Makings from the Madhouse: Star Wars Jumper

Finally earlier this week i finished the long awaited Star wars Jumper for Paul, who absolutely loved it!!!!!
I have been working on it on and off since August, with a bit of unpick and redo with a different pattern in the middle.

This has been a jumper of firsts, i have never knitted an adult jumper as i always felt they would take to long based on the time it takes me to knit a baby jumper! Knitting takes sooo much longer than Crochet but i really felt like i wanted to do something to challenge me, which happens every so often and lets face it that's how we learn something new. I have been knitting properly for about 10 years now. I did start knitting initially when i was about 15 and my mum was knitting some cardigans for my soon to be born niece and i asked if i could try, so she let me have a go at the sleeve, which did not go well, the stitches on each row varied so much that it had to be scrapped. It wasn't till a couple of years before by son was born that i had another go when knitting first became popular again with funky fur! and people were knitting scarfs made of it, I was on a visit home from Northern Ireland where i was living at the time, and i asked my mum to show me again. I remember sitting in the ferry from Larne to Fleetwood patiently knitting a black funky fur scarf, every row being a knit row, thinking about it i wonder what ever happened to that scarf as i don't usually like throwing out things i have made and i remember being so proud of it!. Anyway after that i made another few things out of funky fur, including a little bag that Molly uses to this day, but that was it till i fell Pregnant with Ewan and then i made a jumper, hat and booties that were just knit stitch again and he never wore as it was so hot when he was born and in fact that whole summer following was really warm, so now those items are used by Molly for her dolls. After that i wanted to further my skills and knitted a lace pattern wrap and lace pattern top for me that i never worn as it was to small, then a cable knit jumper for Ewan, then a toddler, but i ran out of wool with half a sleeve left and couldn't get any more!!!! So it wasn't till i was pregnant with molly that i got started again by making a blanket and little cardigans and matinee jacket, that i finally felt i had a success, since then i have knitted lots of little baby bits and bobs and seen my skills increase.

So anyway i digressed a bit there... but i have never knit on circular needles before as i thought it would be difficult, but no, its so much easier and looks so much neater, than having to sew up the sides. The color work i have tried before, when making the star wars hats last Christmas. But i googled and learn't from the mistakes i had made and discovered how to make it better and neater.

The basic jumper pattern i used was http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/0-812-mens-jumper-with-pattern-and-shawl-collar which i found on ravelry, then i looked up some star wars patterns which i found in few different places, but unfortunately copied, pasted and can't find now to give credit to, but it was a mix for different patterns i found after googling.

This was the original pattern i was following, but i soon realize that it included to many colors for me to work with and it didn't look great so as i wasn't 100 % happy with it i re worked the pattern