Finished Object Friday: The Urban Aran

I've not knitted an adult sized item in, well, maybe 22 years. It's funny how knitting fell by the wayside, especially it occupying such a prominent position when I was a teenager. Was it that knitting fell out of fashion in the 90s? Was it that my last completed jumper just wasn't right (it's still sitting in my wardrobe, I can't bear to get rid of it, and won't wear it because it's all wrong)? Or was it that other things too over?

I restarted knitting when pregnant with Cubling. Like many do. Knitting for little ones is just a nice start, and it was actually a knitted duck that I saw in a shop which got me going (made for my nephew who was due 12 weeks before my own first born). The inspiration provided by a knitting friend was also not to be underestimated (you know who you are!). So I knitted blankets, hats, cardigans, soft toys. Most of the patterns in my favourites still are of that calibre, because my knitting time is still rather limited. Then I was given yarn which had been lying in some cupboard waiting to be knitted into a cardigan. After this friend had her second baby, she decided it wasn't going to happen and gave me the yarn. And, considering Mr Cartside has been a bit short changed in most of my knitting frenzy (he didn't get more than a mere pair of socks so far) it seemed only fair that the yarn should be made into a cardigan or jumper for him.

I trailed Ravelry for a pattern that I liked, that he liked. It struck me that there was very little in the line of jumpers/cardigans for men, and those that I found, well, they weren't my cuppa. Eventually, I stumbled across, the one and only, it was oh so perfect - we both loved it, the yarn was the right weight, and Jared Flood had adapted it. Ok, the latter had nothing to do with the whole thing, but somehow getting knit designer celebrity endorsement doesn't do much harm. Our minds were set on the Urban Aran, version Jared Flood.

Then I realised that the original pattern (from Paton's Street Smart booklet) was out of print and that Jared Flood's notes on how he adapted it were useless without the original pattern. Not one to despair I explored all resources at hand, the wonderful internet, and the wonderful people on the internet who are total strangers, and oh so generous. So in the end, I got my hand on the pattern. 7 months later, here it is - with zip, collar that could be a tad longer and sleeves that could be a tad shorter, but hey, it's not that bad. Oh yeah, and I adapted the pattern too, I always do a little bit. The pattern itself is quite easy once you get into it, though it needs a bit of attention paying (I didn't and made a few tiny mistakes).

Sorry for the quality of the photos, we're down to snapshots these days of PhD writing up and toddling little ones which translates to being with the kids by myself .most of the time and as a consequence not managing to take great photos.