I finished up my nephew's sweater a couple of days ago, but the collar looked wonky and I didn't like the seams. The collar seemed too big for the sweater. When I laid the sweater down flat, the collar would not lay flat. It stuck up like a flag. Fortunately, it blocked out. As for the seams, I wondered about the structural integrity of the sweater if I used the Velvet Touch yarn I knit it with to seam it up. I decided to use embroidery floss for the seaming, in a color that almost perfectly matched. I liked how the seams came out, until I blocked the whole garment. It drove me nuts that I could see the floss when I pulled on the sleeve. Plus, I worried that the floss would cut into the yarn. Plus, it turned out that I had seamed one of the raglans too tightly, and there was some bunching under the armpit. I really should have taken a picture of the before. So I figured, what the hell, I have the side seams done in the yarn, and the collor was knitted on... I'll just undo the raglans and reseam. And you know, it really was as easy as that.




I used Peter Pan Velvet Touch, almost every bit of 3 skeins. (I had my doubts about the yarn requirement when I had to do the sleeves and collar and had only 1.25 balls left.)
Pattern is the Velvet Touch pattern P.971
US5 & US7 needles.



I also finished my third Bottoms Up Bucket. Another wavy brim. I don't know what I'm doing wrong, but I'm hoping it's just the cotton yarn, and the stiffness will improve when I make one in wool. The waviness is cute though, very casual. I don't mind it in a summer hat. In fact, I feel a little like one of Strawberry Shortcake's friends.




For this one, I used good ole Lion Brand Cotton Ease. I liked using it; it had more give than some other cotton yarn I've used. I wish there was a store closer than 30 miles away that sold it, I'd have enough for a Sitcom Chic already! (Can you tell that I adore Bonne Marie Burns' patterns?)
This is also my second hat for the Skinny Rabbit Bucket Along. I'm glad I cut my teeth on a small project knit along. I had so much fun, I'll definitely be keeping my eye out for more!



So one last thing. Yesterday, I finally got an order in from the Canadian company. I ordered a kit for a hat. On the site, it gives you the option of buying the kit, or buying the kit with a pattern book at a discount. I chose just the kit. Well, when I got it yesterday, I was dismayed to find I'd been sent a photocopy, presumably from the book for sale, along with the yarn for the project. Isn't that illegal? I feel like I should do something, but I don't know what.