Tomten, I am done with you. I think.

Let it be known that approximately one year after the Great Tomten Disaster of 2007, I finally managed to complete a Tomten. For those of you who do not keep tabs on the ups-and-downs of my knitterly life, the short version is this: I planned to knit two Tomtens, one for each son. One would be light green trimmed in blue, the other would be blue trimmed in light green. I severely underestimated the amount of yarn I needed (KnitPicks Sierra), and just as I realized that I also discovered that KnitPicks had discontinued - and sold out of - those two colors (approximately two weeks after I had just ordered those colors in what I hadn't realized was a closeout sale). But then a very generous soul sent me the yarn in the blue I needed. And I decided to harvest the green from my very first sweater. I got started, but didn't finish before warm weather hit and I lost my enthusiasm. I set it aside for a year and picked it back up last month.

Just in time to complete what shall hereafter be known as the Great Tomten Disaster of 2008. Okay, perhaps "disaster" is a bit of an exaggeration. Given my string of knitting messes lately it might more accurately be labeled "par for the course."

Actually, the Tomten itself is kind of cute.

pattern: Modular Tomten Jacket, Knitting Without Tears, Elizabeth Zimmermann
yarn: Knit Picks Sierra, in Tide and Lettuce - I have no idea how many skeins
needles: size 9 KP Options
cast on: March 2007
finished: March 2008

But the hood ... well, the hood is what could only be described as ginormous.



I'm not sure how it happened, or why I didn't realize it till I was done, or if anything could be done at this point to correct it. I modified the pattern for the bulky yarn I was using but perhaps I didn't modify the hood enough? Who knows - I did that part over a year ago. At any rate, by the time I was done with this one, I was too disgusted to pick up the other one and finish it for Tiny Dancer. I need to do major recalculating first. Perhaps next March?

I didn't bother adding a zipper, because I figured it wasn't going to get any wear. But then we did this photo shoot. And 43 shots later, I realized something - it actually looks kind of cute on him, ridiculous hood notwithstanding. So I may go back and add a closure after all (current thinking: an added i-cord buttonhole, like this one).

But for now, I leave you with a whole lotta pictures.