Which end up

I’ve known pretty much since I finished the front section that my T3 was just too short. It might be appropriate for a skinny young thing, but really, I don’t qualify as either any more, and didn’t really want to go around flashing my belly button. But I figured I’d just yank out the bottom and lengthen it that way, because as I mentioned in the last entry, we are all about learning the new techniques. Gah.

Here it is in its current glory, by the way. The sleeves look funny because they are not yet attached, but I stuck them onto the sweater just to show that I’ve made them. Also, you’re seeing only the back, since that’s had some major surgery recently.

By the way. Just in case any of you were wondering, while it is a piece of cake to rip out a knitted section from the top, it takes FOREVER to do this from the bottom. This is because you have to unravel every single stitch separately. Thank whatever deity might be around that I only did the recommended four rows of ribbing; I think if I’d had to rip out any more I may have been reduced to sitting in the corner of my room, smacking my head repeatedly on the wall and sobbing quietly to myself.

Of course, when I was whining about this to my boss, who also knits, his immediate response was ‘well why didn’t you just cut it?’, to which the only response I could muster was to feel really, really stupid. I’ll admit that the thought of cutting something I’ve knit gives me the shudders, so it had honestly never occurred to me to go at it with any sort of sharp object. However, I’ve still got the front half to redo, so what do I have to lose by giving it a try? I know enough that if I cut it, I cut it a row or two below where I want to end up, so all I have to do is pick off the loose bits. This is my current theory at any rate – if any of you know any better, please tell me!

Anyway. It took me hours and hours to pull out those piddly four (well, five, if we count the cast-on stitches) rows, and then I whipped up the replacement section in a blissfully short time this evening. I’ve enclosed a not-very-good close-up of what I added below – it’s just a border pattern I liked from another sweater pattern I’ve got, that I figured would work for this one too.

I’m actually quite pleased with it. The addition of the pattern to the bottom completely changes the whole feel of the sweater, plus you really cannot tell that I was knitting in the wrong direction unless you look very, very closely (all those little V’s from knitting are upside down – I think it would be next to impossible to tell on the purl side). So while I might not have *intended* to make T3 a tad bit fancier, I think I’m glad it’s ending up this way.

However, next time I make a sweater there will be none of this ‘hold it up to the shoulders to measure’ silliness. I solemnly swear from this day forward I will be all about the measuring tape. Measuring tapes are our friends. Oh yes.