Sideways and Onward!

The back paneling of my Pumpkin Ale Sweater has finally been completed! Yay! On to faster-paced knits. I am now approaching the pockets on the front right panel as we speak, but let me show you some progress from yesterday and today:

I have been making mistakes left and right, and I don't know if I should chalk it up to being tired or being too utterly distracted while knitting. I'm sure it's mostly the latter, but most definitely a combination. I'm talking rookie mistakes people. If you look closely in person, you might spot a few already. It can almost be like one of those magazine games..."how many differences from this original picture?"

I-cords on sweater edgings are a MUST. They just look so clean.

I was a little apprehensive starting the front paneling of the sweater because I knew there were a few new techniques that I would have to learn on the go. One of them is wrap-less short rows. I've done short rows, but hardly, and not the wrap-less kind. I watched Ysolda's video tutorial on it, and it just made so much sense that I don't see why people even choose to do the wrapped version. This wrap-less technique is actually pretty simple and virtually INVISIBLE. All it involves is a spare bit of waste yarn to save a stitch that you will use to close up the gap.

This last photo really shows the shaping that the short rows take on for the waist in the pattern. At this particular point, the sweater looks off, almost unattractive until the rest of the paneling is completed. When worn, this should sit nicely and figure-friendly (slimming, with the combination of the waist decreases on the back panel with the increases on the front panel) at the hips/waist. Her design is actually very clever.