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So...it's been a while.

I really thought I was going to keep this blog going on a regular basis, but life and work got in the way. This past semester has been hard time-wise. During the last month, I was working 10-12 hours/day almost every day, just to keep up. But I'll save that rant for another time. Suffice it to say that I have taken the week between Christmas and New Year's off. Completely. I have not turned on my work computer, nor will I check my work email. The academic books are out of sight. And in my sight....

Yarn! I'm back to designing Carl's sweater.

I began day before yesterday by reading the first part of Sweater Design in Plain English, and I finished reading up to the working patterns yesterday morning. The book explains most things very well, but there are parts that simply require me to try them before I will figure them out.

So out came the paper and colored pencils and tape measure and calculator and reading glasses. Carl was measured again and again. And at random times mid-calculation, measured again, just for good measure.

I knitted another couple of swatches, one because I needed to find out what kind ribbing was going to work best with this yarn, and the other because I foolishly didn't write down how I made the cable that Carl liked. I also used the second swatch to figure out how to make the cable twist to the right and left so that I can create them leaning in different directions depending on the side of his body.

Yesterday, I worked out most of the back and the sleeve patterns, at least I think so. The back was easy. I measured the gauge for the stockinette stitch that I'll be using on the back and multiplied it by the number of inches. Ribbing was the ribbing gauge times 10% less than the number of stitches across the wide part of the back. I wasn't sure how to deal with the bind off for the arms until I dealt with the sleeves--and I'm still not sure how I figured that one out. I really need to remember and make a note for the next time. I haven't dealt with the neckline yet, but I will later today or tomorrow.

The sleeve was OMG. The bottom was relatively easy -- the same gauge multiplied by the number of inches for the base and ribbing at 10% fewer stitches. Got it. And the measurement at the widest point was easy: make Carl stand up and get measured again. And the math for figuring out the increases from one to the other wasn't bad. Figuring out the sleeve cap made me crazy. The chapter where Sweater Design explains sleeve design also explains designing for "Big and Beautiful people," and it conflates the two. I really could have used some instruction on designing for my normal-sized guy (ok, he's short, but he's not heavy) before adding the what-if parts. I intend to spend some time online and looking at a couple of other resources I have to check this work. I'm not yet convinced that I have it right.

And, of course, I expect as I work on the front, including the neckline, I'll have to make adjustments to both the back and sleeve. Back to fun-work!