Nob Hill blocking and finishing

This yarn isn't so stretchy, so my Nob Hill wasn't rolling as much as it might, and I was almost not sure  it needed blocking, but I wasn't ready to sew it up, so I went ahead and pinned it the board.  Couldn't find my spray bottle, and the steamer lives in La Plata, so I did it the old fashioned way  - wet towels laid on top.

It wasn't quite dry when I took it off the board, but I wanted to take it up to La Plata to seam and let Paula see it.  I pinned the sides in preparation for seaming. It was amazing how much better it looked after the blocking.  You know, everything benefits from blocking, even if it doesn't need to be flattened, or shaped, or sized.  It just looks tidier and more even. See.

Obviously, it doesn't go with what I was wearing today, but I love it.  I would make the Nob Hill again, but  I think I might make the smaller size.  This one is very easy-fitting and comfortable, but maybe just a tad big.  The sizing goes from 32 to 40, which is kind of tricky, so I'd probably have to adjust the pattern myself.  I'll try to put it on tomorrow with something that actually goes with it and see how I feel about the fit. 

Armhole finishing

I had finished my Valour Vest some months ago, and although I loved the color and the styling, I had never worn it.  I tend to like my clothes somewhat form fitting, so when I wear something that wraps, I pull it close around the waist.  When I put the vest on and pinned it to fit my waist, the armholes stretched at the back giving it an odd appearance.  See how big the armholes look even when it's on the hanger. It was even worse when I put it on.

Thinking back on the pattern, I remembered that it said to pickup around the armhole and then bind off on those stitches.  The number of stitches it directs you to pick up is substantially fewer than you would do if you were picking up for a button band or some other type of border.  The result, of course, is that the armhole pulls in to fit while you still get the nice effect of the ribbing around the bust.  Genius. 

This morning I finished around the armhole and it looked perfect.  I can pull it as close at my waist as I like without looking like I"m wearing a wife-beater undershirt.   The only down side of finishing the armhole is that now I have defined an inside and an outside of the garment whereas before, with the flat seam, it had been reversible.  Of course, if I wasn't going to wear it at all the way it was, then it didn't really matter whether it was reversible or not, now did it!  I chose the side with the strong rib texture for the outside (per the pattern), as it really is the more interesting side.  Here's the new and improved Valour.

Calling Einstein for some mindless knitting

There have been so many times in the last few weeks that I've just needed to sit down with my knitting and not think at all.  I think that's an indication of stress level, exacerbated by lack of an appropriately mindless project on the needles. Or, it could just be a renewed interest in football with the playoffs and what not. I had some fuchsia Donegal Tweed Chunky hanging around and decided to make it into a new Einstein coat since my current one seems to have been confiscated as a blanket by my youngest son.  I'm making it 1 inch shorter around the bottom (53 stitches).  Here's where I am so far.

That's just over one skein in - it measures about 15 inches so far.  Hmmm... that's 15 down and some 30 or 40 inches to go.  It should be done by Easter.  When is Easter this year anyway? 

Nob Hill Sleeve

Here it is from the right side.  It's a very nice reverse stockinette rolled edge.  It's an elaborate method, but it gives a very clean effect inside and out.  She has you pick up stitches around the armhole with the wrong side facing, so the little pick up ridge is on the right side.  This is so counter to the way we normally pick up on garments that I didn't even really look at the directions the first time and just picked up the normal way with the right side facing.

 
Then you work in reverse stockinette, making short rows to give the center section more length.  See how the armhole edge tapers down toward the underarm. 

When you've worked all the short rows and picked up all the wraps (knit wise and purl wise), she has you use a crochet hook to bring the live stitches from the right side to the back side where you slip them onto a smaller needle and finally bind them all off.

Here's a shot from the inside.  Very nice and clean inside - and for those of you who hate finishing, there's no sewing.

Honestly, I think it might have been easier to pick up from the right side, work the short rows , bind off and then whip stitch the bind off to the pick-up ridge.  But hey, I'm one of those weird knitters who likes finishing.  I am anxious to wear this.