Joined

 So remember the  sweater (scroll to the bottom) I was working on a couple of posts ago. I joined all of the pieces together last week and have been knitting away at the yoke and neckline. I had to bind off about 96 stitches for the top neckline and began knitting flat, which was really strange for me because I don't recall ever switching from knitting in the round to knitting flat in the middle of a project. It definitely took some adjusting. I think I joined all the pieces together last Thursday, because I had to go to the specialty store in order to find a set of circs long enough (40") for all of the sleeve and yoke stitches on Thursday. 

 

These pictures were taken just after I joined all of the stitches. A few inches of knitting has been done since. In preparation for my big move I have pretty much abandoned all other knitting at this point. Everything is packed into my car so I can leave tomorrow morning, and I kept only my sweater out. I'm really anticipating finishing this WIP and moving on to other projects, but I will miss working on this when it's finally finished. It's such a big undertaking and it's been so omnipresent (or at least the pieces have been) that it will be so weird to be without it. Plus, it's my very first sweater. It will be exciting to try it on though, and I'm almost certain it will fit perfectly because I measured and remeasured and gauged and everything.  The pattern is based on Nina's Sweater Class at knitpicks.com I'm a math-oriented person, but I can honestly say that some of the number crunching didn't make sense to me, especially the stuff about the yoke, but one of the amazing things about knitting is that you can read and reread a pattern and it just doesn't make sense, but once you start knitting, all of the stitches fall in line and you can see how everything works. Knitting, for me, is almost like magic. You can see what's being done in small motions, but all of a sudden one day everything comes together like all of the pieces just magically joined themselves.
Aside from knitting, I did mention that I'm moving. Due to a complicated set of circumstances, the house my mom rents out has become available, and it happens to be only 45 minutes away from the university's campus, as opposed to the 3 1/2 hours it is to get there from where I live now. Since all of my classes are online, this hasn't been a huge problem, but with the house vacant, someone needs to live there at the very least to prevent squatters. I meant to move today. I had all of my things, everything I would take with me, piled on my desk ready to be put into the car this morning. Then I woke up with a queasy stomach and a horrible throat ache. I tried to get up and start packing up the car, but I only managed to make it to the corner Walgreens and back before nearly collapsing on my bed, my head spinning dizzily. I slept most of the day and woke when my sister came home wondering why I hadn't left yet. I felt better, so I began to pack up the car so I would have only a few things to worry about in the morning, or maybe Wednesday if I wake up feeling worse than today. I managed to fit a few extra things in my car because I had more room than I thought I would, which means I'll have my entire collection of books with me! I was only planning on bringing about 5 of them because I'll still have to come back for my desk eventually, but since they fit, I got to pack them. Only one of the kitties is coming with me though. Jasper has always been mine, and while I technically own one other and there are four total, I really only wanted to bring him. I discussed it with DS and DM and they both agreed that they would want to keep Emmett, and that I wouldn't have to take their cats with me as well. The 3 hours in the car with Jasper will be fun, especially since he hates cars, and mine isn't exactly designed for highway travel.  The car doesn't like to go any faster than 60 mph, so the journey will probably take even longer than I expect. His Highness seems content now, and he even tried to sleep in the cat carrier when I brought it out, but he won't be happy in the morning.
It's technically Spring Break at university right now, so I'm not too concerned about getting my work done while moving, but my first order of business when I arrive is to call the cable company and have internet set up so I can resume work next week. I'll also be looking for work and trying to find the nearest Genius Bar so I can have my iPod checked out. It's completely broken and I'm hoping they'll just replace it, but it isn't under warranty anymore, so there's a huge chance I'll just have to buy a new one. I know they're not meant to last very long, but I keep coming back to them anyway because I know how they work. Though the fact that they're insanely expensive and liable to break is getting on my nerves. That's all for now, but I'll try to keep my loyal readers posted.