07-05-2017

Finally started with the bee motif at the top of the sleeves. Two-at-a-time sleeves are brilliant, but they do take forever. This pattern seems to lack any directions for sleeve shaping except at the very top, which is weird because photos show a smoothly tapered sleeve. I’ve been doing my own shaping anyhow, because my arms are bigger than the puny largest size, but I should have been increasing more. I hope this isn’t a disaster. And I wish I had the ability to understand instructions when I pre-read them! I could have caught the error and increased more smoothly. It just never makes any sense until I start translating the words into yarn.

Just spent an hour doing stitch math to calculate all new stitch counts based on the measurements of a sweater I wear a lot, but it’s a bit of guesswork because I don’t own anything kimono-shaped (I’m also altering this cardigan to be somewhat kimono-shaped). I hope I don’t find myself wishing I’d made the arms shorter and wider. Probably should have done the stitch math and measurements at the beginning! In my defense, my sense of this sweater has evolved as I’ve been knitting it…and I can tweak it as I knit my way up the body. I think it will be okay.

I’ve already passed the point where I stopped working on this project the first time

07-07-2017

Finished the sleeves and cut the steeks! Whoo-hoo! Now they’re blocking. I think they’re too long. *sigh*

I did not enjoy sewing the reinforcements on the sleeve steek. It took some wrestling to sew long straight seams down the outside of a knitted tube. But it’s done and I am happy! (I used a paper backing--plain printer paper--as I always do now, to keep the yarn from getting sucked down under the sole plate of the sewing machine. Because I never want to deal with that kind of mess again!)

It has taken me over a week to knit these two sleeves! And I have had a fair amount of knitting time this week, too. Wonder just how much time the body will require…

07-08-2017

Today I spent a couple of hours sewing and unsewing one of the sleeves 2 1/2 times. It required some experimentation to get the seam to look right, then when I got it just right on the third try I ripped it out anyhow because it really was too tight. I don’t want fitted sleeves on this kind of garment.

Now I’m working a covered steek on each edge of each sleeve, to be joined together with a 3-needle bind off after an appropriate number of rows, to give me the extra inch or inch and a half of ease that I need. I’ll decide what to do about the cuff after I have everything all joined.

07-09-2017

Yesterday I finished one sleeve with the covered steek assembly serving as a gusset to widen it. It’s nice and neat, comfortable to wear, and effectively widens the sleeve. I’m not as happy with it as I would be if I had just knitted the sleeves bigger to begin with, but it will do. I wish I hadn’t chosen to work it in dark brown--I think the blue of the body color would have been less obtrusive. Oh well. I’ve considered re-knitting the sleeves, but A) that would drive me insane and B) it would waste all the yarn I’ve used so far because of the cuts. B is enough to convince me not to do it.

My other complaint about the sleeves is that the bees and skeps on the cuff aren’t centered. I followed the pattern as written for the largest size for that part of the sleeve, so I am quite dismayed. I wish I had stopped and adjusted when i first realized the problem, but I was not in a stitch-math state of mind at that moment so I just kept going. Nobody will notice while I’m wearing it--but the photos tell the whole truth. I’m pretty sure I can live with it. The yarn is dreamy, the colors rich and interesting, the motifs themselves visually satisfying--overall I’m quite happy with it thus far.

07-11-2017

Sleeves done! Casting on for body. Using a provisional because I’m not sure how I want to finish the lower edge.

07-20-2017

Yesterday I finished the bees on the lower section of the body, then segued into a section of flowers using the chart from Soria. (It just seemed to me that flowers go well with bees and beehives, and I was also trying to replace a few more inches of the deadly dull honeycomb pattern.) Since there are a lot of repeats, I put in stitch markers--which also made it easier for me to count the stitches. And because the pattern is not working out at the edge as I had planned, I decided to count the stitches. Turns out I have 435 stitches, instead of the 405 I thought I had (not counting the steek). Not sure how that happened, lol, but it’s good to know.

08-05-2017

Started on the honeycomb section July 25, and it is slow going. Most of the stitches are made with the right hand, which is hard for a Continental knitter like myself. My right shoulder is sore, which means I can’t do too much at a time. Still, I’ve managed to knit just over 5 inches of the honeycomb so far, over 435 stitches. Not fast, but not nothing. Took a couple pics to document progress-so-far.

08-11-2017

Piece is now about 18 inches long. I’ve finished the A-line decreases and now have 397 sts OTN. Will do about another inch, then begin neck shaping (V-neck). Another inch or so after that and I will begin the yoke design section. Flowers first, then bees, bracketed with stripes. It’s happening! This is becoming a sweater!
Note: I watched six full seasons of Game of Thrones while working on the honeycomb section. Yeah, my gauge is pretty tight :)

08-28-2017

I can’t believe I’ve been working on this all summer long! I’ve taken every third day off from knitting due to shoulder pain, but still. I never thought to spend my entire summer on one project.

The body is now about 32 inches long and I’m just finishing up the turned hem. I started from the provisional cast on, worked one and a half honeycombs, then started the purple edge just as in the sleeves. This section is worked back and forth, so I was stranding while purling during the honeycomb section. It wasn’t bad at all! In fact, I can hold both colors in my left hand to purl, which I can’t seem to manage while knitting. So that’s one great knitting mystery solved for me--stranded purling isn’t bad at all! It was almost worth spending the entire summer on one sweater just to find that out.

08-30-2017

Reinforced the main steek, then cut it open. Yay! Now it’s a blanket. Unfortunately, it really has to block before I cut the sleeve openings, because the sleeves are blocked and I want them to fit together perfectly. Gonna take a while to dry, so I guess I’ll work on something else for bit.

09-06-2017

I have bound off the endless trim! The knitting is done! Unless I decide I want to knit something completely different for the trim--I’m not convinced that I like what I’ve done. I’ll block it and ignore it for a couple of days, then come back with fresh eyes.

Sleeves sewn in too. Now I need to block it again, and sew ribbon over the steek edges…but I am calling this done!

Notes from first attempt, now frogged: September 2010 This is rather slow going, but it is fun! My stranded colorwork experience is limited to a few tiny projects, a loooong time ago, so I feel all thumbs. But I’m happy with how it’s coming out so far.

I’m starting with the two-at-once steeked sleeves, which should be, um, interesting. At least it protects me from the dreaded second sleeve syndrome.

Had to get a 24” circular, as the 32” called for in the pattern was too big for the two-sleeves-unit. The 24 “ is perfect.

Just made it through the first row of beehives and started the bees…had to shift the bees over to get them centered on the sleeves. This may have an effect on how it matches up at the seams…but it’s too late now, so we’ll see.

I’m a little more concerned about making the sleeves fit the sleeve openings, as I’m making the largest size body but am keeping the sleeves short to suit my arms. I haven’t been doing as many increases because the cuffs were already rather big around. Perhaps as I reach the upper arm, I will want to start increasing more rapidly. We’ll see how many stitches I end up with and adjust the body from there!

NOTE: When I revisit this, I want to skip the bee/hive/stripes pattern at the top of the sleeves and in the yoke. either transition to solid or work the honeycomb all the way.

Also, maybe make the design area white and do the bees/hives in dark brown or black.

Also work with gauge to make a more drapey fabric. This one is so stiff it almost stands by itself.