4/23/10 - As frequently happened, I had to go up a couple needle sizes to get gauge--or rather, close to gauge. I’m still just a little small, but I’m knitting the 3/4 size for a girl who turns 3 in Aug, so she should still be able to wear it this year and next, at least.

One needle problem I’ve run into is that since I’m starting with a US10, and this is knit by increasing needle sizes 4 times, with my current needle stash I’d have to jump from a US10.5 to a US11…which in US sizes doesn’t sound significant, but in millimeters would mean a jump from 6.5mm to 8.0mm…and the previous difference is only .5mm, and the following one only 1mm. So I really didn’t want to have a 1.5mm difference in needle sizes in the middle of my knitting. So, I decided, that means it’s time to buy the US10.75 (or 7mm) needle tips from KnitPicks that I’ve been wanting!

Of course, I added enough items to my order to qualify for free shipping, if I got their standard shipping. I didn’t think the time it would take would be a problem, because I figured it would take a while to get to the where I needed the 3rd needle. Well, it’s knitting up a lot faster than I expected…probably because it’s so quick and easy and because it’s so cute. Can’t wait to finish…but fortunately I can always start the other one I’m knitting for Lexie if the needle tips aren’t here in time.

4/24/10 - Grrr.

I hit the point where I needed the US10.75 needles sooner than expected, so I decided to go ahead and cast on for Lexie’s handspun pinafore. And that’s when I realized I’d screwed up this one.

I’d thought the garter stitch portion that made the straps looked a little thinner than in the pictures on the pattern, and it turns out I was right. I’d missed the line in the patter that said to knit another 7 rows of garter stitch after the increases on the yoke. So the yoke is 7 rows short.

I stared at what I had knit for quite a while before I made a decision. I really didn’t want to rip out that much knitting, especially since I’ve cut the yarn several times to knit the bodice. But in the end I decided that I really didn’t like how thin that semi-solid portion looked…so I’m going to rip it out. Hopefully I’ll have it reknit by the time the new needle arrives…

4/29/10 - Frogged…but only momentarily. I’ve finished Lexie’s pinafore, and I definitely prefer the wider yoke (as the pattern was written). So now that Lexie’s pinafore is finished, I’ve frogged Stella’s in preparation for starting over.

5/4/10 - Grrrr, take 2.

I was making steady progress (slow, because this past weekend was taken up with Maryland Sheep and Wool), and had just finished off the back section and started the left front…when I realized the instructions weren’t lining up with where I had the front and armhole edges. But I had the correct right and wrong side based on the back, so I wasn’t sure why it wasn’t working…until I compared the back to the right edge. I’d started the back on the wrong side.

So I had to rip something, and I didn’t want to rip the back since that was a lot more knitting than the completed front section. So I ripped that instead, which meant that what was the right side was now the wrong side. I didn’t think that would be any big deal, since, after all, the straps were garter stitch. I was well into into knitting the new right front when I realized there was one aspect I hadn’t taken into consideration: the already woven in ends. So I had to unweave and reweave all of those ends. But that’s done, and the 2 fronts and backs are knit, and I’ve joined the stitches to begin knitting the lace section. So now I can head for that much overdue sack time…

5/9/10 - And done, as of 1 am. Well, not completely--I need to add the button and button loop. But all knitting is complete, and it’s just as cute as Lexie’s.