The excitment of knitting!

Actually, the only excitement of knitting is being surprise you figured something out!  HA  My blood pressure has gone up and down quite a bit since I started this lace Top!  But, I have to say I have taught myself so much during this process!!!!!   

I finished the binding on my lace top for the body...I tried a new method so that the bind off wouldn't be tight.  I watched several videos and ended up using a technique where you add a YO in between each bind off (in pattern).  I liked the way it looked and it was stretchy but not saggy!

Next up was starting on my sleeves!  I'm almost at the finish line...so exciting...and I did, finish a sleeve that is!

I finished knitting the sleeve, added ribbing and,once again, used a new bind off technique!  This one is call the Italian Bind off and it was on one of Suzanne Bryan's YouTubes which you can see here.  It's really a nice bind off and she also shows a Tubular Bind off that would be perfect for caps or long sleeves, etc.  Just this little bit of bind off took me 2 1/2 hours!  I had to keep watching Suzanne's video to make sure I was doing it correctly!  Yes, I did practice on a swatch I had but I still get nervous when doing something on my 'real' knitting!

And I tried my top on and it fits!!!!!!!!  Whew!!!!  And that's before it's even blocked...so I am/was a happy camper...

Bob thought the top looked so good on as well...then I mentioned to him that I wish I had made the sleeve longer...it's just a short sleeve....hmmmmmmmmmmm    He said "you're right, it might look better".  

I decided that if I didn't make the sleeves longer, I would be pulling on them or I wouldn't wear the top as often as I would like...so what else to do but FROG IT!

Yep...I even had a dream about how to go about ripping out the ribbing and picking up the stitches!  Only big problem I had was ripping out that new Italian bind off!  Holy heck, the sleeves will never unravel with that bind off!  HA I ended up cutting through the ribbing after I cut off the binding!

And here I am!!!  I picked up the 76 stitches I needed for the sleeve!  WHEW!!  This was a major task for me.  At one point, I was almost in tears thinking I ruined my top!!!  And I would never be able to get the stitches picked back up!  But I did it!!!!  I was so excited I text my sister (she's making the same top!) to let her know what I did! HA

So now it's a matter of straight knitting and making the sleeve as long as I want...I'm thinking of about 3/4/to my elbow.  I'd be more comfortable with that length.  

And, yes, I am looking at a new pattern to knit something else!