Poppy Fade

November 11, 2019














The picture above was taken at the Children's Discovery Museum in San Jose where they have a retired fire truck the children can play in. Carter was in heaven! While walking around the museum, several mothers asked me where I got his sweater. When I told them I made it they asked if I did commissions! I do not! Well, it is a very handsome sweater and really does stand out, so I can see why they would want one. Lucky for you and me, we knit, so you can make one too. Here's how:

The pattern is the free Flax Light from Tin Can Knits. It comes in sizes from newborn to XLL adult. I made this with oddments of sock yarns and Madeline Tosh Unicorn Tails left over from an abandoned scarf project. 

Here's how I did the fade: Start by gathering colors and placing them in an order that is pleasing, allowing that you may have to abandon and/or add colors as the knitting progresses. Originally I had quite a few pale and medium pinks in the mix but I had to leave them out because the bolder colors were looking best. With your first color, knit until you are approximately two-thirds finished with it, or until you want to change colors. Then at the BOR, add color #2 alternating every other row with color #1 until color #1 is done. Knit with color #2 until it is two-thirds finished and then introduce color #3. Continue adding colors in this way. I did the sleeves last: take the remaining yarns and weigh each and divide them in half. In this way you'll be able to have matching sleeves. The two pictures below show the colors best. There are hot pinks, purples, reds, wines, burgundys, browns and grays. When I ran out of those I added gold at the sleeve cuffs. I think I used at least 18 colors with some having only a few yards. Lots of ends to weave in but I don't mind that.

Fades and stripes are a good way to use up wee bits of yarn and combined with the free Flax pattern, you'll end up with a free sweater! Even though this sweater thoroughly busted my Unicorn Tail collection I've still got some blacks and grays and gold fingering weights I'm playing with for my next toddler fade. Dramatic!

I made the size four for my two year old grandson and I feel this sweater runs a bit small. The neck is too wide for my taste and can look sloppy on a little one. I knew this from previous Flax experience and while I thought I made a correction this time by casting on for the next smaller size, it was not enough of a correction and could be smaller. If you do cast on less stitches to get a smaller neck, you will somehow have to get the stitches back. Here's how I added the stitches back: after the ribbing was finished, I knit a row, still with the smaller needles, and in this row I added them by using a M1 at even intervals. It's easy and as long as you don't have to add too many, it is not noticeable at all.  After the fact, if the neck is loose, you can always crochet an edging and that will tighten it up. I may do that with this sweater although it's not really that loose.





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7 Comments

  1. I love the sweater. Your grandson is absolutely adorable
    Lori

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love this sweater. I agree with you as to wide necklines, I don't care for them either. After you cast on with a smaller amount of stiches for the neck, did you then increase to the original amount of stitches in the pattern for the rest of the sweater. I absolutely love the colors you picked, and the little guy wearing the sweater is adorable. Suzanne

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! Yes, I did add the stitches back in this way: after the ribbing was finished, I knit a row, still with the smaller needles, and in this row I added them by using a M1 at even intervals. It's easy and as long as you don't have to add too many, it is not noticeable at all. I think I'll edit mu post above to include this info.

      Delete
    2. I rewrote my post above and also added these notes to my Ravelry page.

      Delete
  3. My favorite so far! Little boys and shades of red go together. It is such an energetic color. And all the other "fades" add even more energy plus a dash of sophistication. You can be smug that this a one-of-a-kind and made just for him! (Sorry about the neckline - although it looks okay and may even grow with him better.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes! I hadn't thought that the reason red looks so good on little boys is because they are both so energetic! Red is an active color and little boys are certainly active!

      Delete

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