Lion Brand Notebook ®
This CAL has just flown by! This jacket has been fun and challenging at the same time for myself and many of you. Last week I worked the collar, and I’m glad I used markers to help me evenly space the stitches around the neck. After I worked the collar, I wove in all my ends and washed it inside-out, on gentle cycle, in my washing machine. I just let it air-dry and I’m amazed how much nicer a garment looks after it has been washed — after you finish any project, it’s always a good idea to wash it, since it’s been handled a lot during the making process. I used Vanna’s Choice and Vanna’s Glamour which I could easily wash in my machine. Just make sure to always check the label on your particular yarn for washing and drying instructions so that you may “ooh” and “ahh” after you clean your jacket for the first time!
While the jacket was drying, I decided to make the buttons. Below are the three types I made before I decided on which one to make 2 more times. The button on the bottom is one strand of each of the yarns I used with the size J hook called for in the pattern. You can see the size of these buttons compared to the quarter. Depending on what yarn you used for your jacket, the self-made buttonholes created by the ch-1 spaces are going to be larger or smaller than the same fabric created with another yarn.
I tested my button with my jacket and realized that the buttons would be a tight fit to get through the hole. So, I made a smaller button (in the middle) with 2 strands of Vanna’s Glamour and an F hook. This button fit through the hole, but I think it would have “popped” out while the jacket was being worn – and it looked a little small. I then made a button with 3 strands of Vanna’s Glamour and the original J hook creating a larger, and very shiny button! This seemed to go through the hole with a little squeeze, but my daughter almost always wears her jackets open. So, we decided on the “glam” button on the top.
Of, course you have all sorts of options when it comes to buttons. If you want the fabric buttons, but can’t get them through the hole, you could sew them to the front of the right side of your jacket and sew snaps on the fabric underneath. Or you could purchase buttons and if you want to make the buttonhole more apparent and reinforce it, you can just stitch around the openings of your buttonhole with a single strand of yarn. Remember the swatch you made in the beginning? I always keep mine nearby while I make a project, but you can also use it to practice stitching to make a buttonhole, rather than practicing on the jacket. That way you can see if you like it, and if your button will fit through the hole.
Well, the only thing left to do was to get my youngest daughter to try it on! The jacket shimmers — and she shines, too!
I have had a great time making this jacket with so many of you and I hope you have enjoyed making it as well. Remember that you can still read all the posts, questions and responses to this CAL on the “Crochet-Along” link on the right side of the Lion Brand Blog. Thank you all for joining and keep those updates and pictures coming!
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Lisa Hemphill
Wow, Heather, that jacket looks fantastic! I hope mine will turn out looking just as gorgeous. I am on the second sleeve for the THIRD time. Can’t seem to get it to look like the first one but it seems to be shaping up better this time. I guess ‘third time is the charm’. Hopefully, I will be putting it together some time this weekend after blocking. Thanks for the support you have given all of us and I have learned alot.
Patricia Rando
Can someone please email me the pattern for the Moderne Jacket Crochet-along? My email address is Pat.Rando@fmr.com…
Much appreciation…
Patricia
Zontee says: Hi Patricia, the pattern is available for sale on LionBrand.com. Click here to see the pattern details page.
Jennifer
Beautiful and your daughter is such a great model. Nice work.
Leslie
I’m not done with my sweater but decided to take a detour and crochet the buttons. I couldn’t really get them to lie flat — they keep going back to a half-dome shape. Are they supposed to be flat, or somewhat dome-like or round and thick? BTW, this is my first CAL and first time making a sweater! It has been so fun to be part of this group and SOOO helpful to read all the great advice that everyone’s been giving!
Christina
Very pretty!
Vicki V
Hello all – glad to hear all the success stories and advice. I am nearly finished – all of the pieces sewn together – just the collar, button holes and buttons to do. Heather – your jacket came out beautifully and looks great on your daughter.
I plan to finish this weekend. I ended up splitting some Vanna Yarn from 4 ply to 2 ply for the sewing – just could not find a needle with a big enough eye to get the thread through. Helped add to the invisibility of the seams and I certainly think it will be strong enough.
I think I am going to do the same for the buttons, split the vanna yarn to 2-ply (pain tho it is) and work that with one strand of vanna glamour to make the buttons somewhat smaller since that has seemed to be an issue for multiple folks. I have that and the collar left to do, plus will try to reinforce the button holes practicing on the swatch first until I am happy with the result. These button holes were the only part of the pattern that truly confused me – other posted comments have been very helpful in figuring it out.
I ended up using Vanna’s Choice in Honey and Vanna’s Glamour in Topaz. The result is a beautiful golden jacket, but I somehow made it too small for myself – so it will be a birthday gift for my mother-in-law this Easter Sunday, perfectly timed. She loves glam and I think she will like it a lot. I will upload a picture to this site when I finish. Then decide if I will make myself one and go through all the color choices again.
tibulette
Hello
I’m a french woman and I’ve just seen the modele “moderne jacket”
Could you help me : were can I find this pattern ?
Sincerely yours
tibulette@free.fr
Zontee says: Bonjour Tibulette, the pattern is available for sale on LionBrand.com. Click here to see the pattern details page.
Diane
I have finished my jacket and I love it. It is a little tight for me so I am giving it to my daughter. She hasn’t tried it yet as she has THE FLU. I have started another one for myself in the next size larger and in the same colors as I love the charcoal and chocolate combination. We just will have to be sure we don’t wear them at the same time. It has been such a fun project, challenging, but not so much as I gave up. This was my first CAL, but I will be doing the next one. When is it?
Zontee says: Hi Diane, glad you enjoyed the CAL! Our next project is a knit-along, starting in May, but our next crochet-along will be sometime in the summer. Hope you’ll join then!
Shannon Wells
At long last, the sweater is completely finished, well except for a reoccurring problem with the yarn coming undone at one end of a sleeve, and I have posted a picture of me waring it on my blog
oldtimechristian.blogspot.com
If you get a chance, go check it out. Or, if you click on my name and it takes you to my website, there’s a link on there titled My Blog and you can see it then. The blog post is called, My New Sweater. Let me know what you think. This was a fun cal.
Zontee says: Hi Shannon, I just checked out your jacket and it looks great! Wonderful job! Glad you had fun, and hope you’ll join us for the next one!
Inge Schultz
I finished the jacket. I was mystified as to the pattern stitch, but have now realized that it depends on the number of decreases made and where you start your sc2tog at the beginning of each row. I ended up with two types of stitches on my jacket and posted it on the Flickr group. My jacket ended up a size smaller, but this is due to crocheting tighter then what I should of done. This jacket reminds me of the 70’s or early 40’s bolero style jacket with cord hooks for buttons, so I chain 14 and attached with two sc into the jacket on the verticle stitch. My buttons ended up to a size 2 inch diameter, which fits the chain chord I made. This jacket is a lot heavier then what I anticipated, so I would like to do a lighter jacket using one strand instead of 2.
Shannon Wells
Zontee, thanks for checking it out! I found out when going to fix that seam that came undone that yet another one had broken. So, maybe I don’t know how to knot very well. LOL btw, I’ve listened to a few of the Yarn Craft episodes and enjoy them!
Wendy Black
Hi Heather,
I am glad for you and for the others for whom this jacket worked out. This is my first crochet-along, and given my level of frustration, it may well be my last. I have worked many hours on this over the last weeks. At one point, I completed the back, but I had to rip it out. I have started, and ripped out at least 5 or 6 times. Why? I can’t get the pattern stitch right. As I explained to the flickr group, crocheting is easy, in terms of the sequence of yarning over and pulling up loops. The hard part is where to insert the hook. I have found this part of it more thoroughly addressed on ravelry and flickr than I have here. And frankly, Heather, this is the site where it’s someone’s job to address it. The stitch pattern description for sc2tog on this website is not adequate because it does not address exactly where to insert the hook when the previous row was in the sc2tog pattern. I have been for weeks starting my sc2tog in the wrong place at the beginning of a row. At least, I think so, I may be going down another blind alley. I have found no reliable illustrations, you have not made a video tutorial, even though looking at the early posts, there was a lot of confusion about this and many other issues, that you could have cleared up with a simple step-by-step video (see the videos at knittinghelp.com). At times, you misunderstood or over-simplified what commenters were asking for help with, and other CALers had to write in and help out. It seems that in crochet, there is inconsistent terminology used to describe the mechanics of the stitching. Instead of using this CAL experience to simplify, clarify, and provide unmistakeable illustrations to correlate with uniform terminology, your over-simplififed verbal instructions (absent video or illustrations) only minimally illuminated the murky convolutions of this pattern. Overall, I have found this to be an extremely frustrating experience, and despite a great deal of effort, so far, I have nothing to show for it. I can’t imagine you’ll relish reading my harsh criticism, but I have tried to make it direct so it will have an impact, specific enough to provide a direction for future improvement. Judging by the comments, many people have either been able to figure it all out, or have worked out something they can live with, and the rest are politely quiet. I am not being quiet, because I want to motivate improvement for the the future.
I hope future CALs have more to offer.
WendyBee
Heather says: “Hi, Wendy – Thank you for your comments and I’m sorry you have had problems with making the jacket. I understand that it can be extremely frustrating when you can’t get a skill down or understand what is meant by certain terms in a pattern. As the host, I try to explain the best way I can to do a certain technique, and as a pattern writer and designer also try to explain as clearly as possible about how to make a project along with clarifying the technique.
This Crochet Along is a forum for many to make the same project at the same time and to help each other along the way. As the host, I try to explain and clarify what I can to help out – please know that I am making the project for the first time along with the rest of you. So, rather than this being a tutorial, it is a “Crochet Along” where many of us are working on a project that people voted for. One goal of the CAL is to have others step in, and help with the selected project. I also want you to know that Lion Brand is always there with additional help available from support@lionbrand.com and/or our pattern help call-in line 800-705-8636. Lion Brand will certainly keep in mind the idea of creating videos for the next KAL/CAL. Thank you again for your feedback, Wendy. I encourage you to come back and try the CAL/KAL experience again.”
Penny
I have completed the jacket with the exception of the button holes. I have made the buttons however the directions for the button holes is not clear. I see a lot of pictures of this jacket posted however most does not include the buttons. I think the jacket looks better with the buttons or at least one button. So Heather, can you please explain how to create the button holes. As you might guess, I am new to crochet however I managed to finish the jacket, way too small however, so Im going to give it to a co-worker.
Heather says: “Hi, Penny – Those buttonholes are “self-made” and are created by the pattern itself. However, you can either whip-stitch, blanket-stitch, or do a single crochet around each hole to accentuate the location of the buttonhole. Sometimes I make a little swatch of the fabric first and try out the technique on the swatch rather than the sweater to see what looks good. Hope this helps you and congratulations on finishing the jacket!”
Ellie
Hi Heather,
I’m just seeing your sweater for the first time this evening, and I think it’s lovely!