I told myself I would blog tonight and look at me...determination is a strong thing. I am off to bed soon because I worked 12 hours today and tomorrow will be the same, so this kind of makes up for the fact that I didn't knit today. I feel awful. Isn't it strange how Catholicism can make you feel guilty over any and everything?? Even when I've decided to convert to Judaism. Father would be proud, I'm sure.
I knit all the chart panels to finish the body. I didn't have to, but I was not about to stop 3 rows into a 9 row pattern. I needed the completion. So look at this fine steek I have:
After consulting the knitting world's Steek Goddess, it looks like I should have knit a checkerboard pattern instead of the stripes because I had an even number of steek stitches. But it was easier to keep track of which stitch to crochet steek, and for a steeking virgin, that's was a good thing because frankly, I was following Eunny blind.
But look, I did it! I think I did a good job too..how about that. And from sleeve holes, to a sleeve. It was a bitch picking up 184 stitches. I think I was supposed to pick up less, but I made the armholes bigger by completing all the pattern panels.
The instructions didn't say how to pick them up and I couldn't find anyone in blogland that's made this sweater and explained how they did it, so I ended up picking up a stitch for every row.
I would pull out the camera again and take a close up picture, but I don't know how to not import all my pictures from the camera every stinkin' time I take a new picture. But if you click on the picture above, you make be able to see how it "strains" because I picked up stitches around the entire edge stitch. On the next sleeve, I'll try picking them up through the stitch instead of around the whole thing. Maybe that would give it a better look.
Okay, now for the decreases...you know I really should pull out that camera, huh? But I need to get this off my chest before I forget. The instructions say to:
decrease at the beginning and end of the decrease round AND to not worry about the pattern, just start from the beginning every time.
Okay, read that again.
I know, that makes no sense. The patterns build on themselves. If I decrease at the beginning and end of the round and keep beginning each round at the starting point on the chart, all fair isle hell will break loose. So, I've meticulously charted out where to start at every new decrease, and it's a royal pain in my ass. But I admit it's really, really nice knitting with 180+ and going down in size than the 300-something stitches I was working with for the body.
And speaking of the body, this thing is fucking huge. Alright off to bed before I really start telling you what I think.
