lwood

Well!

In looking at the sweaters in this pattern that I found on Ravelry I see that they, too, didn't quite know what to do with the top of the sweater, and the reference picture in the book doesn't even show the top of the shoulders.

So: bollocks to 'em all. I realized I had at least fourteen rows (or half a knot) at the top of the last knot, but then there is a thing one often does to the back of a sweater so it stands up a little taller than the front--this is done through arcane knitterly sorcery called "short rows", and would screw up any attempt to make two half-knots butt up neatly.

I had the unlovely choice between a sweater that fit less well but whose cables met aesthetically at the very straight shoulder, or a shoulder that fit better where the cabling stopped a bit short.

I chose the latter; the shawl collar will cover, methinks, a multitude of sins, and this is at the top of the shoulder anyhow; not where people will be looking, even me.

So: the V-neck is shaped, the short rows of the back are in place, the sleeves are set-in (ha!) and the shoulders grafted together. There is a nice red thread basting up the centerline in front. The lifelines at the armpits of sleeves and body are gone, but I left the Grafting of the Armpits 'til last, in case the initial fit suggests that an emergency gusset is in order.

Next is the machine sewing on both sides of that centerline, one line on either side of the third stitch out from that basted thread. I am not sure I trust myself to sew absolutely straight with so much bunched fabric when I've hardly touched a sewing machine in years.

wolfs_daugher has volunteered to do this the next time we can shoehorn it into our schedule, no later than Monday night.

Then...I cut.

I am happy to say that we even practiced this last night: I whomped up a 6"x6" stockinette sample,

wolfs_daugher adjusted her sewing machine, and...

I cut knitted fabric and it did not disintegrate into a pile of lint! So did

wolfs_daugher and

dpaxson and LO we were VICTORIOUS. We tugged, fussed, and frayed every which way and the thread held.

So. I think I'm ready. We'll soon see.

-- Lorrie