13,800 stitches in time. . .

Well, one sleeve of my fabulous kimono is finished! At 120 stitches per row, 115 rows, this baby took me all week to complete. Turns out not steaming that recycled-sweater yarn was a brilliant idea, because now the fabric has this great, knobbly texture to it that would not have been there had my yarn been completely smooth. I hope it doesn't go away with blocking. This texture has given me an idea to do a fabric with "accidental-on-purpose" purls on a stockinette stitch background. No pattern, just random purls. I think it might give an overall bumpy, raw silk textured effect. Swatches to come.

Here are my sleeves in all their half-finished glory:


Now, I know you're thinking, "Those doesn't look at all like sleeves, they look like big rectangles!" And that is why I am designing knitwear, and not you. ; ) Just kidding! (Mostly. . .)

Here's a shot of the sleeve-in-progress:


I attempted close-ups of the teeny tiny stitches, but we all know that my camera sucks, so I decided to go with the more broad shots instead.

I am so excited about this piece! Being in Florida doesn't often call for long-sleeve ANYTHING, much less a sweater, but this 3/4 sleever is going to be great for going to the movies! Why are the movies always so darn cold?

Till next time,
Sarah