Saturday, January 4, 2014

Rounding the final curve...

I love football. And basketball, too.  I'm in a minority for women, I imagine, and I tell my husband that he's lucky.  ;)  It has been a lifesaver to have football (I'm a Kansas City Chiefs fan) to get me through seaming this sweater.

I've challenged myself to do one section of the sweater per evening (and no knitting on more fun items).  So I started with the sleeve caps. They were a challenge because I heavily altered the pattern shaping to account for my petite frame (and short arms). So the sleeve cap did not exactly size up to the sleeve opening. It took a little fudging and finesse, but I'm mostly happy it.
See, my pattern rows don't exactly match. I dare you to criticize!

After 2 nights of sleeve capping, I moved to the right side of the sweater and seamed from the bottom all the way up the sleeve (one night for the body and one night for the sleeve). Then the left side. 
Here I am halfway up the left side. I'm very happy with it.  Next will be weaving in the ends.  Oh heavens.

I have learned so much about finishing techniques from The Knitter's Book of Finishing Techniques by Nancy Wiseman. It breaks down any sort of finishing you need to do, offers pros and cons for choices in techniques, and gives step-by-step directions. It sits by my chair each time I start in on finishing a project. It's a indispensable tool for me, and I highly recommend it.  Finishing may not be my idea of a fun time, but it is rewarding to see the pieces you've made come together in a cohesive manner and start forming the final product. 

On a different tangent, I am excited to be starting a new scarf on my loom.
This is the third and final scarf on this warp. It looks a bit like a DNA strand to me. It is going so much faster than the first 2 scarves, since it is using a single weft color. What a difference that makes! As my second project, I am still learning SO much. It amazes me that there are so many factors to take into consideration with weaving. But it's fascinating, and I remember when knitting seemed impossibly complicated.  So there's hope!!  

I hope you're staying warm and enjoying family today. There's nothing better. 

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