Sleeve Island and Interior Finishes

My favorite of all sleeves is the short row top-down sleeve, so once again, it’s shown up here.  I promise I have knit others, but when one fits so beautifully and the construction makes you smile, why switch? 

Not wanting a “boring” sleeve, this one has 3 feature elements.  To compliment the front shoulder detail, I added it to the sleeve cap as well.  The detail along the top of the arm also matches the detail on the body.  However, the detail under the arm is slightly different to prevent bulkiness and stiffness where it isn’t needed.  Can you spot the difference?

I knit the collar on before the sleeves because I didn’t know how much yarn it would take.  Now that the sleeves are almost done, I’ll be ripping the collar back to change the pickup rate around the scoopy bit.  (Yes, that’s a technical term spell-checker giving me an error 😉.)  Thanks to Christine Guest for giving me a super trick for figuring out the pickup rate on the scoopy bit.  Use the trim as a ruler!  If I can undo it without messing up, I’ll take a picture to show you what she was talking about.  Cross your knitting needles for me.  She also told me, what I designed is known as a “cocoon collar” – a throwback to the 80s!  I love chatting with other designers… I always learn so much!

The sleeves are JUST long enough, so if I have any more yarn left after fixing the collar, the cuffs will be extended from hitting the wrist to hitting the thumb base… I like long sleeves.  What about you?

Meanwhile in Maine…

Camera mom is in Maine this week picking out the interior finishes!  It’s SO exciting!!  Camera dad sent me this photo of a possible countertop.  Hehe, I promise I picked the yarn first – twins across materials 😉. 

Not all is a bowl full of cherries – where all the utilities come into the house is giving the cabinet maker a headache.  I think it’s finally settled. 

Also, the exterior stairs had a hiccup with a miscalculated height and the framers were given the wrong screws which is causing the drywallers difficulties.  Who knew there was more than one framing screw?  Apparently, the ones with the “heads” are the wrong kind… just in case you find yourself in a building situation – go with flat screws so the drywall lays flat.