Let me apologize before I even start for the bad quality of these photos. My camera was about to run out of batteries and I was wanting to leave for work, so I just took what I could get and ran with it. I'm sure you don't really care that much anyway, but just thought I should let it be known that I am aware that these are not the best photos.
Baby sweater number 1: the Bookworm sweater from Miss Bea's Rainy Days. I decided to rip back what I had and knit the body in the round to avoid all of those silly purl rows. I have now finished the whole front and back and am ready for sleeves. I mean, as ready as one can be ... is anyone truly "ready" for sleeves?
I think I will knit the sleeves in the round as well. Anyone have any reason that I shouldn't do that? Please speak up now.
Baby sweater number 2: The Tess's Lace Leaf Baby Cardigan -- the one where I fear I will run out of yarn. The fear has become almost a certainty at this point, but I bought a matching yarn at Full Thread Ahead on Sunday, so I'm not too worried. I'm fairly confident that I have enough yarn to finish the sleeves, which I started last night:
I have about 25 g of the Tess yarn left at this point, with one pattern repeat (out of 4) done on the first sleeve.
Sorry I don't have pics of the matching yarn today -- did I mention that I wanted to leave for work? And it was dark in my bedroom because the DH was still sleeping, so I couldn't rummage in the closet too easily for the yarn. This gives me another excuse to post!
Speaking of the DH, I find it very amusing that the DH seems really enamored of these two baby sweaters. He loves the yarn, loves the patterns, how the sweaters are turning out. He seems to want me to make him a sweater out of the cotton -- I don't think that's going to happen, though I do have quite a bit of it left!
What size were you doing that Tess sweater in? I was planning to make it, and I have only one hank of yarn... yipes! I have done sleeves in the round, and think you'll be fine. It was so much easier to finish the sweater... although I was doing a bottom-up raglan and joined the sleeves to the round, so maybe that was the difference.
Posted by: Jo at March 21, 2006 1:44 PMI really like the Miss Bea sweater. You're not going to make the hubby a ginormous sized one?! Okay, I actually don't think you'd have enough yarn for that... But you definitely have enough yarn for some butt pads.
Posted by: Cookie at March 21, 2006 6:04 PMOKAY. For some reason I didn't know you were married. What? I know, what planet have I been on? Maybe I'm not so good about reading the names at the beginning of the posts and every time you said 'husband' I just thought it was C talking.
I think picking up the sleeves to knit in the round should not be a problem. I did that on a sweater designed to be knit flat with set-in sleeves and they turned out great. I just picked up the number that I should have cast on, and the shaping worked itself out.
Posted by: Laura at March 21, 2006 7:25 PMIs "the cotton" Rown Hand Knit cotton? I hate that stuff. HATE.
I want to know if there is any reason not to knit the sleeves in the round. Looking at S's denim sweater (which just needs seaming) I'm wondering why I didn't give that a try myself. Ah well.
Posted by: Abigail at March 21, 2006 8:41 PMOh yeah, I was going to say the only reason I don't like to knit sleeves in the round for top down is that you have to rotate the entire sweater each round. But for a baby sweater, that shouldn't be that annoying, right?
Posted by: Cookie at March 21, 2006 11:59 PMCookie said: "the only reason I don't like to knit sleeves in the round for top down is that you have to rotate the entire sweater each round."
But if you're supposed to pick up the stitches and knit from the top down, even if it's not in the round you'd have to turn the whole thing around all the time. Now that you've knit the body in the round, it only makes sense to knit the sleeves in the round, too :).
Posted by: Anabel at March 22, 2006 11:45 PMI've done a couple baby sweaters where the sleeves were done in the round. Of course, they were not picked up from the body, but knit on after for a bottom up construction. Still, I always like one less seam to do, especially for a baby. They are both lovely, but the Tess is simply gorgeous!
Posted by: Juls at March 24, 2006 8:07 AM