Just yesterday, our family was talking about a "glass half empty" person, when son the second piped up that he had never understood that saying. Shouldn't you ask what's in the glass before you decide whether a half glass is positive or negative? he asked. For example, he always thinks that if the glass were filled with poison --which he was expected to drink--then a half empty glass would be a GOOD thing. A half glass of water, is neutral: just a glass with liquid halfway between the bottom and the top. Half a glass of soda pop is not so good as a full one.
As usual, we were silenced and completely forgot what we had been yakking about when presented with this take on things. I probably won't so easily throw that expression into a conversation ever again.
What does this have to do with a baby sweater? Well, it's an empty sweater.
As I was trying to take a photograph, I was wishing I had a cute toddler to stuff inside and thus show off the cut of the hood, the subtle color, the way the tassel hangs down in the back.
I wanted a filled sweater.
Then I remembered how hard it is to make a toddler do anything, least of all put something on (especially a hood) and stop moving for 1/60th of a second. So maybe taking a photo of toddler sweater with no toddler inside is a good thing.
This is one of those projects that turned out well, but when it came time to give it as a new baby present, it just didn't seem finished enough. I think that's because nothing ever seems perfect enough for a new baby, and having just held the lovely recipient, it seemed even more inadequate. But, just like a full glass of soda-pop, I'm sure that once it is filled with a lovely child, it will finally be perfect.
How-to Notes:
I re-fashioned this a while ago from a women's cashmere sweater that had ripped at the V-neck.
I used the basic 2918 Kwik-Sew knit top pattern and drafted my own hood pattern. Instead of a body hem, I use the bottom ribbing. The sleeves are supposed to have sewn on ribbing. I taped the wristband pattern to the bottom of the sleeve pattern (overlapping the seam allowance) and smoothed the angles down to the sweater ribbing. Embroidery before sewing. I made the hood first and sewed the front edge with a 4mm double needle for a nice, stretchy finish. The double needle sewing worked so well that I decided to use the same technique for all the seams since I don't have a serger. A tassel is mandatory. In fact, with only a baby and the tassel, it would be perfect.
