12/28/09 Swatch washed and drying - 19 sts & 28 rows = 4”. Just a teenie bit off on the recommended 20 sts and 27 rows = 4”, so hopefully the dried swatch will get me on the dot for one of the measurements. If not, it’s no biggie - 40” will be a generous fit, mainly for my broad shoulders. Also, not counting swatching in start date, cuz I started the swatch a week or two ago.

12/29/09 My dried swatch is at a 20st/26rows=4” gauge. Thanks in part to SundayKnitter’s comment, I’ll be downgrading to the 36” instead of the 40”. For some reason, I’ve been over-estimating my size lately (as in the comfortneck) and have managed to forget that there is give and that not everything must be huge on me.

12/29/09 Started back; finished chart, close to starting waist shaping.

1/1/10 Finished waist shaping, working my way towards armhole shaping ~ 1.5” away. Was taking/uploading pics and so we have example #231 of why a web cam is a last-resort option. Strangely, the color is a little more accurate. A photographer I am not.

1/11/10 Finished back last week; used 1 full skein plus a little from the next. Started right front, which looks fine, but worked on it at MissRacher’s house while drinking wine and have somehow managed to either skip a row in the chart (or repeat a row) or possibly just started out with odd #rows=ws, evens=rs (should be the opposite). Only noticed after 2nd row of waist decrease and, as I said, the lace panel done so far looks dandy so I’m not going to frog for perfection. One row won’t make that much of a difference.¹

1/12 Restarted front; I managed to do the first set of bobbles/nupps with no problem (that I recall anyway) but I got to the 2nd set and realized that I really did screw up somewhere. Probably around row 18 after a mimosa & glass of wine; no more drinking + lace.

1/28 Finished right front. Had to frog back a bunch of rows because decreasing was tricky; I heeded the directions, or thought I did, but still ended up having to fudge things a little bit and have 3 extras rows. Ah well. Also realized that a 3 needle BO wasn't going to work - maybe if I make another one I will throw caution to the wind and just do it. Threw caution to the wind and did 3 needle BO - looks fine, like 3 needle BO. Anyhow. On to the left front. O - also - right front did not use entire skein of yarn; I have ~ 1/4 sk left (too lazy to weigh it).

1/30 Hello: my name is Mandy and I can’t read a pattern. I cast on for the left front yesterday and 7 rows into it, this morning, got confused, checked the right front and lo - I did not do 2 garter ridges at the bottom edge. sigh Not sure how (or if) I’m going to fix it. Oh, who am I kidding - I’ll fix it, just not right now.

2/11/10 Finished the right front again on the 9th. Started collar but made mistake early in row and am tinking back instead of ripping it out and casting on again. Taking a break to spin and to rest my knitting muscles for Ravelympics.

3/10/10 Another magical date - I’m seaming the sleeves and sides. Took apart 3 needle BO for one shoulder, was going to do other side and then realized that I bound off all the back stitches too and the side I was going to undo was not the tail side. And I’m not going to re-bind off all those back stitches, but I will re-splice a spit join on a very visible part of the sleeve. The collar will (kinda) cover the shoulder sleeve anyway, or that’s my current rationale. Did sleeves 2/time, just finished increases and should’ve started decreases ~1/4” back. Such is post-Ravelympic, post-tummy flu life. Wish I had made myself wait to work on Kelmscott as an FO or as a lace project for Ravelympics. Oh well. I still like the other sweater I made. Blah blah, et cetera. (Lack of sleep talking, I think. But my seaming is going well. Except for the shoulder thing. Also, I’m not this chatty in person. Honest).

Hopefully casting on for collar once (and only once) again, after 2 pre-Ravelympics fuck-ups with st count. Stitch markers are my friends … stitch markers are my friendzzzzz.

3/18/10 Finished collar 2 (3? 4?) days ago. It would make a good shawl on its own/more repeats & finishing. I covered the buttons, but kinda did my own thing with the crochet to make them look right to me. Also, sl st crocheted 2 rows at front edges and made buttonhole loops much smaller and less loopy than pattern suggests (i.e., 6 st chain attached over 7 rows, including the 2 rows where it’s attached). I still don’t speak crochet, but did do what I needed to. Oh, yes - I don’t have a size C crochet hook, and so used a slightly larger D.

Still not washed or blocked, which would have made seaming much easier, but I was too impatient. Love it much more than I thought I would. Collar feels like a hug around my shoulders.

3/28/10 Washed & blocked and even better. I forgot to note that Carol’s comment on sizing was spot-on; thermalgal is making the next larger size and this size fit her, though it may work out for her because her gauge is a smaller (I think), while mine was larger. I wore this to a memorial service last weekend & on various visits/errands, and out to dinner last night, each time with jeans and have gotten a tone of compliments on it. Love love love this sweater.