LOL Steekz!

I CUT MAH SWETTRZ!

I knew as soon as I wrote down yesterday's itinerary, that I wouldn't be able to get it all done, especially since I had sock book work to do until well after lunch. But I did find and mark the sleeve steek positions with highly contrasting yarn. I did get them reinforced with zigzag stitching (and then I had to interrupt the sweater to do some other mending- I don't get the sewing machine out very often, so there is always a pile waiting), the armhole steeks cut, the shoulder seams sewn, the neckline curves calculated (and pinned in place), the neckband calculated (tricky when the stitch number has to be an increment of 16- that is going to make sizing this sweater pattern... um... interesting...), picked up (along the pinned fold), and the stranded portion of the neckband knit. I also calculated out the sleeve pattern (how many to cast on, how many increases needed in the proper length, how soon to stop the regular patterning and go to the last motif, how often to increase).

So today, I will finish the neckband (picot edge, facing, trimming the excess fabric, and sewing the facing down), and probably get the sleeves cast on. I'm going to knit the sleeves tandem- casting both on in a circle with steeks in between. When I get done, there will be more stitches than in the body of the sweater, but I'll have both finished. After which, I will cut the sleeves apart, sew the back seam, and sew them in place. Sewing the seam and sewing the sleeves in place takes time, but it eliminates all those ends to weave in, so it's a wash, I think.

Knitting the sleeves will be so much easier than the bands. It's going to take a few days to finish, but I'm on the home stretch! You'll get your sweater soon, Gen!

Olympics Question of the Day: what sort of stickum do they use on those Speedos to keep them in place during dives?