3/25
Knitting finished, ends woven in, washed and now drying! Can’t wait to wear it!

3/21
I picked up the stitches for the neck/front band. I’ve never done that before and I am a little worried that I picked up too many. Especially since it will be lace. I guess this is the way we learn! (Later: I decided to use a smaller needle size (4) since I was worried about it ruffling. After about 12 rows I could see that it was pulling up at the bottom. So I ripped back to the first row and used the size 5. It worked fine!)

3/18
Finished the bottom band last night and this morning I steam blocked the edges in preparation for picking up stitches for the neck band. This is definitely not conference knitting at this point so I think that will wait until I get home.

3/14
Lace edging on sleeves got done last weekend. I had to go down a needle size for the lace in the round. Don’t know if it was the magic looping or just the fact that it was round and my swatch was flat, but the lace was coming out too open and loose. So I used #4 double points for the sleeves. Much better.

Then I lengthened the body by about four inches and started the lace band at the bottom. I want this to be a longer sweater--mid hip, or so. Using size 5 needles, same as body since this part is knit back and forth. The lace bottom band is about half done. I am a little concerned about what the very bottom corner will look like where I pick up from the side of the lace pattern and knit the lace for the front band. But I am going to move ahead!

3/1
Yesterday I swatched the lace pattern for the sleeve band, bottom band and neck band. I am using pattern 36 from the book Knitting Lace. Now that I know the gauge of the lace pattern, I know how much further I need to knit on the sleeves and body. Got one sleeve to the point where the lace will start, the other has about an inch. I think I have about 4 more inches on the body since I want it a little longer than the pattern calls for.

2/14/14
I am moving along on the sleeves now. I stopped the body because I have to figure out what lace pattern I want for the bottom band. I have one sleeve down to the point where I am waiting to determine the lace pattern, too. The second sleeve is getting there. Right now it is hard to picture as an adult sweater since the fronts and neck are missing the front/neck band and the sleeves and body are short and waiting for lace bands. I think the lace band will be about 4” but I am going to have to swatch to know for sure.

1/7/14
Have divided the sleeves off and am working down the body. I have a ways to go since I am planning for a hip length sweater. I have a tunic style shirt with 3/4 sleeves that I think is a good shape for me so I am planning to copy the length of that. I haven’t settled on the lace detail I want to use, but I have time. I will do lace on the band, at the bottom of the sweater, and on the edges of the sleeves. At least that is the plan at the moment.

12/29/13
Cast on last night! I’m using the size 5 needles and I cast on for the 35.25 inch bust size. After a few rows I remembered that I should alternate skeins since this is handspun and the skeins have slightly different grists. So now I am alternating skeins every two rows.

12/27/13
Started the swatch again. 48 stitches. First needles: addi size 6. Second needles: size 5. Third needles: size 7 plastic.

10/23/13
I actually started the swatch with size 6 needles awhile ago, but I am dusting it off in preparation for finishing my wingspan, mindless knitting project!
Thinking about a lace band around the bottom and front. Have found several of these modifications and put them in my favorites.