Oblique Home Stretch

All major Oblique pieces have been blocked.


I picked up and knit the button bands for the fronts before blocking the pieces.

I modified the sleeves to omit the folded back cuff. Instead I just did the twisted ribbing for the same length as the hems. It looks like this:

I had two big reasons for changing the cuff this way. The first was that I don't particularly want the extra bulk of a folded back cuff. The second, and really more significant reason, was that as I started the sleeves, I was very worried I was going to run out of yarn. The twisted ribbing seems to have a voracious yarn appetite, so mostly I was trying to economize the remaining yarn supply.

Leaving off the folded back cuff caused a ripple effect of minor modifications. The first was that I figured I could work the ribbing on 4 fewer stitches. If the cuff isn't going to fold back, it doesn't need to be wide enough to do so. Again, I was also thinking about yarn economy. Plus I have small wrists and knew I could get away with it.

But starting with fewer stitches meant I needed to work 2 extra increase rows to get the sleeves wide enough by the time I got to the top. I did this by starting the increase rows earlier and maintaining the recommended rate of increases for my size (every 10th row). It worked out just great.

Except that I did run out of yarn before finishing the sleeves. ACK!

I had been optimistic that I could finish the sleeves with the yarn I had. I figured if I needed to introduce a new dye lot, it wouldn't be so very horrible if the new color was isolated to the collar and button bands.

As I crept up the sleeves, I could see I wasn't going to make it. I bought this yarn about a year ago so I was pretty freaked that I'd have no chance of finding more of the same dye lot anywhere. I don't know why, but the clouds parted, light shone down and the yarniverse smiled upon me. I found exactly the dye lot I needed on Ebay. Big shout out to Yarnbow for having the right dye lot, returning my email super promptly and shipping the yarn with lightning speed. Thank you!!

More yarn in hand, I pressed on. I have now seamed up the raglan lines. (Mattress stitching raglans is cool.)


I'm now ready to pick up and knit the collar. However, I'll need to make an LYS run because I don't have long enough circs.

But look how close I am to being done. I mean, it's even starting to look like a real sweater.