Marmalade Progress Update

Several days ago, I jumped into a new project called Marmalade and since I didn't really introduce it in my previous posts, I will let you know now that it is a Louisa Harding pattern from the Queen of Hearts book. Hopefully this is just the first of several patterns I'll be making from that book!

I've made loads of progress, due to some late night knitting binges because I was enjoying the yarn and pattern so much. I could not put it down! Here is the front view. Not blocked. I know it will lengthen some with blocking and just from hanging. Note that the sides are straight in real life--the camera angle makes them look a bit tapered.

The back view.

I had to knit the front shoulders two different ways and see what I liked best when they were seamed. For the fronts, I stopped knitting the stripe pattern and worked in just the main blue. I had to make the seam on one shoulder a row thicker than the other to make them match. I don't know how else to do it and my head hurts from thinking about it! The ends are all loose so I can still change my mind...but I am hoping I can live with this ;)

There was one hiccup. After dividing for the arms, completing the right front and the back sections, I started in on the left front only to discover I had 2 extra stitches. Yipe!!! What happened? I was being super diligent about following the pattern and counting stitches constantly. It had appeared to be working out perfectly and I was stunned when I found out I was off. I got the calculator, a pencil and paper, the pattern and the knitting and worked and worked over it trying to find where I'd gone wrong. After a bunch of angst, I just could not figure it out. So, I knitted those extra two stitches into the armhole seam with P2togs on alt rows (between the K2togs on alt rows I was doing as part of the pattern). Not really a big deal, but I thought I'd mention it!

"Keep Calm and Carry On!" right?!

So, next up, I'll cast on for the arms. Hooray for more color work!