Finishing.

The beauty of the Mystery Knit is, the Last Bit can be done in a varying size, so as to use up every last scrap of yarn you've got. I'm putting together the rest of the thingie, so I'm sure I won't need any more for anything else, then I'm knitting up every last inch of yarn I've got. Very economical.

So, with that in mind, I've been scouring the Knitty archives (specifically the Techniques With Theresa column) to see if they've already done all the finishing techniques I'm using, so as to save me a whole lot of grief. I want to refrence her articles instead of having to write my own. Imagine my amazement, then, when I realized she'd done an article on the half-graft join (she calls it 'invisible horizontal to vertical join'). I use it all the time, but I don't know anyone else who does. But at least now I can just say "half-graft X to Y" instead of having to take ten million photos and explain it myself. You can also half-graft hems, and I'll show you how when we get there on the Steeked Jacket.

I assume, when you guys buy patterns, that you want a discussion of what finishing techniques were used, and HOW, instead of the usual "sew up the sweater" that most commercial patterns often print. So I intend to say what finishing methods I used where, but I'm SO glad I can put in links instead of writing a novel. (This will also make my life easier when I start selling patterns in PDF file form. Hopefully by the end of the year.)

So, anyway, I've spent the day knitting and jotting down finishing technique notes. I'll probably spend the evening doing the half-graft thing. Yay. (I hate finishing, and finishing hates me, but I hate sloppy-looking sweaters worse. If I spent a million hours knitting the damn thing, there is no way I'm going to put a crappy seam in it and blow the whole thing.)

Oh, and summer is here.

Tomorrow, the beach.