Eielson Jet Sweater

 

I’m very proud of this particular project representing my current home in Alaska! Alaskan-dyed wool, fighter jets, and snowflakes--what more could I need?!


I've begun making a garment to represent each of the places I've lived (starting in Idaho), and this one is packed with Alaskan goodness!

I chose yarns from Bad Sheep Yarn, a local yarn company, and chose a color scheme mimicking the feel of winter in Alaska. The "Black Jeans" yarn represents the darkness and dark pine trees, and the white "Forty Below" yarn has specks of gray and blue in it, reminding me of the winter sky.

The pattern is one I've made up several times, a 1940s sweater available in the Wearing History Etsy shop.





photo source

The jets featured on the sweater are F-35s (front) and F-16s (back). These are the two airframes we have at Eielson, the wing I'm currently assigned to. It's amazing to see these flying and I'm glad I get to be a part of it!


TLDR Knitting details
Yarn: Bad Sheep worsted weight in "Black Jeans" and "Forty Below"
Needles: 3.25mm and 3.75mm 
Year1940s
Notions: snaps
How historically accurate is it?  Besides the obviously twenty-first century jet motif, the rest is accurate to how it would have been made in the 1940s.
Any tricky parts to the pattern?  Not really! Just had to focus in reading my own design chart correctly for the motifs as I went along. 
Did you change anything?  I'm 2 for 3 in needing to add snaps to the neckline to get it over my head despite using stretchy cast offs and such. I still haven't gotten the hang of it and added a bit of a crochet edge and snaps to one side.
Time to complete: A couple months of knitting in my spare time
First worn: March 2023
Total cost: I've used this pattern several times, so we'll consider it 'already bought' and $0. Yarn cost was around $100.
Notes: I love this pattern for being a basic sweater that is easy to change up the motifs on. I just use the chart included with the pattern and draw in my own designs!

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