Regular readers are unlikely to have missed the shaggy dog story the story of the secret sweater I was knitting for Lovely Husband’s birthday – which became the not so secret sweater, when I ran our of time and gave it to him, all but finished, in pieces.
Amazingly – where has the time gone? – that was back in April. But the time delay between almost finished and finished hasn’t been down to tardy knitting. It’s the fault of the British weather.
Really it is. I finished knitting the front pretty quickly. If I was to take my own advice, I’d have blocked it in pieces, but, as it was almost summer, the aga was switched off. And, as I live in Britain, our almost summer weather was cold, damp and foggy.
No chance of drying pieces of a thick Aran sweater in that weather – not pinned down to a blocking matt with no warmth in the aga.
So, impatient to finish, I put the sweater together. By the time I’d done that, it was even more almost summer and the weather was even more damp, colder and foggier.
I waited….
and waited….
….and waited.
Finally the weather turned warm enough!
After a gentle blocking, all that was left to do, was to persuade Lovely Husband to model it.

Usain Bolt in Reverse…
And, the obligatory hands on hips pose…
As some of you may have guessed, the sweater is knitted in The Dartmoor Yarn Company’s beautiful Aran Ryeland yarn. But, of course, now we have some summer weather, it’s far too warm for him to wear it.
Oh, hang on, that was last week. This week proper British summer weather is back.
Wow, well worth the wait the jumper is absolutely gorgeous! and lovely wool!
Good heavens! What weather! We have had some overcast mornings, but beautiful sunshine in the afternoons here!
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Oh wow Bekki, that is fantastic! Men and hand knitted jumpers don’t usually go together but this is ‘proper’. Why can’t men ever just smile nicely for the camera though? They always have to start by fooling around! If I was ever going to make a jumper for my husband, it would HAVE to be this one:)
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Hi Bekki! I have nominated you for The Creative Blogger Award and a Blogger Recognition Award! https://shellsandbobbles.com/2016/06/16/blog-awards/
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Hi Bessie, Thank you. that’s very kind of you 🙂
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Most welcome, Bekki 🙂 !
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Beautifully done. And you know he will get plenty of wear out of it.
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Thank you. Yes, we never put our sweaters away for the summer in the UK.
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well worth the wait, it is lovely!!!! And it fits him so well, I am impressed. 🙂
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Thank you. I had my tape measure out several times on the sweaters he already had.
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That looks very good on him 🙂 Kudos for getting it finished and blocked! It’s absolutely gorgeous.
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Thank you 🙂
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A result well worth waiting for 😉 The fit, style and colour suit your hubby so well! A brilliant make and from your own wool too…I suspect it’ll be a winter favourite for many a year 🙂
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Thank you. I hope so.
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Finished and modelled and just wonderful! And in your climate sure to get a lot of wear. Your hubby IS lovely – what a good sport – I love his humour!
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Thank you. I think he rather does like being on the blog – although, of course he’ll deny it.
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Beautiful sweater! It really looks great on him! (Or maybe it’s those poses! Haha) loved the post, loved the poses, love the sweater… And even the weather! Take care, Bekki. 🙂
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Thank you. Ha ha! Yes, he had to do those poses – it looked rubbish when he or it posed normally 😉 You take good care too x
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It looks great – and I’m sure the weather will oblige will more cold and damp so it can be worn 🙂
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That should of course read ” … oblige with more cold …” Obviously I’m up too late, and should be asleep!
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🙂
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Thanks Mary. Yep, definitely a jumper for the British summer 🙂
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Oh, that is one beautiful sweater! And I do love blog photos in which the subjects look like they’re having fun with it. 🙂
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Thank you. I’m never sure if it’s fun or trying to misbehave so much I won’t put him in the blog 😉
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It is an awesome sweater. You did a super job at it. Your yarn is to die for. I love it. And before you know it, it will be cold and foggy and wet again, and the sweater will come to good use. Lovely outside photos, so pretty and green and looks amazingly fresh. 🙂
Weekend is coming. Enjoy!!
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Thank you. And you were right, so cold I’ve lit the fire tonight 😦
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Hope you are staying warm and enjoying the fire. Take care. 🙂
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Thank you. Doing my best – although it’s not so much the unseasonable temperatures that’s miserable, it’s the amount of rain 😦
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Indeed. One can only take so much rain in one season.
“Rain rain, go away! Come again another day!” 🙂 Maybe that will help.
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Actually it has. Not completely, but it’s definitely improved. Thank you 🙂
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Awesome sweater! It looks great on him. I love that he even did the pouty lips “model” pose. Too funny!
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Thank you. Yes, I feel he has a touch of Zoolander 😉
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Yay you finished it! And it looks like it fits a treat – great model poses from LH btw!
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Yay! indeed. Not so sure myself about modelling being his next career move 😉
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This looks lovely. And how fantastic to be knitting it in your own wool.
Def worth the wait
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Thank you 🙂
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It is truly gorgeous and, if it makes you feel any better, I have just returned from a mostly damp week in the U.K. to a mostly damp South of France 😦
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Thank you. No, no better. Would be nice if at least one of use was having some sunshine.
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So well worth the wait Bekki, I imagine he’ll be wanting to wear it today! Your yarn shows up the stitch definition so well and it looks very cosy!
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The yarn really does have wonderful stitch definition 🙂
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It seems that Lovely Hubby is pleased with the sweater, and what a great model he makes. The design is great and it fits so well – plus, it’s a gorgeous shade of blue… Lovely all round, Bekki.
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Thank you. Although, there’d have been trouble if he hadn’t been happy.
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