Going to cast on 224st to compensate for my ample hips :D I hope I can finagle this into the correct size and without those awful puffed sleeves. Some projects that are good guidelines are this, this, and this. Ah well, we’ll get there when we get there! So far it goes like this:

’Cast on 224 st and join, placing BOR marker.

(k2, p2) 28 times, PM, (k2, p2) 28 times

13 April - I do want to do some waist shaping; I measured all my bits and I rate I should drop about 20st over 4in, so I’m going to do the decreases from the pattern 5 times every 5 or 6 rows and see how it goes. Also since I love texture but anything added to this crazy wool would make it way too hectic, I’m going to do the odd purl round I think. Maybe some moss-stitch panels somewhere. We’ll see.

18 April - Did 6 decrease rounds, dropping 24 st. Knit straight for a bit and have now started the bust increases. I plan to mirror the decreases but maybe have a bit more slant…every 8 rows mebbe? Purl rows are looking nice ;)

28 April - Done with the body for now…time to start with the sleeves. Worked out all the maths and here are the subsequent instructions so that I can make another one the same:

CO 44 st and divide on 3 DPNS (14, 16, 14)

(k2, p2) rib for 2 inches.

Work first increase row: K22, M1, PM, k22, M1

Then incr 2 st in the same way every following fifth row (as in start counting in fives after the first row, not including it, stoner) until there are 84 st.

Knit straight until sleeve measures 50cm from CO edge.

At least, that is theoretically it. We’ll see if it works.

April 30 - Had a LOT of time to knit yesterday because it was the Bathurst Book Fair and I was running the stall most of the time. God I love the BBF. Made 900 bucks this year which seems small compared to previous years, but actually I think my account-keeping is just better. So yeah, R900 net, yay! Now I can buy more yarn :P

Aaaaanyway…

What I mean to say is that I got up past the elbow, and the decreases I actually did were pretty different to what I described above. I’m knitting it on DPNs, so basically I just kept trying it on and increasing as needed. These sleeves will probably be done in a week because I am terrified of losing the piece of paper with all my scribblings on it and being unable to duplicate the first sleeve. Maybe I can take a photo of said paper for here in case I lose it, although I doubt my phone can handle it. Goes to try

1 May - Finished first sleeve last night, and it looks like my ‘notes’ can be stored here in a see-able format, so that is awesome. Gonna start on the other now; shouldn’t take long because I am hella excited about attaching them :D

6 May - Attached sleeves yesterday and tried it on…it fits perfectly! :D I left the underarm stitches live and grafted them together, so in the end all I will have to sew up are 4 tiny holes..woot! I have precious little time left before I have to decide on collar choices for realsies, but I will keep trying it on as I go. It’s a good thing it’s nearly done because it’s gotten bloody cold lately. Had to take pictures in the garden because the winter sun no longer reaches through my window :(

11 May - I just frogged this jersey back so far that I feel slightly ill just thinking about it. I finished all the raglan decreases and decided to add a hood, so I did that. Then because I am apparently some sort of sadist I decided to make it a stocking-cap hood. And all was well and good until 2 things happened: a) I realised that my gauge was too tight for it to be nicely drapey, and b) My seemingly inexhaustible supply of mad rainbow wool was not so inexhaustible after all. Dammit. Dammit dammit dammit. Why do I always get 50cm into things before realising I’ve fucked it up? EXTREMELY MAD AT SELF…GRRRR!

Luckily this time I remembered to take a (very bad, circa 11pm) photo before I finished frogging…it took me over half an hour and I now have 4 balls of yarn :/

20 May - Finally done. Finished it at Meridith’s party on Fri. It’s pretty nice I guess, but that hood will haunt me forever :P Also at some point I will frog and re-knit the collar because I don’t like things pressing on my neck, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to do it right now. I am so over it and also it’s really damn cold, so I need it.