The hem is now done

I tried doing several rows of seed stitch below the edge of the cable band, but I just didn't like the look of it.

Instead, I have worked 1 row of knitting (actually just the row where I picked up all 190 stitches across the cable), then used a knit two together bind off on the WRONG side of the work to get this hem edge.

Part of the problem with the seed stitch was that when I started to bind it off, it looked like a ruffle below the cable band, definately NOT what I was going for! (my daughter is just not the ruffle type)

This edge I like. Using this bind off was new to me, and doing it from the wrong side was just serendipity, so as usual, my sweater knitting is a basically a "happening".

Now its on to picking up the stitches along the top edge and start knitting the body of the sweater.

I'm Maroon!! I'm Maroon!!

Ignore the dorky face, I was staring into the sun, LOL.

Anyway, I finished her last week, seamed her up last friday, and then she took 5 days to dry. So I finally got around to taking pictures tonight, and I actually wore her to Kohl's. LOVE LOVE LOVE this sweater!! Especially because it is my first sweater I ever made!!

I obviously made some modifications, you can see the details on my blog!

Slow but still working.....

I have finished the cable band that will be the bottom edge of the sweater.

Since I'm working on about 10 things at once, this seemed to take forever. The last 6 inches went much faster since at that point the pattern suddenly made sense to me and I was able to fly along through the cabling (that bodes well for the rest of the work -- I hope!)

So now I'm picking up stitches along the bottom for a "hem", tho' not the one the pattern has you do.

There is hope that this will be done for Christmas!!

back in blue!

Well, teal, probably, but that doesn't make a good post title. Hi! Sorry I was gone so long, but my Arwen yarn was just not working out. Too thick, too pilly, wrong color. So I embarked on a massive search for the right yarn, found the right color in the wrong fiber, the right gauge in the wrong color, the right yarn on the wrong continent, etc. I finally settled on this Zara merino from my LYS which does not have the right gauge, so now I have to re-math everything, always fun. It is nice and stretchy - perhaps even stretchy enough to hide a miscalculation or two.

But I have finally cast on, and am making fairly good progress. Changes to this pattern thus far:

• as you may recall, I hate, hate, hate seaming (never sew when you can knit!), so I'll be making it in one piece.
  
• Also, while the finished sweaters all look just fantastic, I've decided I don't want the hem on mine, so I have an inch of seed stitch at the bottom instead.
  
• I also decided to include some shaping, inspired by the math4knitters podcast.
  
• That backward-loop cast-on made grafting the sleeve together a total nightmare. Provisional cast-on, from here on out.
  
• And I am seriously considering leaving off the hood, but I still have some time to decide on that.

So! Again I apologize for my long absence, but there really was nothing to report, just a lot of teeth-gnashing. I've got about two inches knit so far, and will post an image of the seed-stitch border in a few days.

Hmmmmm

Well I finished her, seamed her up and she is currently blocking. With and arm span of 6 feet. Ummmm isn't that a bit big? I mean I am 5'9 but 6 feet??? I am freaking out a bit. I blocked it according to what it should be for my size, except for the upper arm which I added 2 inches too. It is also 2 inches longer, which I did on purpose. But 6 FEET???

I am going to be worried about this sweater until it is full dry and I can try it on.

This is my first sweater ever. I have been working on her since January. If this fails I don't know what I will do!!!

Photo Shoot, Take Two

I love my Arwen so much, and my earlier post doesn't show it off very well. I should have waited and taken pictures outside, but I was excited to be finished and wanted to let everyone know. So, I went ahead and took some more pictures on Wednesday, and they show my Arwen much better. I also posted more to my blog and gave additional details, including more about the i-cord neckline.