Goal? What goal?

I missed my goal yesterday by a mile. I am just now working on sleeves. No bands, no collar. Just sleeves, and not even complete sleeves at that. I had to stop and think along the way but I know feel perfectly comfortable that the sweater will be loved.

I knit about half the first sleeve. I was using the alternating stitches that I used in the top of the sweater, but the more I knit, the more uncomfortable I felt about it.

I love stranded work and I love the way the sweater is turning out, but it is a baby sweater and it needs to be functional. So what is wrong with this picture?

Strands. Little loose strands. Tiny hands and dainty fingers. Tiny fingers and tiny arms being put through a small sleeve opening as you try to dress a squirming young one. Or a sleeping young one. And that is what is wrong with a heavily worked sleeve. The small opening and the teeny little fingers just are not a good mix. The last thing a new mom needs is tiny hands getting caught on all manner of little loops. I'd hate for her to say, ' I like it but its such a pain to put on'.

I ripped back the lovely but impractical sleeve and will knit a plain sleeve with the corrugated rib bottom.

It took a while to think this all out, and like all my good thinking these days, it happens when I knit. Combine thinking time with afternoon knitting with friends, and voila,

nice bunch of work on the sock.

Some new work, some replacing work, a little thinking. Just about right for the day.