Peasy - You Are Driving Me Crazy Nuts

When my  niece Christie, at the time, two years old,  awoke from sleep one night  to find her Mother painting the bathroom, she was immediately drawn in.   The paint, the brushes, the after-hours activity all looked pretty exciting to a two year old and she tried to convince her Mother to let her 'help'.  When Mom wasn't swayed,  Christie thrust her hands onto her hips, stamped her little, two-year old foot and loudly declared  "Mom!  You drive me crazy-nuts!"   before stomping back to bed. 

'Driving one crazy-nuts' has  become 'family-speak' for the futility and frustration one feels about a situation we'd like to change,  but can't.

Peasy is coming close to that stage.  I'll reserve detailed  details for when the sweater is actually done - ever hopeful I am -   but for now,  take a look at some of my frustrations.

The pattern called for all edges to have three rows of garter stitch then a bind off.  I tried that along the bottom.  It curled.  I tried five rows of garter.  It curled.  Now I have a  3X3 garter rib.

It is almost non-curling.  Good enough, that curl or not, I'm not re-knitting a fourth time.

The sleeves had the same three rows of garter and although with their smaller circumference, they  didn't curl, they also didn't match the new bottom edge.  So the sleeve edges are being re-knit.

The button bands too, with just  three rows of garter,  curled .  Their first re-incarnation was with the garter rib.  It looked OK but not spectacular.  While fine on the bottom, it looked a little too un-refined running up the sweater front.    In Sally Melville's Purl Stitch and Styles books, she often  used Reverse Stockinet edging.  Attractive in her patterns and even here.

  But definitely not a good, curling stopper.

Next up, try number three -  attached I-Cord.

 

"And Peasy",   just so you know, "You are starting to  drive me crazy nuts!"