ta-da…

Omigosh! this thing is adorable! It’s comfy, cuddly, cozy, cute!

No, Tom, the neckline backstitching can’t be done on the machine, sorry! This method gives a nice, close-fitting finish that is snug but still everything is stretchy enough to go over your head without damaging your ears! So worth the extra effort! And the detail is priceless!

I love the texture added in by the 1RT.  The colour play, even though there is really only  3 to 4 shades of the denim colours, is quite interesting - note the little zigzagging across the top just under the neckline, almost like a yoke effect. 

The hem treatment is beautiful and maybe there’s more work than the multicoloured yarn shows, but I know it’s there!

And it came out to the exact size I planned!

pushing boundaries…

The ribbed cuff is so nice!  Glad I went with the 2X2 (2X1) arrangement - it really fills out nicely and adds that extra  bit of firmness for this relatively thin yarn. Kind of excited to translate this to the neckline! 

I pulled booklets and swatches and settled on a ribbed band with that little stockinette border that’s hand stitched...yeah, it’s in ‘The Neck’s Best Thing’, #24, called 1x1 rib with casing…but I’m sticking with the 2X2. 

Notice, in the photo, the top green waste yarn was for the cast-on edge of the rib, then you see the rib in the denimy yarn. Transfer all sts up to main bed. Hang neckline sts. Knit 3 rows on the main yarn and then a bunch of rows waste yarn, which you see curving below the rib. Now the tricky part - hand stitching that little 3-row trim onto the garment with a backstitch…

flashback…

I’ve really enjoyed this knit! When I got over the trauma of having to remake that chain cast-on and admitting it, I got energized! Quickly made both body pieces and thought, I haven’t made a ribbed neckband since forever! Except for that last NP sweater and that doesn’t really count - it was hand-latched, not really ribbed!

For the sleeves, although I wanted long, it seems I always end up either rolling them up or just pushing up, you know, when you’re in the kitchen…so I opted for a ribbed cuff - this way I could test out the rib without really making another swatch! 

Just to recap, this yarn is relatively fine, even though I’m using T9 for the one-row-tuck, in plain stockinette it would be more like T5 stockinette,  so 1X1 rib would be kind of flimsy, not much body to it. I’m going with 2x2 rib in the 2X1 needle arrangement with the manual wrap cast-on - it has more stretch and firmness  (more stitches actualy) than 1X1. 

After that ‘wake up call’ with the yarn breaking on the first row, I wouldn’t dream of doing anything other than casting on with waste yarn for the rib. https://knitwords.blogspot.com/2010/08/dream-coat-notes-day-1.html

good thing…

I trust my swatch. This thing is huge! But it will shrink a lot! At least according to my swatch! 

Refreshed my memory by reading up on that curved hemline. 

https://knitwords.blogspot.com/2020/08/a-little-reminder.html

My sponge bar is okay, but after that faux pas on the cast-on, I feel like I need all the help I can get!

While knitting the Back and Front, I was considering the possibilities for the neck…more research required!

good memory…

but it’s short!

Love the look of the swatch - going with the T9 option. Examining the chain and picot knots in the hem, I decided it needed a bit of beefing up so used three strands for the chain, without really thinking it through but you know how I am when I get going! Threaded up and knit the first row…halfway across, I knew I was in trouble! Rats, crap and goop!! The yarn broke several times - couldn’t handle going over the picot knots! Gosh, darn! Why didn’t I know that? 

Ha! My younger self did!

https://knitwords.blogspot.com/2020/08/dissect-that.html

If I could only remember to read my own stories!

Handknit the first row after the picot knots…

The shaded tones here make it a little hard to see and I found it helped to put a yarn mark on row 4,  on the centre needles for the bottom of the tuck rib to prevent unladdering too far. The tuck rib doesn’t show up that much but it does help to widen out the hem so it’s worth doing…