Experimenting with Terrycloth Knit (with a-meh-zing results)

Today I experimented with Simplicity 9993, the vintage (Seventies?) men's knit pullover pattern I was thinking of using for a sweater knit project.

I decided to try Version 1, which is a raglan long-sleeve pullover with a neck facing instead of an attached neckband.



The only stretch knit I had around that was appropriate was some vintage striped terrycloth I picked up at a thrift store last year.  It's colorful, but the colors don't particularly flatter me.  It makes me think of Halloween candy.



Cutting up terrycloth, I discovered, leaves a lot of lint behind.  Get out that sticky roller!



I cut my terrycloth carefully so all the stripes would line up.  If they didn't it would be very obvious at the point where the sleeves attach to the front and back.





I stitched everything on my sewing machine (my Kenmore 158.141) first, and then brought it to my serger.  Even with just three threads, the seams feel very strong.



One of the problems with a stripe this wide, I discovered, is that the raglan sleeve creates a very pronounced rectangle toward the neck (that top orange stripe).



Here's the pullover before I stitched on the neckline facing.



In retrospect, I should have just strengthened the neckline with some knit interfacing, turned the edge under at approximately 1/4" and edgestitched.  Instead, I added the facing as per the instructions, stitching at 5/8" (and serging off the seam allowance).  I then topstitched around the neckline at 1/2".

The oval boat neck-style neckline doesn't really work with that angular orange stripe.  (UPDATE: Michael likes it -- he says it looks French.) 



I mean, it's OK.  The stripes match, which is good, but the stripes don't work with the raglan sleeve, imo.  Live and learn.



It was meant to be a muslin, after all.  It's not a disaster, just very "meh."

I'm very uncertain how best to finish a neckline of a sweater knit; I'm not sure this boat neck style would work best, though I guess it depends on the knit.  With a ribbed knit I could probably fashion a neckband.  I'll have to see what fabric I use.

That's it, readers.

Have a great day, everybody!