5/11/2014
It’s done! Had to do the button side of the button band over since it was a little longer than the other side after blocking. What’s an extra button band when the sweater has been on the needles for a dozen years? ;-) Put the buttons on today and finished weaving in the last ends. I. LOVE. THIS. SWEATER. !!!!!!! I still can’t believe that it turned out so well given that I naively did so many things that could have resulted in disaster. Substituted yarn AND fiber type, modified pieces to in-the-round, put it aside for about 10 years, used a vintage pattern, made the tiniest gauge swatch known to woman… I. LOVE. THIS. SWEATER. !!!!!!!!!

3/27/2014
Finished the yoke decreases back in February, but was a little stumped by the directions for the button/neck band. In 1958 patterns assumed quite a bit of background knowledge, I think! I finally started it back up yesterday (since the featherweight is done!) and am almost done with the button side of the band.

1/25/2014
Sleeves and body are joined! Used the instructions from the baby cardi pattern that I made last spring. Pretty mind bending to do with an all-over lace pattern. I am very impressed with myself ;-) I was ready to just knit around and around the yoke. Luckily I reminded myself that I needed to decrease! I’m a little worried that the decreases aren’t scheduled to happen fast enough for my short self. I started the decreases, but I am going to do some measuring and calculations before I get too far. The yarn is much more drapey than the yarn that was used in the original pattern so I think the weight of the sweater means the row gauge is off some.

1/5/2014
Finished the first set of sleeve increases and realized that a slight amount of striping was starting to appear even though I was alternating skeins. So instead of knitting in the round, I did a couple even rows by turning and knitting in the other direction. The twisting together of the two yarns and the lace pattern obscure any little hole that might occur. I’ve only had to do this a couple times and it seems to be working. In the picture of the body and the sleeve there isn’t a marked difference between them.

1/1/2014
Not long after the last comment I put the sleeve next to the body and decided it was not a good look. I escaped having to alternate skeins in the body, but I was going to have to alternate for the sleeves to avoid the spiraling. Now, five months later, I am back to working on this. Started the second sleeve with two balls of yarn. Will rip out and re-knit the first sleeve with two balls as well. I am now about 4 inches up the first sleeve.

7/25/13
First sleeve is done up to the armpit. Near the top of the sleeve the color patterning started to change. On to the second sleeve.

7/24/13
I have about 10 inches of the first sleeve done (just started the second batch of increases). The lace pattern is going pretty fast. The circular needles I am using are slowing me down slightly, though. I am continually having to move the stitches around the needle. I may switch to double points. On the other hand, with the circular, I have been easily able to try it on and admire it.

7/9/13 Started to work on the first sleeve. Will work both sleeves up to the armpit and then join to the body for the raglan decreases. The lace pattern is going really smoothly so far.

6/11/2013
It’s back on the active list! I ripped out down to the armpits and ripped out the little I had started of one sleeve. So now it is one big rectangle rather than the shape in the picture at left. I think it will be slightly big. I started using size small (rather than XS) and I think I will do the sleeves and the rest with XS sizing. Hope to do some knitting on it over the next couple days.

History
I bought this yarn at my first Stitches West circa 2002. I fell in love with it and decided I had to have not one but two skeins. Not being an experienced yarn buyer (I was primarily a spinner at that time, not a knitter), I had no idea how much silk yarn cost. It was a shock when I checked out, but I loved the yarn so much I knew it was worth it. :-)

I didn’t know what I would make with it when I bought it, but I eventually got the idea to make a sweater from an old pattern book a friend had given me. Started the sweater, doing it in the round instead of pieces, but got stuck at the point where it seemed that the sleeve openings would be way too big.

I drug it out recently (2013) and decided that maybe they are ok, I just wasn’t familiar with the idea of raglan sleeves. I plan to have someone help me measure it, perhaps do a little frogging, and then try to do the sleeves as if it were a bottom-up raglan. First, I am planning to do a bottom-up raglan baby sweater so I understand how it works. Ha ha! This is the first sweater I started and it will be only the third sweater I have ever made if all goes as planned. I am truly crazy!