8/23/2010: After receiving my order MUCH earlier than anticipated, I cast on tonight. I’m planning the following mods:

• Add a shawl collar (with only one button towards the bottom of the garter section).
• Long sleeves (probably narrower than the pattern calls for.

Used a crochet provisional cast on so that I can go back and pick up seamlessly for the shawl collar (which I have no idea how to knit, but by god, I’m going to figure it out.

8/24/2010: Knit knit knit knit knit.

8/25/2010: (lunch) Knit my one (and only) button hole on the WS before the eyelette increase row. I do not plan on actually doing YOs for the increases, instead, I plan on kfb to do the increases.

(evening) So, after completing the increase row, I realized I dropped a stitch while working my button hole, so I frogged back, reknit the button hole (looks much better now), knit my increases (k9, (kfb, k5) 17 times, (kfb, k4) 6 times, (kfb, k5) 17 times, k to end) again, and separated for the sleeves.

8/26/2010:(morning) Cast on the 7 stitches as the pattern dictated in spite of people saying that the sleeves end up being too big if you do. I would normally have knit this in a large for me, but based on the wiki wisdom, knit a medium so I think there will be some negative ease and I might need the room in the sleeves. We shall see. I’ve knit the first 3 rows of the gull lace pattern (dropped a stitch by the arm hole >_< and had to rip back a little. All fixed now. Hopefully I’ll stop dropping stitches soon.

(evening) I went gangbusters on the shawl collar this evening. Finished it all but the bind off and it turned out awesome! I picked up the stitches from my provisional cast on and knit 8 more rows of garter stitch because I wanted a bigger collar. Then I followed Darkandstormyday’s (http://www.ravelry.com/projects/Darkandstormyday/february...) instructions for completing a shawl collar.

8/27/2010: Bound off the collar this morning (mainly because I was getting tired of two balls of yarn hanging off of my knitting). Love it. Looks great. Continuing on with the body.

8/28/2010 - 8/30/2010: Spent the weekend in Providence, RI visiting friend with my BF, BF drove both there and back so I could knit (as he has no car appropriate hobbies). I got SO much done. still working on the body, but I’m over halfway done!

8/31/2010: School starts tomorrow night so I’m hoping I can finish the body tonight. Here’s hoping. I’d love to do the sleeves. They should go pretty quickly. I’m uncertain at this point if I want the sleeves to come down to my elbow or full length. I suspect that decision will be made mid knit.

9/2/2010: Finished the pattern repeats for the body last night and started the garter border on the bottom. Hopefully will pick up sleeves tonight.

9/3/2010: Did, in fact, finish the body last night. Picked up one of the arms. Ended up decreasing away the 9 stitches picked up under the arm to give it that little triangle per the wiki (it’s really small, no one will ever notice). Perhaps I can finish this up this weekend!

Bound off the first sleeve this evening. Think I’m going to frog and reknit the garter section on smaller needles as it seems to “pooch” a little bit. I’d rather it not do that :-)

9/4/2010: Frogged the garter section of the first sleeve this morning and picked back up with #6 needles. Much better. Still bound off with #10.5 needles though…

9/5/2010: Completed! Soaking now and will block. Will need to go out an obtain a button tomorrow. I’m thinking a plain black button will actually look best (after perusing buttons at Loop yesterday).