Margaret Tudor

Margaret Tudor was officially completed on the morning of December 31, 2019. I wore it to Rathdrum Knitting Group later that day.

Pattern: Margaret Tudor from Tudor Roses, First Edition by Alice Starmore.

Yarn: Palette from KnitPicks
Content: 100% Wool, Fingering weight
Color: Iris Heather

Needles: Circular size 2

Started: January 30, 2019

Knitting Finished: August 8, 2019
Completed: December 31, 2019

Comments: This was a very challenging and fun project. It has 16 different panels that are sewn together. I'm so happy with how it's turned out, thrilled that it actually fits me, and super proud of myself for doing it. I like the yarn okay, though I'd be happier if it was a superwash wool, but I could not find a color I liked. I chose the Palette because I like the Iris Heather. I bought 10 skeins of it, and have 3 and a half skeins left over. I overbought since I was altering it. I didn't quite know how much extra I'd need, and didn't want to run out before the sweater was finished.

Another thing I should mention is I could have had this finished sooner than I did. I actually finished the knitting and blocking in August. But I needed a break, and stuff entered my life that kept me pretty busy for awhile. The North Idaho State Fair, Christmas knitting, and whatnot. I decided to put aside for a couple months or so.

This pattern only goes up to size large and I wear 3XL. I had to figure out how to enlarge it so it would fit me. My arms are 2 inches shorter than the average too. Somehow, I managed to do the math correctly.

Chart A, Thistle pattern

If you want to knit 3XL: For the body I put the alterations in the 4 side panels. I cast on 107 sts. Knit 6 and 1/2 repeats of chart B. Knit chart A as written in pattern. I knit the center and Rose panels as written. I started the armholes 1 inch lower so it would be 10 inches.

Chart B, Diamonds and Bobbles

For the sleeves I put the alterations in the side panels. Add 6 stitches to the cast on (60), putting them in chart B, and knit the decreases as written in the pattern. You should have 6 extra stitches at the end of the sleeve. This will add the extra width needed for the lowered armhole. The center rose panel is knit as written. That's all there is to it.

Chart C, Rose panel.

I originally was going to use beads instead of buttons, but I changed my mind. Beads didn't strike me as being a good match with the color of the yarn I used. So I went with buttons. I blogged about them around the time I bought them, but I'll repeat some of it here.

This sweater has 56 pewter buttons on it. That is a lot of buttons. Pewter buttons are not cheap. My husband is not employed at the moment, and is in fact a student working on his Masters in Computer Science, so spending a couple hundred dollars or more on the buttons was not going to happen. I Googled and found something that worked out so well. A web site for a Chinese seller of buttons, among other things. It's called 8 Seasons. I spent $8.00 for these buttons. $2.30 of that was shipping. I had to wait a few weeks for the order to arrive, and I was a little concerned that I'd wasted my money, because usually prices that cheap mean quality worth nothing. However, when they arrived I was pleasantly surprised. The quality is excellent, and the buttons are wonderful. I am very happy with the purchase.

Sleeve and Shoulder

If I were to knit this again, there are a couple things I would do different. One, instead of all that seed stitch and double seed stitch, I would do purls so the cables and twisted stitches would stand out better. You can hardly see all the bobbles I made in the diamond pattern sections, though they are more visible in person than in the pictures.

Two, I would add about 4 inches to the length because it's a loose fitting tunic and I just think it would look better a little longer.

Having said that, here is a picture of me wearing Margaret. It was taken by my friend Barb with my phone.

I had a nice Christmas and New Years. I'll talk about them in my next post. Until then,

Live long and prosper. \\//