so close, yet so far

At Rhinebeck, I nearly finished my Nantucket Jacket. All I had left were the crocheted edges, and Lucia helped me figure out the instructions for those. Because the weather was so warm, I knew I wouldn't wear the sweater that weekend, so I didn't rush to finish it.

When I did finish the edging, it looked loose and wonky, so I ripped it out and redid it, but without a crochet expert by my side. It looked better the second time, until I put the sweater on ... the edging was way too tight. You can see in the photo below how the button bands pull the middle of the sweater upwards, and the collar won't stretch enough to fold down all the way in the back. I think part of the problem is the weight of the sweater itself ... it grows longer when it's worn, just because of its own weight.

Last night, I ripped out the edging again, and cut the buttons off. I decided that I didn't like the placement of the buttons and that if I was going to redo the edging and buttonholes, I'd move the buttons too.

The sweater is currently drying -- the poor selvedges needed a blocking after all that crocheting and ripping. I'm a little concerned, though ... the sweater seems to have grown quite a bit wider in blocking. Hopefully, it will still fit!!!