September 9, 2018

Before I start, I need measurements! My husband told me about this web site, ZOZO, which sends you a bodysuit and has an app to take your measurements. Shipping for the suit is $4, so I ordered one. In the meantime, I will work on swatches.

September 22, 2018

Swatching revealed I need to knit with a size 6 to get the right size garment. The zozo suit revealed I need to knit a size large sweater. Here goes nothing.

Used Knitted cast on and Jeny’s Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off.

September 30, 2018

I really wish the decrease/increase section on the pattern were explained better. I did my best, but by the pattern notes from other projects, I am not the only person who struggled with that section.

October 4, 2018

I just bound off the back! Yay!

October 7, 2018

Thanks to general conference, I have finished the left front and am well into the right front.

October 8, 2018

I just finished knitting the right front.

October 23, 2018

I have finished all the sweater pieces. Time to block them and start the seaming and neck band process. This part is so scary for me!

October 25, 2018

I managed to get the front and back on blocking boards today. It took 90 minutes. There aren’t enough wires to do the sleeves too, so I will do them another day. The sleeves aren’t necessary for adding the button and neck band, anyway.

October 27, 2018

I wanted to make a set-in-sleeve cardigan to practice seaming. These seams are all reverse stockinette… a little more tricky than stockinette. Textbook mattress stitch doesn’t work here; instead of using the ladders, you use purl bumps. A good learning experience, I guess.

When I originally looked at the pattern I realized the front and back don’t continue in unbroken pattern. I decided not to adjust it because I still haven’t made a successful sweater for myself. But if I were to do it a second time, I would.

October 28, 2018

I managed to seam the shoulders yesterday. It wasn’t as bad as I expected. From the schematic I think they are supposed to be 4.25” in my size but it wasn’t clear.

Then I thought about picking up the neck and button band and realized I didn’t have the needles I need. I have a 24” needle but that is over 300 stitches. I ordered some needles.

October 30, 2018

I am going to use the grafted bind off for the button band. I just tested it on a swatch. It is going to be tricky to get right, and take a long time, but I think it is the only way to get the effect I want.

November 3, 2018

I have put on the neckband and done the grafted bind off. It turned out very nice. Now I just have to put on the sleeves and sew up the sides.

November 6, 2018

I have finally blocked the sleeves. They are a little long. In a Craftsy class, Anne Hansen talked about adjusting for blocked row gauge when measuring sleeeve length and I just experienced that.

November 9, 2018

I sewed the shoulders. I worried that my row gauge was off so bad that the sleeves wouldn’t match, but it wasn’t bad at all.

Now the reverse stockinette seams. According to a TKGA article for master knitters, with reverse stockinette you use the purl bumps instead of the ladders for the seams. So I will try that.