In an effort to finish M’s cardigan by next Tuesday (he asked ages ago if he could have it for Boulder), I’ve been knitting pretty much non-stop for two days. If I get it finished by lunch tomorrow, I have just enough time to block it before it’s time to pack. I will also have time to wash and iron the rest of his clothes for the trip.

I got the bands finished and attached after two tries to get the right one to match the left one. The pictures of this phase are too dark to post – the sun wasn’t up yet. That might also be why the right band gave me so much trouble. Or the trouble might have been because the Designer wanted me to knit 159 rows of band on each side (instead of however many inches), stretch it to fit all around the whole neckline (to keep the band from sagging), graft the two ends together, seam the sides and then magically attach the band to the still-live stitches of the back neck (she gives no indication of how to do this). I ended up treating the live stitches like bars of stockinette and didn’t pull the holder out until after they all were sewn to the band. Trust me, it looks fine.

Making the first sleeve wasn’t bad, if I don’t bring up the part about backing up a couple times during the short rows that shape the cap. I like the way the shoulder seam looks with the picked up stitches – sometimes shoulder seams end up so stiff and Obvious. But I don’t know if pretty shoulder seams are worth the wrist pain caused by having the ENTIRE SWEATER on the needles at one time. Add to that the frustration of not knowing how many inches the sleeve should be (no schematic and the Designer wants me to knit 195 rows who COUNTS their rows like that?) and you have yourself some Good Times. I finished one cuff early this morning and (feeling slightly paranoid about the length – I’d made it 10 rows shorter than the Designer told me too) went ahead and seamed up that sleeve and side.

Doesn’t it look freakishly long?

I woke M up and made him try it on. Which he did. I felt better after that: 10 rows too short was a great idea and it IS a Good-Looking Cardigan. So I’ve started the second sleeve.

With all this support, I’m sure I will be able to finish in time.