theraineysisters knitting and so much more

Finally!  I finished the Baby Cables and Big Ones Too (purchase pattern through Ravelry) before sweater weather is completely over!  I wanted to share some photos showing the wonderful cables and the perfect fit (it does fit — yay!!), but my DH has to be the worst photographer on record.  I am serious.  Fifty tries later and here are the only two shots I saved:

And the “best” of the full body shots:

Yeah — that blurry mess is the best of the lot!  Okay.  Donations to the “Send my Husband to Photography Class” Fund can be sent to post office box…….

Here is Baby Cables on Lettie:

Baby Cables and Big Ones Too in Cascade 220, Color 4009 (8 skeins), US 6 needles

This sweater fits me like a dream — I cannot believe it!  The sleeves are perfect.  The sweater itself is a good length.  All I can say is “whew!”   It is such a rare and wonderful occurrence.  But there is a reason for it. 

I kept wondering why this simple sweater took me so bloomin’ long to knit!  BUT — as I have always said — if you could knit something twice, you could get it perfect the second time around, and I did essentially knit this thing twice.  I started with a totally different yarn and got all the way through the yoke and into the body several inches before I decided to restart with the yarn I ended up with.  I knitted three sleeves…. 

I did the bottom band a total of four times!   Once, as a turned hem, but I thought the sweater might be a tad short.  The second time I tried a gerter border (like the pattern called for) but thought the knitting looked sloppy.  The third time, I reverted to the turned hem and planned on adding a bit of length, but my gauge had changed and was sloppy compared to the original knitting, and very noticeable!  SO, I knitted it a fourth time, tightening my gauge, adding the length, and voila!  Two sweaters for the price of one.  Hey, where’s my other sweater??!!??

But overall I am extremely pleased.  I love the pattern and enjoyed making the first one, less so the second .  What’s next?  A very wee project that I will share in a day or so when it is done.