Maybe I should stick to hats*

*or, perhaps I should not be allowed to use interchangeable needles...

In between bouts of coughing and moaning piteously in bed, I managed to get a heck of a lot of knitting done this weekend-- and I was really excited to show you the completed first sleeve of my Shadow... until, switching out the needle tips to start the ribbing on sleeve two, I found attached to my cables one size 9 tip... and one size 7 tip!

I'm not entirely sure how it happened, though I have a pretty good idea.** I'm mostly amazed that I knitted the entire sleeve without noticing the very... noticeable difference in the diameter of the two needles. The stitch gauge seemed to be correct while I was knitting... if I stretched out the fabric a teensy bit. Easily block-able to the pattern dimensions, at any rate. Since I was more worried at the outset of the sleeve that it would turn out too large, I was thrilled to be proving myself wrong...

Now that I have started the second sleeve-- on TWO size 9 tips, I checked three times and had Eric check twice to be sure-- it's pretty clear how deluded I have been. I have to stretch sleeve #1 out to a ridiculous degree to get the correct width. And the row gauge... not the same.

Not even close.

I did briefly consider repeating my error, but once I cast off the first sleeve, there was no telling which tip I used for the right side and which I used for the wrong side!

This is not the end of the world-- I will now be able to make some changes to the shaping that will make seaming much easier, and I'm spared the indignity of wearing an unintentionally asymmetrical sweater. I'm not sure if I can reuse the yarn I have already knitted without creating more gauge headaches, so that's a bummer. And I will no doubt be the laughingstock of knitting night. Fair enough-- it actually is pretty funny.

See, this is why I spent a year knitting hats!



**Gremlins.