Genevieve Already Graduated

And next weekend, she'll get her present.

A year in the making (I cast on Aug '07, was distracted by a number of other extracurricular projects, and then a big honkin' sock book that took up my every knitting moment for 10 months), but it's done. I thought you'd like to see my prototype illustration- I did the chart in a Counted Cross Stitch Chart program, and then played with it in Paint for a mockup. It came out pretty close, I think.

I was so glad to get the sleeves off the needles, that I didn't even take a deep breath before cutting them apart. Knitting stranded sleeves tandem is handy in a number of ways- no ends to weave in, both sleeves are done at the same time, and it's easy to keep track of, and make sure that the increases (or decreases if you're working the other way) match. But it's unhandy in another way- knitting them tandem means that you have a seam running down the underside of the sleeve, and not just an ordinary seam, but a seam with a seam allowance. The resulting bulk is not a problem in fingering weight projects, but in a stranded sweater from worsted weight yarn, the bulk might be unwieldy. I think knitting them separately is the way to go for heavier sweaters.

The assembly went the way all sweater assemblies go: one stitch at a time (read: boring as hell). But I finished, and I got the clasps sewn on (I may want to reposition them after Gen tries the sweater on- they might need to be moved back to the inside edge of the front band, to close the front a bit more- this was my first experience with clasps and I wasn't quite sure how to proceed).

Stats: 8 balls @ Rowan Scottish Tweed 4 ply, 25 gr, 120 yds, SH 017 (red), SH 028 (gold), Sh 022 (green-Celtic Mix) and 3 balls SH 025 (off white), Size 2 (2.75 and 3.0 mm) needles. This sweater is 40" (does that count as Medium?)

Oh, and I block sweaters by smooshing them flat on the top of my washer and dryer, and then turning them occasionally, until they're dry. Not exactly high tech.

And for those who are wondering: the mistake is in the top gold band on the sleeves. I worked from the wrong end of the chart and the motifs don't line up properly with the lower borders. I didn't see it until I was into the final green band, and I absolutely was not going to tear it out. Call me Lazy.

So, what's up next? I think the handspun stranded sweater for me.