Houston, We Have a Problem...

Well, I finished my second sleeve last night halfway through The Forty Year Old Virgin. (Great movie, the dialogue was really hilarious - My Pilot had to pause the DVD and laugh several times.) Soaked the sweater in the tub for a while, rinsed, squeezed, rolled in towels, and then laid out to block. The yarn softened up nicely in its bath, and my stitches look nice and even and pretty. I went to bed, and when I checked on the sweater this morning, this is what I found:



Hmm - looks like the back is a full TWO INCHES LONGER THAN THE FRONT!! Oh. My. Gosh. I can't believe it. I think the only thing I can do is simply reknit the front. Fortunately, I do have plenty of yarn left over - about 6 skeins of the original 14 I bought. The front will only take 2 or 3 of those.

And I'm not sure about the sleeves, either:



Uh, yeah. They do look like panties pinned out like that. But they're sleeves - I swear! I did lengthen them a bit - by about 2 inches at the cuff, so maybe that's why they look so pantie-like to me right now. Even so, I'm not entirely sure about how they'll fit into the long and graceful armscye.

Sigh. I really really really really love this sweater. In the picture. It's beautiful, vintagey, drapey, sort of 30s-40s looking to me (but I'm no fashion historian - please do educate me if you know better!). But right now it's just sort of vexing. Fortunately, the front knits up quickly - perhaps 3 or 4 evenings (I'm still a slow knitter).

Grrr. On an up note, though, Jeni sent me her lovely measurements and a request for Knitty's Soleil, in white. I'm really looking forward to working this one up! Now, to find just the right yarn for it. I've got some good ideas already, just need to double check the specified gauge. Maybe a nice silk and cotton blend, something with a little bit of sheen. It will be beautiful against Jeni's pale golden skin and hair. I love my sister in law.