I think I’ve made the cosiest of jumpers ever!

I love a bit of knit wear.  Nothing can make you feel like you’re being cocooned better than the perfect jumper.(sweater)  I’m constantly on the look out for the knitwear of dreams and I think this comes pretty close.  As I’m mostly at home at the moment, I’m not using my normal run of wool jumpers in the same way.  I don’t always have to feel smart and to be honest I’m not working in the same type of heating as if I was in a class.  Layering is definitely my word of the season.  If I can get a cardi (hello blackwood) over the top of a fine jumper, all the better.  Sometimes though I just want to throw on a soft cuddly top on with my jeans without the layers.

The fabric

We have snow here in the uk and I realised my previous fleecy jumper of dreams really had seen better days.  I needed to feel cocooned in soft warm snugglines.  (There will be many made up words in this post.)  Last year I ordered some Sherpa fleece from Textile Express and when it arrived it was even better than I’d imagined.  Soft, cuddly and light as a feather.  Naturally, I didn’t get around to making it up before the weather changed for the better but this year I was determined to get it made.  Especially when we were promised a little snow.  I get a little excited at the prospect as I love the stuff.

The Pattern

I hunted through my pattern stash and found my simplicity pattern designed in collaboration with sew house 7.  I’ve made this up before and it promised to tick all of my boxes. I checked my pattern against my tatty favorite to compare the sizing and it was just right.  I wanted more of a funnel neck than the pattern offered though, for that full-on snuggle feel.  Rather than use the facing for the neckline I folded in the shaping and left it straight up for the neck. This gave me the soft, roll neck effect.  Except I rarely roll a neck.  The scrunched up neckline makes me feel proper cosy which is added to by the soft folds created in the front neck of the jumper.

Making up

I was going to stitch up the splits but decided to make them shorter by stitching them further down instead.  Mostly because this fabric sticks and catches to other fabrics so I wanted to make sure it could flow over everything rather than get caught up as I’m wearing it.  I put a makers label in the side so that I can be sure I’m putting it on the right way round too.  The splits in the side were eased it out a bit at the hips for softness and to again ease the opportunity of it sticking to whatever I wear it with.

I used a zigzag stitch for most of this alongside the overlocker for finishing.  I think this might have been the first time I considered a coverstich machine would have been nice for hemming but as the stitching sinks into this fabric it was merely a musing.  Seam tape was used on the shoulder seams so that it doesn’t stretch out as it gets worn and pulled off again.  I didn’t use the cuff part of the pattern as I’m only 5’4″ and the sleeves were the perfect length without. I just used a 1cm/1/2″ hem on the sleeves and neck to neaten.

If your thread snaps or shreds as you stich through thicker layers, use a beeswax to condition the end of your thread for threading your machine. This makes it easier to get through the eye of the needle as well as strengthening the thread to begin with.

In the end

I’m really pleased with the way this turned out.  It really is the snuggliest, soft, jumper of dreams.  There’s a little fabric left so I may make something else if I have the right weight of sweatshirting to match it.  I’m going to play in the snow a bit more before it all melts again and we’re back to grey february days.  At least we know that spring is on the way as the shoots start to burst through.