Last fall, I finally got around to making my daughter the Rug Me Up Hooded Jacket, by Victoria Russell. I really like how it came out. It fits my little girl very well, even though it still has room for her to grow.
Where the pattern name says "jacket," it really means that, despite using DK weight yarn and an eyelet pattern, because the jacket is intended to be hip-length--a few inches longer than I would expect from a toddler or infant sweater. I used Berroco's Vintage DK to make it, which I really love. It feels like it has alpaca in it, even though it's an acrylic/wool/nylon blend.
The pattern stitch is what originally drew me to the pattern. It's a ten-row repeat that features twisted stitches and yarn overs. While not difficult, the number of stitches on your needle changes over the course of each repeat, which can make tracking down errors and keeping track of shaping a little tricky if you count after the wrong rows.
My only real criticism of this pattern is one of phrasing. Part of the pattern stitch involves (p 1, sl 1, k2tog, psso), but that row is followed by a note that, when you go from the p 1 to the sl 1, you are supposed to move the yarn from front to back OVER the needle, creating a yarn over. I think it would have been much clearer simply to say (p 1, yo, sl 1, k 2tog, psso) in the first place. I get why Ms. Russell didn't write it that way, but I disagree with that decision.
The pattern offers five sizes, ranging from newborn to 24 months. I did the 6-12 month size. You start at the bottom and work up to the armholes, then work the first little bit of the fronts and back separately, with your other stitches on holders. When the body is ready for the yoke, you set it aside and make the sleeves from the cuff up to the armholes. The pattern gives you the option of a ribbed or garter stitch cuff and of making the sleeve in stockinette or with a panel of the pattern stitch up the middle to the shoulder. Since the bottom and plackets of the jacket are worked in garter, I chose garter for the cuffs. I was also eager to finish the project by the time I got to the sleeves, so I opted for the plain, stockinette version, which I also think ties in well with the stockinette hood.
Once you've made the sleeves, you arrange them on the needle between the fronts and back and join it all together to make the yoke. Once the yoke decreases down to the neck, you increase again to make the hood. I used a three-needle bind off to finish the hood, rather than bind off and sew a seam. Once it's all said and done, there sleeve and underarm seams to sew, but that's it.
The pattern is well-written and pretty clear. However, the pattern is not row-by-row. As you work the body, fronts, and yoke, for instance, you have to keep track of measurements on the plackets, because you place buttonholes every so many centimeters, and that instruction is provided BEFORE the pattern glossary. Shaping instructions are provided by row, though, which is helpful. If you are an American, you do have to remember that measurements in this pattern are given in centimeters, not inches.
Overall, I really enjoyed this pattern. I love how it came out, and I look forward to trying some of Ms. Russell's other patterns.
This post has been linked to HIH, Busy Monday, Senior Salon, Inspire Me Monday, WITS, Wonderful Wednesday, The Stitchin' Mommy, Thursday Favorite Things, and Create-It!
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