Rosemary's Swing Jacket

Could it be? A finished object?

After many many months of looking for my knitting mojo, I may have at least found the mojo's legs for the time being and finished a project that actually fits, and that I actually like. Hurrah!


Project Details
Pattern: Rosemary's Swing Jacket, by Cathy Carron. Featured in Interweave Knits Winter 2007. For those on ravelry, the link is here

Yarn: Heirloom Merino Magic in a dark purply/plum colour. The yarn required by the pattern was a 10 ply yarn, which I wasn't able to find enough of in my LYS (they only had 6 balls of the plum colour) so I substituted with a DK weight yarn (and therefore changed the gauge), figuring that since it was a raglan top down, I could modify and alter as I went along. I was right ;)


The Merino Magic was lovely to knit with, but at times I would find bits of straw throughout it which I have never encountered with this particular yarn. It may have just been a spodgy batch, but I thought I'd let you know. Also, the yarn likes to attract things - magic dust, strange splodges, so it might require quite a bit of care in the long term!

Needles: Denise interchangeable circulars size US7s for the main body, and 5.5mm dpns for the sleeves.

Comments and modifications: The pattern is very easy to follow, and as it is a top down raglan, very easy to modify as you go along according to how you want your fit and length. I pretty much followed the pattern, though I did start off with a few less stitches than required as the smallest size listed was still too big for me.

I also ended my sleeves at 3/4, partly because I was afraid I wouldn't have enough yarn for full length, but also because I generally like 3/4 sleeves of swing coats and jackets anyways. I also cast off tight to get a little "bubble sleeve" which I had seen and liked on the Minimalist Cardigan.


I also didn't like the way the jacket hung on the original model, so I decided to make mine "double breasted" so that the hem edge would hang in line both front and back rather than drape. I prefer it that way as I think it looks neater.

And to top it off, I added a little bit of my own personality and put a little bow on the neck edge. I like whimsical and cute, and it definitely helped it become just that.