brainylady

Thank you!

You are so smart. Of the two options I gave you for my narrow sweater-front problem, you suggested a third, and that's what I did. I realized that I couldn't rip without knowing for sure, but it would be a waste of time to keep knitting without knowing, either, so my knitting came off the needle and went into the sink. Here's the piece I was concerned about, with my shoe for scale:



Now, if this were knit with a soft wool like Patons Classic, I would have been confident in its stretchability, what with all the ribbing. But remember, I'm making this with Briggs & Little, which I like to call Twigs & Little. This wool is a few steps closer to the sheep than most of the stuff out there. Its stiffness is great for cables, but it doesn't have as much give as softer stuff does. BUT! I blocked this piece, and behold the difference:



The piece is now 19 inches wide, the same as my favourite sweater, and I don't think the pattern is overstretched. I think it looks fine. So woo-hoo! Back onto the needle, and onward. Thank you, thank you, thank you again for all the advice.

Bill and I had our Friday-night ritual during the day this week: all-you-can-eat sushi for lunch, and then Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Perfect for a snowy and otherwise miserable day. And then we went to see Walk The Line last night. (Two movies in one week! Life is good.) Could Joaquin Phoenix be any sexier? No, I didn't think so, either. (Bit of trivia: A key scene in the film takes place in the city where I live -- which is just identified in the movie as "Ontario, Canada." Would "London, Ontario" really be so confusing for an American audience? Sheesh.)