Let's make something! Part 7--the sleeves

The steps of the blue cardi: the sleeves. I thought these would be done in a jiffy. But I was wrong. The first sleeve took quite a while. Then I started reading a good book, and the second sleeve flew by, and then poof! I was done!

I made a few changes to the sleeve. When reading the pattern, I was a bit thrown off by the number of decreases called for--decreasing only 12 stitches??? That's less than 2 inches. The top of the arm was a bit loose on me, and I wanted the sleeve to have a more fitted appearance. So I seriously stepped up the number of decreases.

I did paired decreases every 6th row. The result is a nice little line of decreases and a fitted sleeve. I wanted my sleeves to be 3/4 length, so I worked the stockinette section with decreases until they were just beyond my elbows, then did about 2 inches of 1x1 rib and the same sewn cast off I used for the body.

Another change I made was in how I picked up the stitches at the underarm. The pattern calls for picking up 2 stitches, which is the number you made when you removed the sleeves to work the body alone. But I've found that when I pick up the same number, I'm left with bit holes on either side of the underarm stitches. So instead, I picked up the 2 cast on stitches, plus one stitch on either side of the underarm (where those holes would be). Then on the next round, I knit the first picked up stitch together with the last stitch before the underarm, and the 4th picked up stitch together with the first stitch after the underarm--sorry, no photos of this. Once the sleeve is done, these picked up stitches are a bit loose.

But it's a sinch to go through and tighten them up (did you like that pun???) before weaving in the end.

Look, ma! No big holes in the arm pit! :)

I'm so happy to be done with this a week before my deadline (Tracie's graduation, 6/9). But I had some trouble getting a good finished object pic.

Hopefully I can get a better one next week at the big event. And I'm still a bit annoyed with the rolly collar.

Though I remain hopeful that it will relax a bit with a good soak.

I've already dug into my next project.

No, your eyes do not deceive you. It's pretty much the exact same color as the featherweight cardigan. I didn't do that on purpose, it was just too gorgeous of a color to pass up. More about this new project later!