It's Done, It's Given!

And it fits!

Yes, at last, my trim- athletic- dad's Cabled Jacket is done and in the hands of its rightful owner. And gratifyingly appreciative hands they are, too.

Why did I never think, all these years, to make my dad a sweater? (Other than because of the obvious hole in my head, that is?) I guess it just never crossed my mind that he would like to have a handknit sweater. Thank goodness he eventually dropped a mild hint or two, and the light dawned.

I'm so glad that it came out all right and that Dad is pleased with his custom- made sweater. It really is all his own. I used the Cable Jacket pattern in Rowan's Knitting for Him book as a jumping off point, but changed a *lot.* The original pattern is a blazer with notched lapels, set-in sleeves, and an asymmetric cable design in wildly different scales on the left and right sides. I did use the same aran-weight Rowan Scottish Tweed yarn and basic rope-and-moss-filled-diamond cable motif. But my version is a button-up jacket with dropped shoulders, fold-over collar, and a tidily symmetric cable design. So it's one of a kind, just for my dad. Being able to do that really is one of the beauties of our craft, isn't it?

I used US size 9 (5.5 mm) needles, going up a notch as usual to get gauge. I think I used about 10 skeins of the Scottish Tweed, as I have a little more than 2 skeins left over. The yarn in the aran weight has recently been discontinued, I believe. It's a shame, because it makes a nice rustic, masculine sweater without being too heavy (not that I expect to see my dad wearing it in the hot July weather around here, still).

I also used the commod- ious inset pockets from the original pattern. I like those a lot, though I agonized over the placement, given all the changes I was making in style, length, and sizing.

In fact, when I make major changes from a pattern, I pretty much agonize over every decision. I don't know why the stakes seem so much higher then. After all, even if I follow a designer's pattern faithfully, it could easily go wrong in some way and not fit or not look right. Ah, but then it wouldn't be entirely my own fault, would it?

But when I muck up a pattern or dream one up on my own and it goes right, there's nothing to beat it. And this one? It's done! It worked! It fits!

And don't I feel clever. And relieved. :)