Joining the Sleeves to the Sweater

With both sleeves reaching the underarm, all three pieces have been joined in the round.  Exciting!  This is actually my first time constructing a sweater from the bottom up in one piece.  It’s been a nice change from the top down and it makes so much more sense when knitting with cables.  It’s easier to see where the cables are going and figure out your decreases and when to stop the cables.  From the top down, you’ve got to really plan each stitch so you know when to start the cables.

A decision had to be made as to how many stitches to put on hold at the underarm.  I chose 8 stitches because I have a lot of stitches to reduce and I don’t want the arm hole to be really deep.  8 stitches should give me enough room in the arm hole without being too deep and sagging.  Hopefully, it will work out nicely.

Here’s what the underarm looks like.  It’s going to be grafted closed using the Kitchener Stitch after the top has been knitted.

The plan is for a scoop neck.  In about 8 more rows, I’m going to bind off the first neck stitches.  Keep your fingers crossed for me.  So far, so good.

My second ever attempt at sweater design was a pieced cabled cardigan for my daughter that we both love.  She picked out the yarn and the stitch patterns that she wanted and I did the rest.  We’ve entitled it “Snowy Day” and she wears it all the time.  The only thing I would do differently is the buttonholes.  I used the yarn over holes and they stretch out and look messy.  Anyone had that experience?  I’d love to know what your favorite buttonhole method is because I need a new one!

I’m hoping my new sweater will be just as successful as “Snowy Day” and will avoid the “Shelf of Shame” in my closet.  That’s the shelf where my failed sweaters go to live…