Woven Cables Sweater Coming Right Along

I have been buzzing along on the woven cable sweater.

Front done?

Back done?

Check!

Check!

They are both done up to the armhole, waiting for the sleeves so I can join them together and do the yoke all in one piece.

Some of you are wondering why I didn't just do the front and back in the round too and avoid those side seams. Well, this is just how I prefer it. I find the separate pieces more portable and I love my straight bamboo 4mms. (As I've said before, and apparently couldn't help but say again.)

And the sleeves?

First?

Second?

Check!

Um...working on it. Yes I'm working on the second sleeve. As I learn the pattern more and more and have to look at the paper less and less, it just seems to fly off the needles faster and faster. (Plus I'm sure I'm still improving on my Norwegian purling method.)

I'm still in the fun part as I just have a lot of knitting to do. Once I have the second sleeve done to the armhole, I will have to work out how to put it all together. The drawback of making up your pattern as you go along--you have to figure these things out. But for now, I just knit and knit and knit.

Observant knitters among you will also notice there's no ribbing or hem along the bottom of the main pieces or the sleeve. I will admit I first did this because that's what EZ told me to do in the Brooks pattern that I'm following. But I've realized it also gives me a lot of flexibility in how long to make the pieces.

After I have it all together I can have Troy try it on. If the sleeves need 2 more inches, I probably won't do it all in ribbing. (Actually I'm not sure what I'll do if they're that short...but they won't be!) If I need about an inch, ribbing will work. If I have the length I need, then I will probably do a folded hem. Options, options. They're wide open for me still.

A more old-fashioned reason to do this is that sweaters get a lot of wear on the cuffs. When they wear out, you can easily ravel them and just put on a new cuff, without having to knit the whole sleeve. Ingenious really. But no one really mends like this any more, do they? By the time a sweater wears out, we're usually done with it.

But just in case, I am ready!