She only likes me!

Yesterday I finally got some pictures taken by Barb, mom's roommate, and I actually look OK in the pictures. So here's the sweater on my body.

It's Done!

Well, I haven't put the buttons on it yet, and I'll be adding the pockets after a few wearings to see how much it grows so I can get the placement right, but the Sylvi, my Rushmore for the last 3 months, is done. I sewed on all the petals tonight, and I'm just as much in love with the project now as I was when I started.

Here's the first picture. Tragically no one who actually loves me (i.e., my mother and my daughter) is capable of taking a picture of me that actually looks like me, so I'm going to have to find someone who merely likes me to get a picture of the coat on me.

Isn't she pretty?

Another sweater update!

So, it's my day off. It's in the mid 70s, sun is shining, birds are singing, flowering trees in bloom everywhere. It's such a lovely day, and quite frankly a huge relief to feel like it's finally spring! Mom and Barb are working in the yard (my yard), weeding, mulching, planting, etc. What am I doing on this lovely day? I'm working with 100% wool of course.

I got the back, the fronts, and the sleeves of the sweater all connected today. That actually went pretty quickly, mostly because the seams are meant to be exposed, so I didn't agonize over the invisibility or lack thereof in my seaming. I celebrated the visibility instead.

Here, I'm modeling the sweater in its current state, which is about 85% finished. I still need to pick up all the stitches around the top and knit the hood, plus sew on all the flower petals (at least those are already knit and blocked), decide on pocket placement, and get those sewn on (after I sew the petals on to them for their flowers) before it's 100% done, but I can see the finish line.

This is the front view (obviously). As you can tell, the sleeves are long. Really long. Covering all but the very tips of my middle and ring fingers long if not cuffed. But since I tend to forget gloves, I like that. I can just roll the cuff down and keep my hands warm (when the time comes).


And here's the back. As I've said before the spots where there are vines leading to bobbles, those are the stems and centers of the flowers. There was a lot of knitting then ripping then cursing on this back, but I think it was worth it.

Now I'm off to start knitting on the hood.

The reason Sylvi progress has slowed lately

One lone pin remaining in the cushion, an empty box of fancy double-ended pins from KnitPicks.

Sleeves on the blocking board.


Twenty small petals (6 pins each) and a pair of pockets on the board.

It didn't take more than an hour all told, but I'm just not a person in general who enjoys blocking a sweater. I know that, in the end, it will all be worth it, because the finished object (FO) will be most beautimous, but damn, it's a lot of work to get here. And my back hurts.

I'll stop whining now, at least until those sleeves are dry and it's time to start sewing the thing up.

By the way, if you click on the pictures to make them big, they're pretty blurry. Clearly not my best efforts. Fair warning and all.

Some pictures of the Sylvi back

Since I've been twittering about the back of this sweater, I thought I'd share some pictures. I'm 22 rows into the back now, which is a giant chart. Literally every stitch is mapped out, and once I got comfortable with it (I've been knitting since I was a kid, but not so much from charts), it's been a pleasure to work with. I do have a feeling that I'm destined to be disappointed in the future by other charts, particularly since I've heard much rhapsodizing from other knitters who are making this sweater about what a great chart it is. But hopefully I'll be more open to charts in the future.

Anyway the pictures are essentially repeated, first without flash and then with flash. It really makes a difference in the color of the yarn. The true color is definitely closer to the without flash pictures, but it will be brighter on a day when it's not so gloomy outside.

Wide view of the work in progress.


Closer view of the center cable/leaf pattern.

Flashed closer view.

Flashed wide view.

In all the pictures I'm getting glare on the table from the overhead light, but without the light on, it's just damn dark in the dining room today.

I want to be able to wear this sweater to a wedding that I'm attending (in which Amanda is a bridesmaid) in 11 days. I don't know if I'm going to make it, but I'm seriously going to try. I should, I suppose, also try to find something to wear under the sweater at the wedding. That would be best.