Anyone who's ever picked up a knitting needle or a crochet hook and has a significant other will eventually fall prey to the "Boyfriend Sweater". It usually happens when you first get the yarn bug and are tired of making enough scarves to protect the necks of every man, woman and child within a fifty-mile radius. You think, "I've got this knitting/crocheting thing down pat. Wouldn't it be nice if I make my boyfriend a sweater? He would absolutely love it since I made it and show it off to all his friends."
Unfortunately, more often than not, that sweater you took the time to make (and let me tell you, sweaters can be unruly and take up the better half of a few months), may just be worn once, in your presence alone, and then find it's eternal home at the back of the bottom drawer.
That is why, for the longest time, I did not want to become one of the many victims of the "Boyfriend Sweater". When I finally did, I made sure the cards were stacked in my favor. Firstly, I made sure the yarn type and yarn color were two things, Eric, my boyfriend, would approve and wear. Don't bother asking your significant other what their favorite color is. What they say their favorite color is, is not necessarily the color they prefer wearing. Instead, take a good look at their wardrobe and decipher the color palette. For me, it was fairly easy. Almost every piece of clothing was a shade of gray or blue. From there, I knew certain yarns didn't feel scratchy so I chose appropriately.
Secondly, choose the correct type of sweater. Again, look to his wardrobe to see what he wears - cardigans, v-necks, crewnecks, over-sized boxy looking sweaters or the type that is more form fitting. For Eric, I knew he wouldn't feel that comfortable in a skin-tight sweater so I opted for a classic v-neck and added some drop stitches to break-up what could be a boring sweater.
Thirdly, MEASURE! MEASURE! MEASURE! Did I stress measuring enough? And I'm not just talking about your basic chest and arm measurements. You need to measure around the neck, shoulders, armpits to wrists, even the length where the bottom edge of the sweater will end. No man wants a sweater to end at midriff or fall to mid-thigh (or, maybe they do!) I specifically asked Eric where he would want the sweater to end, took that measurement down and made sure that if my pattern was not accommodating, I would make the proper adjustments. Which brings me to my last point...
Make sure you pick a pattern you feel fairly comfortable with, especially if you have to alter it to fit your boyfriend's measurements, which, you will inevitably do since most patterns are approximates. Another reason to not pick such a complicated pattern the first time around is that you will be reading it for quite awhile since most first-time sweaters take at LEAST one month from start to finish.
I was lucky that I choose a sweater that I was able to kick out in just a couple of weeks due in large part, because I altered the pattern at the very beginning to fit Eric's measurements and the pattern itself, was fairly easy.
I'm doubly lucky that when I finally finished the sweater, Eric not only wore it just for me, he proudly wore the sweater out to many places and is quick to tell others that I made it for him. What more can a gal ask for!
