Where does the time go?

This time of year is CRAZY. I don't know where the weeks have gone, into some sort of time warp. We celebrate the big day (you know the one), my shopping is mostly done and I've decided in the midst of all the preparations that I should start a new sweater for myself in Navy. Yes, I said Navy, my favourite colour, the darker the better. I do own 2 store bought sweaters (yes Brenda, the big confession) and guess what colour they are? Do you want a hint? You guessed it.

Imagine this photo about twice as dark as it shows here, in fact almost black, yummy. I'm knitting with Cotton Tweed, Just Navy. If you go to the yarn site you'll have a much better idea of how dark the navy is. I love it.

Top Down of course, a cardigan with a collar and crew neck.

With this 2x2 garter rib down the centre back and down each side of the fronts. The ribbing pulls the collar in at the neck and works very effectively I'm happy to say. This will be nice and relaxing project (even though it's dark) over the holidays.

I hope you are planning on knitting something just for the fun of it over the holidays.

Have a Happy, Happy Holiday. See you in the new year,
Deb & Lyn

Underarm Baby Vest Solution

After much pondering I think I have a solution to the Vest underarm quandary. With Baby sizes a top down doesn't need any stitches cast on at the underarm so at the Divide Row the Front and Back are being joined up as you work the row. I'd like the join between the Front and Back to be nice and tight and I also have to reduce the stitch numbers so the stitch pattern can continue across the entire body.

On the Divide Row, after casting off the stitches of the first sleeve, pass the last stitch of the Front over the last Cast Off stitch of sleeve. This will join the Front and Back together. It works. I hope the diagram helps to explain it in the pattern. What do you think?

-Deb

Bogged Down

Sometimes a design just bogs down. I can't figure out why but I don't want to work on it any more. The design seems fine but I keep putting it off and picking up other projects. Today I realized it was the join at the bottom of the cap sleeve. It works. Sort of. I kept telling myself it was fine. But it's not. There's a gap which bothers me.

At the Great Divide the sleeve sts are cast off. Then on the next row you would purl across the Fronts and Back which joins them up for the Body. But there is a gap and it's messy. On the next row I picked up the loose strands at the underarm and knit them together with the stitches on the needle and that neatened it up. But I can't write that in the pattern because how would you know which stitches to pick up if you've never done this before. A glitch.

Then I decided to cast on 2 sts to join up the Fronts and Back. But that's not satisfactory either. It makes a larger space at the bottom of the armhole.

Now back to the beginning. How to make the join between the Fronts and the Back neat and tidy? It's time to rip it back and try another idea, what fun!
-Deb