Taking time to cross the line

I've needed a little time to find the mental (and physical - that kitchen table was messy) space to start some seaming. I knew I needed to take it slowly to get it as neat as possible. My first seamed garment definitely suffered from being sewn up while I was scrunched on the sofa just thinking about having it finished ASAP. Mum's cardigan looked a lot more professional for simply having some time and space dedicated to the finishing of it so that was the approach I wanted for Moonlight. Finding that time and space has proved tricky in the last few months, Moonlight has been at the 'sweater in a bag - just add seaming' stage since May and Iris has actually leapfrogged it for some attention. It may not be the best summer ever but it's still (just about) more suited to a cotton shrug than a large, woollen cardigan. So with all equipment to hand I sat down, took a deep breath and slowly got on with the tasks at hand. I sewed in the loose ends, added a row to the back of the neck, steam blocked the pieces and then wielded the needle in earnest. It was definitely the right approach for Iris and I; there's a surprising amount of stitching in a little shrug! Whenever I got a bit twitchy and tempted to be slap dash about it I just broke off and did something else. I think that you must use different parts of your brain for knitting and for sewing as my ability and concentration for the latter is not at all developed. I suppose it's just a question of practice; my knitting has improved so much from when I started but my tendency to make socks and other items with minimal finishing mean that skill set is lagging way behind. Anyway, this morning I got the finishing finished and we just headed out for the joy that is the blog photo shoot. Me pleading for flattering angles, my beloved more interested in photos of the garden and cats. Good job we had a good creative director on hand for this one.Pattern: Iris from Rowan 35
Yarn: Rowan Calmer, Refresh - just over 5 balls
Needles: 4.5mm and 5mm bamboo straights
Started: 15 June 2008
Finished: 23 August 2008Notes: Simple knit with nice shaping touches for the front. If I were to make again I would try and do the shoulder slope slightly differently and do a three needle bind off with the fronts. The back neck edge is also a little ragged so I would change the decreases here. The front and back edges roll a little which I may be able to control with some fiercer action with the iron but an extra couple of rows of garter stitch wouldn't hurt. These are pretty minor niggles though, all in all I'm very happy, it's the best fitting thing I've made so far, a really useful addition to my wardrobe and the Calmer feels gorgeous: plump and soft.