MAN-ALONG UPDATE TWO: ELECTRIC BOOGALOO

Wow! Thanks to everybody who has joined the MAN-ALONG. We currently have 49 people on the ever-growing list. There are several countries represented, inluding the US, Canada, France, Singapore and Australia. Some participants have already finished and others have yet to begin.

- Kelly just joined today. Stop by her blog to wish her luck.
- Check out the hot stuff at HelloYarn. The sweater is pretty cool, too...
- Becky is flying along on a cool Manly Jacket for her husband.
- Stop by Twisted Increase and see Brigid's progress on the Basketweave Pullover.
- October birthdays everywhere in the MAN-ALONG! Brynne's was yesterday. Sarah's was a week ago. Stacey's is next week.
- Clementine has some concerns about knitting a sweater in a rib pattern. Surf on over to her blog and help her decide what to do.
- Stitchy McYarnpants is almost finished with her Manly Sweater, possibly making her the third participant to finish.
- Brush up on your French by jeté-ing over to the blogs of our French-speaking participants: Deborah and Kajin in Québec, and Mélanie, Sylvie and Riane in France.
- Judy started on the "Kirk" sleeves first.
- Wendy has finished her Big Sack Sweater.

Keep me updated of your progress so that I can included you in my next MAN-ALONG update. Please note if you send me photos I will not post them until the end of the MAN-ALONG. Good luck!

Comments

[cece]

My husband's vest is 98% done. No pictures of it 'almost' done on the blog, but wanted to give you a report! I need to do some scary cutting of the felted fabric (there are some fit issues, which I think can be solved by creating darts), and also put in a zipper. I'll post the whole deal when it's totally finished.

I'm loving it though. Thanks for the knit-along... Aaron is so understanding that he has gotten his "Christmas" sweater in March some years... not this year!

A great vest AND a Fooz ball table. What man could ask for more!?

[Nancy]

My husband's striped sweater is finished. It looks good if I do say so myself. There is a picture of it on my blog.

Thanks for hosting, it's been fun.

[Maggie]

I posted some Man-Along details on my blog, http://www.click-clack.net I'm getting close. I can't wait until I finish this sweater. If I can master the zipper-putting-in, it's going to be my nicest sweater.

[jena]

My Rowan "Stevie" sweater is knitted, blocked, and ready for seaming. The end is in sight!

[Sarah McN.]

Hi Drew -

I posted a pic of my almost finished sleeve for Skully! Yee!

Check him out at http://stitch.typepad.com/stitch/2004/11/oohdelolly.html#trackback

happy skullknitting,
sarah

[Cece]

I have feltage! I felted the Felted Vest for Aaron last night! It's not done yet (I still have the non-felted borders to knit on... but it is drying as I write this. Yippee!!! It may be a little big for him - but that is OK - it is too heavy to just be an indoor vest anyway. More of a jacket type thing.

So - just reporting that I am about 90% done!

[natalie]

I'm alllllllmost done. Over the weekend, I came home from sleeve island, blocked the pieces, sewed the raglan seams and picked up stitches for the collar. I'm mostly nervous about sewing in the zipper for the collar (something I've never done before) and in finishing it before my husband's birthday on Thursday! Photo session should be posted by Friday.

[Melanie]

Finished ! Hurray... My man likes it, and... well, i can't say it's perfect but it's done, and he can wear it.
No picture of the entire work by now (you just can see “part” of it). still have to wait, guys .

[Nicole]

Hey Drew. Update. Finished front. Hooray. http://www.typepad.com/t/trackback/1412328

[Debbie]

I finished!! Manly is a done deal and it looks fantastic on The Hub! There are pictures at the end of this loooong post http://yarnpants.blogspot.com/2004/11/heeeeeeres-stitchy.html, but my favorite is this one: http://photos1.blogger.com/img/178/1590/640/ManlyJaunty.jpg

I'm pretty happy with it, considering that it's my fisrt sweater. It's a bit short, but I think it's kind of cute when you can see a little t-shirt sticking out. Thanks for keeping a fire uner my butt! The Man-a-long helped me stay focused on this until it was done, and I knew it had to look good if I were going to let it be part of a, "a-long". So thanks! I can't wait to see everyone eles's sweaters!

Debbie

[Cece]

Hi! I've actaully started making progress again! No point in posting pictures, as it's pretty boring. I thought making a Felted Vest would be more fun - but it has to be so HUGE before felting!

Sigh. I will get it done before Christmas. How sad is this - I actually timed myself knitting 2 rows, and then figured out that it will take me 10 hours of dedicated knitting to get up to the armhole shaping. This vest is done all in one piece. Makes for no finishing.... but sloooooow progress.

Thanks for hosting this Man-along to force me to work on Aaron's vest! I would have abandoned it otherwise.

[Julie]

I'm beginning to make real progress on the cardigan I'm knitting. It's knit in the round and I've completed the body of it, split at the armpits and finished the back. I'm working on the front now and have just begun the neck shaping for the V-neck. That will leave sleeves and a little ribbed collar left to do.

[clementine]

Hi Drew: It's been a slow start but I am now up and knitting on a completely different pattern! See my blog for an update: I've ditched Leo for something else which I'm calling "Scott" although I don't really feel comfortable claiming it as my own design- it's based on Jo Sharp "Sandalwood". I think I've got alot of catching up to do!

[Amy]

I've finished the back & the front left side of my man-along vest. I'm about 1/3 of the way through the front vest piece. Maybe tonight's Red Sox knitting spree will bring me closer to the end.

[Ashley]

Hi Drew, Can I join the man-along, too? I'm knitting the Basketweave pullover from IW fall 2004. Let me know if you need any other info.
Thanks!

[Anna]

Hi Drew,
Great Blog!
Can I still join your MANalong KnitAlong? I couldn't find your e-mail link so I'm asking here - hope that's okay.
I'll send more info once I get the go-ahead from you.
Thanks!

[Jamie]

Update on Echo Lake: Yarn took longer than expected to get here, so I started a month later than expected. I have about 11 in. of rib on the back done. K2P2 until the cows come home! I am trying not to stress, it WILL be done for Christmas! (Fingers/needles crossed!) I just hope the yarn softens up a little when I wash it.

[Sarah]

Hey Drew! Progress has been made on Skully!! The front is done and the back is ....ummmm.... maybe a third of the way finished! I posted some poorly lit pics on my blog in case you want to take a peek. :) I'm taking Monday and Tuesday of next week off so I should have lots of knitting time for this baby!

[Kelly]

Making slow progress on The Manly Sweater. Just reached the neck shaping on the back. I am making a small based on the chest measurement we took, but am now stressing constantly that it will be too small since he usually wears a medium. Thank goodness its wool, so I can block it later as needed. Speaking of which, I may need to buy myself a blocking board for Christmas...:)

[Deborah]

Hi Drew,
I finally started my version of the Gilet zippé, which I nicknamed "Charbon". I have 3/4 of a sleeve done, so I am waaay behind Kajin (did you noticed that our men chose the same pattern AND the same color??!) - she was worried I would knit it faster than she does... Maybe I should get competitive with her... ;0)

[Maggie]

I've completed the back and one sleeve of my project (Calum from A Season's Tale) and I'm 10 inches up the front. I should be finished the front by the end of the weekend, and then all that's left between then and the daunting addition of my first zipper is the final sleeve.

[Melanie]

yep ! The back is done right now ! Going to make some front-knitting ahead... Mmm, will it be haloween sleeves ?

[Kajin]

I am happy to report that I now have two sleeves and about the third of a back, Sir! I work on my man's "gilet" almost everyday, but cables on 3.5 mm needles take time - fortunately, I do not have gorilla arms sleeves to knit, like Becky does :-D

[Becky]

Woo hoo! So happy to have even more progress to report on the Manly Jacket: We've got two gorilla arms sleeves completed AND two front pieces. Missing: The back. Seaming. Blocking. Yep. Still a lot, but I hope to have this done by the end of the month. [Wish me godspeed!]

[Sarah]

Hey Drew-
Great blog! I was actually just planning on casting on for my man, who is away on business for a damn long time, the first of November. I'd love to join your man-along, but I couldn't find your email on the site...I'm knitting "Navigator" from Rowan #29 in Patons Denim Style, color is stonewash...

[Melanie]

Ah ah, i've begun the sweat for my man. Half a back right now. He seems to like it, ant it's the best reward for this job. The back is easy to grow, i wonder how the front will go on...

[Allison]

I've been a bad girl... I started a new job a few weeks ago and have been too preoccupied to work on Joey's sweater. But today I made a pact with myself to finish the sleeve I started so I can get into the real grit of the sweater. Anyhow I did some work on it today and I'll get my butt in gear to update my blog with a picture. Ahh motivation:)