Slow On Year Turning

Yeah, yeah, the calendar claims that it is a new year and I should be rushing around with renewed vim and vigor.  I'm a bit slow on the uptake and I admit it.

Actually, I was a bit slow on the let go as well.  This was to be a 2014 present for Himself.

It is not a vest.  If it were supposed to be a vest - it still would not have made it into the 2014 FO list on Ravelry.

The good news is that the sleeves were cast on last night.  I'm counting that as progress.  This is not a difficult thing to make.  But it has reminded me that knitting a man size is a whole heaping lot more stockinette than knitting a short woman size.  And that is all I have to say about that.

The Noro stripes wanted to be continuous so the bottom is knit in the round.  Experience tells me that even with all the color, I will see the row gauge change when I start knitting the front & back flat.  So. . . .I came up with what is probably not an original thought but it tricks my eye and makes me happy.

First, please know that the bottom ribbing (4x2), the row break at armholes and the top two inches and neck ribbing are Noro Solo that enhances the blue of the stripey part.  At that row break, not only did I use the solid blue, but two purl ridges were tossed in.  Those ridges and solid color trick the eye into ignoring the change in row gauge that shows up with this method.

For those who are wanting to tell me a thing or two - - -I don't steek.  Yes, that would solve the issue.  But I don't steek.  I'm scared, don't you know.