Elliphantom Knits: Finished: Elliot's Snowy Tomten

Gah! January is getting away from me! It's time to get this crazy parade of FOs started.

I'm dreaming of a white Tomten

The Specs:
Pattern: Tomten, by Elizabeth Zimmermann {ravelink}
Yarn: Jo-Ann Sensations Dolcetto (54% wool, 24% nylon, 22% cotton)
Needles: Size 9
Start to finish: February 25 - December 24, 2008
For: My nephew, Elliot (who I like to pretend is named after me)

Hello, I am impossibly blonde

Notes:

There isn't anything particularly remarkable about this Tomten except that I, a convicted color-abuser, chose to forgo all garish-striping opportunities and knit a plain white sweater. All I can say is that I found the buttons first and it just seemed like the thing to do. Plus Rae is the sort of nutty mom who dresses her toddler in white, so I never questioned the decision for a minute.

As with all EZ patterns, this one was light on the specifics, so I just cast on 88 stitches and hoped for the best. In retrospect I could have made the body a bit wider, but I did run out of yarn so it all worked out.

On the bright side, this is a fabulous pattern to run out of yarn on! I realized in the middle of sleeve #1 that the yarn well was going to dry up so I assessed what I had left (button bands, and sleeve #2), cut corners (scrapped the button bands for a simpler applied I-cord) and then knit both sleeves until the yarn ran out. I suppose that If things had been exceptionally dire I could have ripped out the hood, but it didn't come to that.

bonus sulky toddler shot! (because sulky toddlers are hilarious)

Final Verdict:
We have a winner! Hopefully it'll fit him for more than two weeks...he's growing like a weed!

Comments

I think your tomten will fit for a while...little ones tend to grow narrower and longer. My tomten still fits my baby after 2 winters!

Posted by: Mandy | January 9, 2009 2:12 PM

They're both lovely! And I look forward to the rest of the FOs, too. The sneak peak looked promising :-)

Posted by: Tora | January 9, 2009 2:13 PM

Cute! love the i-cord and how it curls around each of the buttons.

Posted by: Diaan | January 9, 2009 2:14 PM

its perfect. i always wonder if people might think me a bit nutty for loving photos of my babe crying, but its one of his more frequent states of being, full on honest, and i think those moments deserve to be snapped in time just as much as the smilies do.

Posted by: chelsea | January 9, 2009 2:35 PM

Great knit! I have it on the needles right now, too. I agree that it's a great pattern to run out of yarn on. There's so many ways to adjust it.

Posted by: Jessica | January 9, 2009 3:29 PM

I agree with Diaan, the i-cord button loops are my favorite part!

By the way, I also want to say that your pattern in knit.1 was one of my favorites: it was so happy and fun!

Posted by: yoli | January 9, 2009 3:36 PM

I bet you do not have children--just because you made the sweater in such a light color. Beautiful! I like the buttonhole things also.

Posted by: Jena | January 9, 2009 6:34 PM

Cute, and cute-he is growing too fast!

Posted by: Jeanie Maher | January 9, 2009 7:24 PM

I read Rae's blog, which is how I think I found yours. Just when you think that kid couldn't be any cuter, you guys post another picture of him!

I like the sweater! Especially in white!

Posted by: Meg | January 9, 2009 9:45 PM

It is perfect in all it's splendid simplicity! I love it and the fact that you built around the buttons.

Hope you guys had a great holiday! Happy New Year too :-)

Posted by: SpiderWomanKnits | January 9, 2009 11:23 PM

Impossibly blonde your nephew is and impossibly cute!

Posted by: Wanda | January 10, 2009 1:50 AM

What a wonderful sweater. It so cute!

Posted by: Janella | January 10, 2009 10:57 AM

Aw he's adorable and the sweater looks beautiful. I really like the white actually though I understand about wanting to use really vibrant yarn!

I'd like to try this pattern, thanks for the pics.

Posted by: Amy | January 10, 2009 1:26 PM

Great sweater, I think my toddler needs one, too! I think the non-stripey version is refreshing and classic. Can you tell me what size Elliot normally wears or how old he is so I can get an idea of about where to start with casting on for my little girl?

Posted by: Karma | January 10, 2009 5:37 PM

Heh, that kid is impossibly Nordic. Super-cute, and this makes me want to knit a Tomten for my nephew immediately.

Posted by: Ashley | January 10, 2009 6:26 PM

Tomten is lovely! I so want to knit one of those. Pity my grandchildren live in Florida...

Posted by: gayle | January 11, 2009 9:55 AM

How adorable is he! And his new sweater. So cute.

Posted by: Rima Aranha | January 11, 2009 12:29 PM

You did a great job and the buttons are adorable.

Posted by: Jane | January 11, 2009 3:13 PM

cute as a button.
and the buttons are cute too.

Posted by: emily | January 11, 2009 5:37 PM

Lovely!