Are you a lazy knitter?
I am proud to say that I am. The lazy knitter has many rules of engagement, all intended to limit unnecessary steps.
Lazy knitter rule #1: Never work flat what you can work in the round. Brilliant example: Thermal. This is worked round to the armholes, then flat for the remainder. The lazy-but-brave knitter will add steeks, but I'm not there yet. (I'm still too much of a rip-'til-it's-right kind of knitter to actually take scissors to my handiwork.)
Lazy knitter rule #2: Never sew on what you can knit on directly. In my Thermal, I opted to pick up the sleeve stitches and work them from the top down. This leads me to...
Lazy knitter rule #3: Never bind off what will later be picked back up. Thermal contains a series of shaping decreases under the arms, binding off 8 stitches at a time. Since I'm a lazy knitter, I wrapped and turned those stitches and kept them on holders for the sleeves.
Lazy knitter rule #4: Unrelated to the Thermal at hand, but work sharing. Think before you cast on, and do it provisionally if it can save you sewing. The brilliant and ubiquitous felt clogs from Fiber Trends are designed to be worked in long rows and seamed along the inner edge. By working a provisional cast-on and immediately beginning work with 2 needles (in a large v shape), all but about an inch of sewing can be eliminted.
I'm pretty proud of my progress on Thermal, particularly the top-down sleeve cap. The tutorial I originally used regarding this technique has since been taken down, but I believe it was based on work by Barbara Walker.
I started at the centre of the armhole, knitting each of the held stitches (see lazy knitter rule #3), then picking up stitches along the armhole edge. Since I knew I'd be working the sleeves in this way, I had maintained the 3-stitch stockinette border the entire way up the armhole edge.
That left me with 132 stitches (16 held, 50 picked up on one side, 50 picked up on the other side, and 16 held) and the yarn at the beginning of the round, at the centre bottom of the armhole.
Then came the fun part. I divided the armhole roughly into thirds: 42, 48 and 42. (As for why I didn't go 44-44-44, I don't recall.)
I knitted 42 stiches to take me up to the middle section. I then worked 48 stitches in the waffle stitch pattern, wrapped and turned. From there, I worked 49, 50, 51, etc., working each stitch with its wrap and wrapping and turning after each row. When wrapping, it took a teensy bit of attention to ensure I had the yarn waiting at the correct side of the work, but I found my rhythm and it wasn't a problem.
Once I worked the row of 131 stitches, the right side of the work was ready to rock. I didn't wrap a stitch, I slipped 1, patterned over to the last wrapped stitch, worked it together with its wrap, and then began working in the round.
The result:
A nifty set-in sleeve, just like the pattern called for, with no seams and no headaches.
[This is the part where I out myself. I've never sewn a set-in sleeve into a knitted garment. I also have no such future plans.]
A note about the stitch pattern: since I switched from bottom-up to top-down, I technically should have switched the row order of the pattern. After looking at the body of the sweater from both directions, I decided this wasn't necessary. After the thousands and thousands and thousands of stitches worked for the body of this beast, I was too programmed to make the switch, and I don't think it's an obvious change at all.
I look forward to wearing this sweater in the coming weeks, especially since I have another work trip booked for Toronto. Next month! Lettuce Knit, here I come!
[Someone warn Laura Chau.]
