27 March: I’ve finally started Elizabeth Zimmermann’s ‘Green’ Sweater! The yarn knits beautifully, I am really enjoying this.

I got gauge with 4mm needles, surprisingly. The yarn demands attention so as not to knit only a partial strand of some stitches. I had to drop a couple and knit them back up with a crochet hook to avoid weak spots that would cause holes later on. Glad I spotted those! I still like the yarn a lot though, it is so lovely and soft, and feels and looks great!

29 March: I got to the underarm height of 8 inches at the end of my lunch break today. Good timing. I already sewed up the turned hem though I didn’t consider the phoney seams. I don’t think that I need to drop the stitches down that far, I can stop where it catches. It’s just that I can’t bear the finishing of of a garment - if there is only one last loose thread to weave in right at the end, that makes me feel ecstatic!

30 March: I was able to get one phoney seam down to the turning ridge, but the other one caught. It’ll add to the charm of a handmade garment! That’s my excuse anyway. Got to a couple of inches past the arm steeks, I am pleased with my progress.
Funny thing is that I somehow have about four stitches more than the pattern allows for, I must have been more generous with my centre steek stitches than I realised. Hm, bit of a mystery.

31 March: I cut the very first steek in my life! Extremely excited and causing flipping sensation in pit of stomach. I survived it though. I had decided to sew two parallel lines on each side of the to-be-cut steek line (making four in total; all half a stitch’s width from each other) and I am very glad I did: there are very small bits of thread coming loose from the central stitching line though they are still caught up. I know I am going to sew those facings down which will secure all these thread ends even more, but you never know… My safety stitching lines will give me lots of reassurance if nothing else!
I picked up the stitches for one sleeve. The other two steeks: sleeve and front body still have to be sewn and cut.

25 Apr: I cut the last steek down the front and started the neck facing. The live stitches inside the gauntlet cuffs are also sewn down. Not long to go now!

May: I still need to do the button loops and centre facing and can’t get myself into gear. I find that I made the sleeves too long - it looks a bit funny on a shortstop like me. Might be nice in winter when you can pull it over your hands…

24 Dec: Done, done! It’s finished!! Ends woven in, buttons sewn on, edges stitched down… Done!

What I learned: the yarn is too heavy for this pattern. I will need to store this folded up because hung up the cardigan gets longer and longer. The neckline is threatening to slip off its hanger.
I loved the techniques involved in this and I think I would like to make this again, but in a much thinner yarn which will hold the shape incomparably better.
I don’t like the way the button band looks: the front pieces pull apart and bulge rather unattractively - I think it will be okay to wear as long as I keep it unbuttoned.
The sleeves are a touch too long (still ok though) but the body is way too short. When knitting this again I will lengthen this by about 3 inches.
I think I would like to try the version with slimmer sleeves which the pattern mentions. Maybe in a Jamieson 2 ply Shetland wool? They have some utterly gorgeous colours and I own a shadecard!

(P26)