This to That

Remember Longina/Trigoria?  It was a hybrid of the Trina Cardigan and another pattern written after a sweater that Eva Longoria was photographed wearing in, like, 2008.  Well, I was really close to being done. REALLY close.  The sleeves were still live but everything else had been bound off or woven in and I had a nice wooden button ready.  I'd even gone as far as washing and blocking just to see how much the yarn blossomed.  But that was it.  While it did satisfy what I'd originally planned for and desired as a knitting project way back when, the physical result just did not hit the mark.  The pockets weren't as deep as I would have liked, the sleeves weren't quite long enough, the collar was itchy and didn't stand up too well, and I felt it was overall too baggy and schleppy and very much something you would throw on to take out the trash. 

It was last September that I sent the cardi to the frog pond.  I pulled out my SUPER AMAZING YARNBALL WINDER and started cranking.  It was a lot of yarn; I mean, I was cranking that handle for daaaays.  Since I started with a basic raglan, I frogged up to the armpits and went with simple cap sleeves.  With the left and right bands, I made a neckline placket (which is now oh so slightly off-centered now, but I have plans), then knit so many inches of plain stockinette plus waist shaping, and closed it out with an easy 1x1 bottom rib.  The neck stitches were picked up for a squat foldover collar a la mock turtleneckish-bateau.  The collar was tacked down by crochet over sewn-in method, and then I made some loops down the neckline placket which is ready for some buttons.

I'm quite pleased with it now.  It's feels much better, it has an actual shape and a bit of visual interest. I was really hoping to have enough yarn for a sweater tunic with two flat front pockets, alas it was not destined to be.

After a nice soak to straighten out those frog wrinkles, we're now on the second day of drying.  With this dreary gray weather I'm banking around some time next weekend for it to be totally dry.  Do you know what that means?  I can't try it on and fudge and fidget. It's just going to lay there atop the towel and drying board mocking me.

I did discover something funny last night.
 

The last two inches of the sweater is from a different dye lot because there is a very clear demarcation of two different blacks.  I'm glad it's at the bottom.