Posted by: Abbe | December 30, 2006 at 19:50
Good for you! That sweater looks fantastic. And I am so, so sorry we didn't get to meet up. I hope your ankle is feeling better and I'm wishing the very best for you in 2007.
Posted by: Kelli | December 30, 2006 at 20:46
Wow, it turned out perfect! I really like the tshirt yoke action going on in the front. I think that I see on of these sweaters in my knitting future...
Posted by: kelp! | December 31, 2006 at 10:35
Absolutely beautiful! Definitely worth the wait if he's wearing it out already! :) Happy New Years!
Posted by: AJ | December 31, 2006 at 18:13
Amazing! It looks so great on him - perfect fit, and just his style too. Wonderful product, Caro dear!
Posted by: Lolly | December 31, 2006 at 18:41
This makes me so glad that I got that book for Christmas. I can't wait to read more of it.
Can you e-mail me when you get a moment? Which TV show are you going to be on? Any word on air date yet? (I'm trying to make sure I have the Tivo set and that I haven't missed it.)
Posted by: Christine | January 01, 2007 at 02:19
Fantastic! It looks absolutely perfect. :)
Posted by: Mandy | January 01, 2007 at 15:43