A Knitting Post
GUYS GUYS LOOK AT THIS GODDAMN SWEATER.
Before starting this project I had never before a) knitted a full size sweater OR b) improvised my own design. But I knew I REALLY REALLY wanted to make a Batgirl sweater, and I knew I wanted it to be Steph's Batgirl, and I couldn't for the life of me find either a pullover-with-hood design or a pullover with side panels like I wanted - I specifically didn't want a seam up the side. So I made it up, and there were a lot of rips and re-dos.
The purple (not eggplant, because despite what Steph's said, no one's ever drawn her with an aubergine coloured costume) side panels were knitted in stocking stitch with regularly paced purl lines (if I was to do it again, I'd make those strips a little thicker) from the base and wrist and joined with a three-needle cast on at the top. Then the black lateral arms and front and back panels were knitted up, then sewn to the purple with the top still live, then the whole thing was knitted up in the round from there, with only the ears knitted separately.
The logo is lower than I'd instinctively put it because I wanted to get all the intarsia work don on the flat panel, but actually that worked out fine because Steph's logo is over her boobs and not where my chest is (perky teenage boobs that she has). as drawn in Steph's book seems to alternate between a solid yellow version of Cass' long tailed design and Babs' long oval, but I went for Babs' because I seems to be the most constant. Anyway, the costume has more in common with Babs' suit in the most important element I wanted to include, and my very reason for wanting a Batgirl jumper to start with.
See, the problem with having long hair, is that it really doesn't go with hoods. You can either tuck it down your back, which is uncomfortable and irritating, or you can bundle it out the front, which ruins the lines and pushes the hood back far too often. Every time people complain about the Bat women and their hair-out-the-back style, I wonder if they've ever tired wearing a hood with long hair. Sure, the girls could wear it short like Cass and occasionally Steph, but I don't plan to do that yet. So - hair hole. Seriously, more hoodies should have 'em.
AND THAT'S A THING I DID. I made it out of very very cheap acrylic yarn from Michaels, because it's experimental, and oh boy is that ever hot now - I wear it for too long and I sweat like a pig inside it. But the whole thing cost me about $8 in yarn and that's including way more yellow and purple than I needed, and now I have a thing. That I created with my own creativity.
Also, with much much nicer yarn, I made this:
Because that's what friends are for? Jim gave me the pattern a while ago. Though it called for green yarn, I thought 'to heck with that' and found some absolutely gorgeous red and black wool. Which I have some of left over, and I have very selfish plans for that (muahaha).
Before starting this project I had never before a) knitted a full size sweater OR b) improvised my own design. But I knew I REALLY REALLY wanted to make a Batgirl sweater, and I knew I wanted it to be Steph's Batgirl, and I couldn't for the life of me find either a pullover-with-hood design or a pullover with side panels like I wanted - I specifically didn't want a seam up the side. So I made it up, and there were a lot of rips and re-dos.
The purple (not eggplant, because despite what Steph's said, no one's ever drawn her with an aubergine coloured costume) side panels were knitted in stocking stitch with regularly paced purl lines (if I was to do it again, I'd make those strips a little thicker) from the base and wrist and joined with a three-needle cast on at the top. Then the black lateral arms and front and back panels were knitted up, then sewn to the purple with the top still live, then the whole thing was knitted up in the round from there, with only the ears knitted separately.
The logo is lower than I'd instinctively put it because I wanted to get all the intarsia work don on the flat panel, but actually that worked out fine because Steph's logo is over her boobs and not where my chest is (perky teenage boobs that she has). as drawn in Steph's book seems to alternate between a solid yellow version of Cass' long tailed design and Babs' long oval, but I went for Babs' because I seems to be the most constant. Anyway, the costume has more in common with Babs' suit in the most important element I wanted to include, and my very reason for wanting a Batgirl jumper to start with.
See, the problem with having long hair, is that it really doesn't go with hoods. You can either tuck it down your back, which is uncomfortable and irritating, or you can bundle it out the front, which ruins the lines and pushes the hood back far too often. Every time people complain about the Bat women and their hair-out-the-back style, I wonder if they've ever tired wearing a hood with long hair. Sure, the girls could wear it short like Cass and occasionally Steph, but I don't plan to do that yet. So - hair hole. Seriously, more hoodies should have 'em.
AND THAT'S A THING I DID. I made it out of very very cheap acrylic yarn from Michaels, because it's experimental, and oh boy is that ever hot now - I wear it for too long and I sweat like a pig inside it. But the whole thing cost me about $8 in yarn and that's including way more yellow and purple than I needed, and now I have a thing. That I created with my own creativity.
Also, with much much nicer yarn, I made this:
Because that's what friends are for? Jim gave me the pattern a while ago. Though it called for green yarn, I thought 'to heck with that' and found some absolutely gorgeous red and black wool. Which I have some of left over, and I have very selfish plans for that (muahaha).