Le Steek, C'est Chic

So glad I added the extra pattern round. I'm much more confident that this while give me the necessary length, and it doesn't appear to have gobbled up too much of my remaining yarn. In the picture to the right, start at the first white stripe below the needles, then trace down two more white stripes. That more or less represents the amount of extra fabric I added. I got the lion's share of it done last Sunday, and I've been working on it when I can during the week.

Next week is the last week of the semester, and our chorus has a concert next weekend, so it's going to be quite busy, and I don't know how much time there will be for picking up the old needles. I do still want to keep my momentum going, especially since I've finally started the steeks, but it's gotten hot around here, and sitting around with a wad of wool on one's lap is getting less and less appealing.

Speaking of steeks, I have three going now -- one for each armhole, and one for the neck opening. This picture shows the right armholes opening, I think. For those who don't know, a steek is a section of knitting done across an area where a large hole will later be. It allows the knitter to easily maintain the established pattern while knitting in the round. Eventually, the extra stitch section (which can be as few as 3 stitches, but in this case is 12) is sliced up the middle and folded back under. Then, things like edging or zippers can be added. Steeks have a reputation of being a bit unnerving for the uninitiated, but I'm really looking forward to the snipping -- that sweet, sweet snipping that will set this garment free! Mwahahah!

Because I didn't want to be working on the steek setup when I was at my knitting group this weekend, I started another Christmas ball on Friday and finished it up Saturday afternoon. It's the third of the four patterns in the chapter called The night before Christmas. It's name is Dancing Around the Tree, and, according to the authors was the first design created for the book. I was a little at a loss as to how i miht bedazzle this particular design, but eventually settled on adding beads to the white stitches on the female figure's dress. It looks pretty good, but unfortunately, this photo's angle makes the dresses look a bit bottom heavy. I could hear the judges on Project Runway clucking their tongues as I knitted.