Rowan: Smackier Picture

So continuing in the "Knitting and Low Self-Esteem" series, I'm now done with both the front and back of Gabby from Rowan Bigger Picture (because nothing says "I feel sexy" like knitting---in the middle of July, no less---an unshaped sweater that takes its cowl neck seriously).

The neck- and shoulder-shaping directions were a little special, and I actually awoke in a cold sweat the other night, positively CERTAIN that I'd read part of them wrong and decreased at both ends of rows when I was only supposed to decrease at the end of the row. But I got through it, and it's all nice and soft and I've only been working on it 10 days and hey! 75% of a pretty sweater, right? Rowan Big Wool might just be my new 100% merino boyfriend.

I'm volunteering tomorrow at the Old Town School of Folk Music's Folk and Roots Festival. I may be handstamping madly all day, or I may have lots of knitting friendly downtime. Certainly, I'll have a good chunk of public transit time for knitting, though, and I thought how ideal it was that I should have come to the very portable sleeve portion of the exercise. So I read through the sleeve directions a few times to banish the crafty fucktard.

I kind of think that knitting sleeves separately is cruel and unusual punishment, though, so I was half toying with the idea of joining a shoulder seam and knitting them right on, upside down (my fearless working without a net is either charming in its wide-eyed innocence or tragically pathetic in its delusional nature---I can never decide which), but blergh, I don't want to drag the front, back, and shiny new sleeve all over Chicago with me. Also, I don't want to try any math and reverse patterning highwire acts in a situation where I'm likely to get distracted and heyanywaylookatthecollardirect . . . WHAT. THE. WOOLY. HELL? They've got me knitting the goddamned COLLAR separately and then sewing it on? I bloody well ask you, is this knitting or sewing?

I think I'm breaking up with my new 100% merino boyfriend.