So I cast on again with the number of stitches called for in the pattern, and it turns out it isn’t as tight as I feared, so that’s a relief. The color pattern still isn’t my favorite when it’s laid flat, but it’s better than before, and anyway it doesn’t lay flat when I wear it, so there’s that. I also learned new techniques for casting on and binding off, in a way that makes the edge particularly stretchy, and I love learning a new trick when I knit. The rest of the pattern was pretty mindless, perfect to do when watching television. I think I’ll wear this cowl when I go to Canada for the holidays!
Then, I had to finish up my two skeins of green Rowan yarn, and I couldn’t find any pattern I liked. I decided to buy two skeins in a coordinating color (green teal) so that I could make the Tide Pools sweater in size 4T. I thought that if I changed the stripes pattern a bit and alternated 2 rows of each color, instead of 4 rows in the main color and 2 rows in the contrasting color, I’d have enough yarn. This is knit top down, so once I had finished the body, I knit up the collar and button bands in the main color, then weighed what I had left in order to divide it evenly between the sleeves. Well, I had a measly 11 grams left in my main color!
I figured I’d switch things up and use the contrasting color to knit the sleeve edges, but even then, the first sleeve was so short after using up 5 grams of the green that I knew I wouldn’t be happy with the sweater. I needed to get more green yarn, or frog it and start over in a smaller size. I sent an email to Jimmy Beans Wool, where I buy most of my yarn, and asked whether, by any chance, they still had a skein if green yarn left from the same dye lot. And miracle of miracles, they did! So I bought it and was able to complete the sweater, with long sleeves and green sleeve edges. I’m happy with how I did the color switch in the round, and hopefully it’ll show even less after a proper blocking. (The buttons were left over from the Gramps Cardigan.) I still have a bit of green and green teal left, so I’m adding that to the stash and hopefully I’ll get around to making fairisle hats one day!
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