Waiting and thinking way too much

I have made a lot of progress on the Cambridge Jacket. I have completed the back and am into the armholes for the left front piece. I have to say, though, my mind is beginning to wander...it want to start another project...but I have vowed to work solely on this for the time being until it is ready to be seamed. Max deserves a sweater...Max deserves a sweater...and before the winter ends!

Here are some progress shots:



Oh, the confusing things that excite me sometimes! I am working on the armholes of the left front for the Cambridge Jacket...and the fronts have something the back doesn't have...a neckline. Of course, we all know this to be true anyway...but I have decided to pay careful attention to it this time around. You see, on my Jawbreaker Cardigan I didn't really count my rows as I went along and that made seaming the whole thing up a little bit awkward. I managed...and you can't really tell the difference anyway (except for the fact that the neck on my Jawbreaker is much higher than the neck in the sample photos). But still...I want this one to match up so seaming is a breeze and proportions are normal. Now, onto the confusion...

After the armholes reach four and a half inches on both the fronts and the back, you are supposed to start up a few more ribs. This is all fine and dandy...I can easily count the rows here and match the front to the back--NO problem. However, here is where the directions split off. On the back, you knit each stitch as it appears until the armhole measures 10". For the fronts, you do this until the armholes measure only 8" and then you begin the neckline shaping.

Fine.

Here's the thing. I don't want to rely on my wacky measuring tape to finish this thing...I want to be POSITIVE that the armholes for the back and for the fronts have the same number of rows so that I won't have issues matching them up later. Watch this: Starting with the first row AFTER the ribbing set up row and ending (and including) with final bind off row (this includes knitting even and shoulder shaping) for the back...there are 45 rows. 31 of those rows are just even knitting with no shaping whatsoever. Now, I have pre-counted the number of future rows required for all future shaping on the side front...there are 16 rows including the final bind off row. The rest will be just even knitting. That's EASY.

Here's the issue. I must not exceed the allotted 45 rows after the new ribbing set up row for the front. If I were to knit until it measures 8", begin the neckline, knit even and bind off...there is a chance I would not get those 45 rows...somehow. Don't ask why I feel this way...just know that for my Jawbreaker I MEASURED A THOUSAND TIMES...and still had pieces that didn't really match up. I think that by writing all of this down, I may be able to put my mind at ease...

For the fronts, the shoulder shaping requires 3 rows, plus 1 final bind off row (4 total)...for the backs, shoulder shaping requires 6 rows, plus 1 final bind off row (7 total). That means...what does that mean? I don't even know.

I have just (within the last 30 seconds) decided that I am thinking WAY TO MUCH about this...I'm finished...I'll figure it out. This is going to happen!

IN OTHER NEWS, it is officially 4:05 PM on the Monday after the Thursday I submitted an application for employment and I have not received a phone call. That's one hour short of two full work days to review it. Ehem...ehem...Kara...sorry, I had something in my throat. :)