Dear Readers
Today I want to share with you about my Dad’s Green Jumper
This is a very well loved jumper.
History
My mother knit this jumper for my dad in 1985!
She does not remember if she used a pattern or if she just got instructions from my grandmother about when to begin the shaping and how to do it. It does have an inset sleeve and my mother did take measurements of my dad before she knit it. In fact she used a pre-existing jumper as a template from which to take the measurements. In my opinion this is one of the best ways to knit a garment, by knitting the size to match a garment that you already like to wear.
It was knit as a belated birthday present, well it was intended as a birthday present but it was taking a while to knit so my grandmother helped my mom finish it and it landed up being a belated gift. I include this part because it is in keeping with my mom’s history of knitting. Since I was young I can remember my mom having wrist and hand pain brought on by knitting. Due to the pain my mom would often start knitted projects and then my grandmother would finish them.
My dad loved the jersey and wore it a lot for a very long time.
The Green Jumper and Me
When I was a teenager I took a liking to the jumper and my father was very happy for me to take over ownership of it.
Lessons Learned
This jumper had a very interesting lesson to teach me. And it is about weaving in ends.
As I was preparing to wash the jumper, the other day, I was looking at it inside out and chuckling to myself because there were a lot of ends that had not been woven in. And while I do not plan to stop weaving my ends in I did think that there was something to say for it that this jumper has been around for 37 years and it is still in good condition and it is none the worse for not having the ends woven in. They are just simply knotted together.
Sometimes one feels like one MUST do something the professional way otherwise the garment will be rubbish. But actually although that might be a nicer or neater way of doing it, it doesn’t always mean that the “incorrect” way of doing it will cause the garment to fall apart.
Full Circle
Recently my parents have immigrated to Scotland and their belongings are taking a while to come over by ship. As such I have lent him two jumpers which I have previously “acquired” from him as a teenager. One of them being The Green Jumper. So the jumper has changed hands again and it is still very much loved.
I absolutely love the yarn that my mother used, I think that it is acrylic but I honestly have never found a yarn that is like it. A yarn that has the similar colour marleing and also one that is sort of crinkly/wavy but yet when it is knit up has an almost smooth texture.
Do you also have a beloved knitted/crochet item in your family? Or perhaps one you made for yourself and would like to be an heirloom piece?
Keep Crafty everyone!
Peace and Love
Ellie
xYOOPx 
Wow ! Your mom knit this ! Looking beautiful ! Now you are wearing it! My great grandmother had given me a beautiful jewellery box which is exclusive to me.Well shared.
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Oh my goodness that’s so funny 🤣 thank you for sharing that story.
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My dad’s jumpers are all full of moth holes or rips from gardening. No heirlooms headed my way. When I was young my sister and I used to ask my dad to do his jumper trick. The lights would go out and the static electricity would crackle and pop and flash lights as he removed his jumper. Goodness knows what his shirts and jumper were made of to make such a light show 😂
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I kept one of my mother’s cardigans when she died because it fit me and I love it. I have made as near a copy as I could from 4ply yarn I had (different colour though). Keep putting off sewing it up though because I am really bad at sewing knitting together. Do you think your father’s jumper could be made from what they called crepe yarn? I really liked crepe yarn. Don’t think they make it like that now.
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It’s coming in the container 🎊
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Oh wow! I’d love to see that pattern some time!
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I keep remembering the cardigan I knit just before this one… I wish I had never given it away. It was a work of art and I made the whole thing on my own. I remember my mother commenting that I always choose the hardest projects around. It was a moss stitch, but I chose to knit into the backs of the plain stitch which gave it a twist. Below the waist and the cuffs were button hole stitch to make a lacey effect. I still have the pattern
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