Black is Black

Black is Black.  Yet another sweater connected 60's song reference!  This yarn sure is black.  I hope the deep black lets you see what I see close up.

 I think you can see the beginnings of the shape of this sweater.  Very simple.  The short rows do all the shaping to take the form of a round yoke.  

It looks a wee bit sack like without the benefit of blocking but it is going to look great when it is done.  Already I can see that.  

Looking great is not enough.  It can look great in principle even when it has serious flaws.  If you read project posters on Ravelry, the one comment is that the sleeves are really narrow.  And oh my goodness that is what I am finding.  The upside of this sweater is how very easy it is to adjust to make it fit.  It is all in the short rows.

The pattern says to knit the shoulder, and then to join with the bottom and to immediately begin knitting the back. ...Not likely.  

Not unless you were very, very slender, 12 year old girl slender, could you do this and have a nice fitting sweater.  Most women will need to knit something of an underarm. My first sleeve version had 2 more short row sections than the required number over the shoulders and 8 garter ridges for the underarm.  Too tight.  

A few more rows of underarm were knit. I tried it on again, but it still was not quite right.  The sleeves are fine, but it is pulling too tight, right where this sweater is most vulnerable, where the yoke and sleeve join.  

It has been taken it back one more time and another garter ridge or  2 will be knit and and I shall try again. That ought to do it.  

My other major modification is hip shaping.  To fit nicely I need more inches at the hips.  Flaring at the center might look good for those without hip issues but too much flare just draws attention to what is not one of my better features. It will look far better if it hangs gracefully down from the neckline.  At two points on the front and 2 points at the underarm, I knit 35 stitches and turned, and then 40 stitches and turned, and then back to the regularly scheduled shaping. To keep it tidy, I am doing this hip shaping on the first row of a 6 row shaping set. And it is working.  It gives flare at the front without excess.    It gives just the right sort of shaping.

So onward I go, knitting some, trying it on.  By Monday this sweater will be substantially done.  Or I think it will.  Its pretty hypnotic and an amazing amount is being knit without me even noticing!