odds 'n ends...

Got the E Fisher Knock-off done, washed and dried and it fits! Funny thing, I made a new swatch after the fact! Ha! you say! What good is that? The first one with the old 580 carriage read 26 sts and 50 rows to 10 cm. With the 840 carriage (same stitch dial number, same overhead tension, same weights) it says 26 sts and 56 rows to 10 cm! Let it rest overnight and it was the same as the first one. The pieces looked big when I steamed them  (they always do before it gets a chance to relax), fresh off the machine, and it was a little big after the putting together because I couldn't wait. Washed and tossed in dryer for 15 minutes - it was perfect, no steaming necessary! Love the shape of it and the way sideways knitting and the one-row-tuck patterning controlled the colour distribution of this 'variegated' yarn.
The point of making the second swatch was to have a baseline for future use.
Now I have something brand new to take to Waynesboro, PA for this weekend!
This really was a super-quick project, virtually no finishing - I'll have to make another in a solid, light colour when I come back and explain a few more of the details. 

Before that project, while I was still pondering the fact the lace carriage still worked, I dashed off a couple of pockets for Uptown. Used my ‘patch pocket with chained edge method’, washed and dried them several times, just tossing them in with my vacation laundry loads, pressing them in-between to add some wear and patina. Pinned the pockets in place and tried it on. Because I couldn’t get the placement with matching the pattern, angled them slightly – works for me! Stitched them in place with the sewing machine.
Finished off the second Juxtapose Hoodie – switched back to the 580 carriage just in case – just needs a wash before sewing in the zipper.

determination...

Got the back knit, row by row, watching carefully that I had a knit row and then a tuck row. It seemed to be dropping the signal more at the right side which was okay because it would knit the tuck row and then I just needed to manually advance the pattern row and it would knit plain to the left. It took some time, but I managed it, going on pure determination, still not too sure what was going wrong. The only thing that saved me here was the fact the stitch pattern was a 20-row repeat and I could use that multiple of ten to match the garment row counter easily. Had to do the same on the front. Sometimes I’d get lucky and it would knit 15 to 20 rows without losing the pattern, but I persevered and got it done over the weekend. The patterning is quite subtle anyway, especially in this darker colour.

The hemline looks great. I stuck with the 5 sts of longstitch just for the extra weight, to ensure the hem wouldn’t roll up. The neckline looks really good too - I am so impressed! I changed it to only 3 stitches on the rib bed, with the end needle on the ribber, because it doesn’t need the extra weight as it fits around the neck, just needs to lay flat and I wanted it to be narrow. It did the job and looks fabulous! It’s kind of what I’d call a bateau/boat neckline – there is very little shaping – the back neck is 3 cm deep and the front, 6 cm, with the width at 24 cm across. It is not stretchy but just fits over my head with a wee bit to spare, looks neat and so easy, with no extra finishing!
Time for the sleeves. I could knit them plain and no one would think anything of it, but I have this thing about giving up – can’t do it, and I go for the tuck patterning. Don’t need the ribber here because there is no longstitch. Hang the open stitches, purl side facing, because the knit side is the right/outside. Set up the patterning and, taking a deep breath, begin. It’s patterning flawlessly! I can’t believe it! I begin knitting quickly, thinking the stars are aligned and I’d better get this done while things are good. Get the whole sleeve done, not one single error or dropped signal. Then it dawns on me! The mis-patterning was only when I had the ribber linked up for the longstitch! Could it be that was just pulling the carriage slightly forward, causing the patterning faults? Maybe all I needed to do was adjust the ribber? Right now, I don’t care, just super ecstatic to get this finished up! Thanks for the inspiration, Eileen Fisher! Happy Birthday, Janet!