Victory is mine!

That's from something, isn't it?  I feel like it's a sure sign that something is about to go very, very wrong, but it took me so long to get here that I just don't care anymore. 

I have been working on a test knit for Anne and in the last week it seemed to have taken over my free time b/c I was trying to push to finish it. 

Around midweek I started feeling kind of crappy and have since come down with a nasty cold, fever, dizziness, wracking cough, and many other exciting symptoms.  I say this not to elicit sympathy, I'll be fine, I've certainly been sicker many times, but to demonstrate that maybe, just maybe, my brain wasn't in the best state to be following directions.

First, I was tired of knitting, so I sewed half the sweater together.

 

Fine, right?  Okay, I guess - it took me 2.5 hours to do this much.  I remember why I like knitting sweaters in the round so much better.  When you are done, you are DONE.  I am SO doing a top down raglan after this. 

So then when I was doing the second front I was counting repeats to the bust increases and something seemed...off, so I compared the two and realized I had placed the center of the waist one repeat lower on the front than the back, so I had to rip back and mimic that on the other front so it would be balanced.  

While I was examining the increase error, I found this.  Handy that I found it, but ACK!  How does this happen?

 

You gotta love that, right?  I was here

 

And there was NO WAY I was ripping back to fix it, this was the last piece and I wasn't stopping forward motion for nobody, nohow.

Then I just kept screwing it up and having to rip back an inch or two at a time.  I did that at least 4 times.  

This is the point at which sheer stubborness actually does me some good.  I feel like most people would have figured it was time to put it down and work on something else for a while - possibly until the brain was less groggy, but not me, oh no. 

For me, putting it down would mean I would have to go back to it later and there wasn't any way I was going to do that, it was going to be finished this weekend.  Period. 

So I pushed through, and here it is.

The sleeve on the right really isn't bigger, I measured them, must be the camera angle.  I still have to weave in the ends and put on the button bands, but this feels like a huge victory for me this weekend.

Now I just have to hope it actually fits me!

The other thing I did this week was fix DH's hat.  When I knit it I didn't knit an upturned cuff so it wasn't doing such a hot job of keeping his ears warm.  I decided to take off the ribbing and knit down to fix it.

 

And here it is, all taken apart.

 

So I picked up those open stitches and knitted down until I had what I wanted, a nice fold up brim to keep my hubby's ears warm.

And heck...he could even wear it inside out.

 

Okay, not really b/c all the ends are there, but I watched one of EZ's videos with my mother over Christmas and we started cracking up b/c she kept turning things inside out and saying "there, you could wear it inside out if you wanted to" so now I feel like I have to turn everything inside out and examine it for wearability.

Now then, I'm off to start a boring (but pretty) raglan sweater on very big needles.  Modeling shots of the sweater soon!

Comments

[Barbara-Kay]

Home Economics was a required course for all freshman girls back in the dark ages when I attended high school. Our teacher always expected our garments to look as good on the inside as the outside. (and it drives DH nuts when he tries to hang up the clean clothes.)

Thanks for the memories!

[Jodi]

I love that raglan pattern! Now I want to knit one, but I must finish my Sienna cardigan first.

Speedy recovery!

[trek]

What a very productive weekend.

[Emily]

Nice job on the cardigan! I'm a die hard knit in the round sweater lover too.

[Jocelyn]

Oh, man -- you did it! It looks really good; and I completely understand your desire for something big and in one piece. I'm casting on for a raglan for my older daughter right now! But I can't wait to see it on you -- I bet it looks wonderful. I hope you feel better soon :)