My first (sleeveless) sweater!

I haven't posted in a few days, and I didn't end up taking progress pictures of the ballerina tank top until the very end. I have more to say from the past couple of days, but I want to just get outside from the many hours of working on this today!


Ok. I was at the point on the second side where I had trouble last time, but this time, I knew how I was going to proceed. At least, I thought I did. I put both sides on the floor next to each other, and I saw the "harvest" color straps peaking out behind the apricot body. Ooh, "harvest" straps! Then the idea of binding off with the harvest also appealed to me, sort of creating a subtle border along th neckline. I got out the leftover harvest yarn and began to work the straps and bind off the neckline.


This is the bind off close up.


I only have two stitch holders. They were both being used on the "harvest" side, and I needed to keep those straps on stitch holder for the "three needle bind off" that I still had to learn. So, I put two straps on the same stitch holder.


So when I worked the other side and then did the three needles bind off on the first strap, the other side was attached the whole time. Awkward, but ok. Oh, and I decided to make the wrong side be the right side and vice versa. I kept thinking "If this is the 'wrong' side, I don't want to be right."


I went to knitting help and learned the "three needle bind off," thus freeing up a stitch holder, which I then realized I didn't really need anymore , because I put the other side of the work on a size 6 bamboo needle to hold the stitches.


This is a close up of the three needle bind off. I like how it came out.


This is the inside seam of the three needle bind off. The other one would come out better. I was confused and kept dropping stitches off the needle and putting them back on, getting some of the loop but not all of it, and the color strings would detach from each other.


Here I am, still in pajamas, ready to start another three needle bind off after finishing the other strap. I'm kind of impressed with the three needle bind off technique, and I'm glad I didn't just choose to ignore it. I wish I had done a sloping bind off for the neckline. More on that later.


Attaching the sides (I couldn't find safety pins!) These are my old kid barrettes. I especially like the bottom one). I was trying to read the instructions from Stitch N 'Bitch as I seam (I've done seaming before, but each time (including this time!) it seems to come out a bit messy).


Before I started the second side, I threw my tapestry needle down in despair and took a break.


This is my seam. In the end, I didn't really follow the instructions about underbumps and overbumps. If you look at it, and it turns out that I did, well, I certainly didn't know that I was. I just wanted it to stay together and feel like a good, solid seam.


another view of the seam


I am so happy to be done!

Maybe I'll post a picture of me wearing it later. It's a little loose and gathers in the back quite a bit. Plus, it falls off the shoulders if I'm not careful. But I like how it's not being stretched tight on me, and it still gets to drape and be very sooooooft.