Progress on Marina continues. It is such a relaxing knit since the motifs continue across the rows instead of many charts across like the Sweaters from Camp sweater. I absolutely love the colors. Yesterday, we went into the shopping part of Freeport and found out the button shop was closing this Saturday. The shop is the first floor of an old house and absolutely stuffed with every button you can imagine. Picked up three different possible buttons for Marina, one purple, one blue and one kind of a mix. I'll miss that shop as you were always able to find just what you need. Taking mother in law, the button collector, in today and will pick up some wooden buttons for the stash.

SFC - Short row sleeve cap. This was NOT fun but it was educational. First you pick up all stitches from around the sleeve except for those held on a holder for the underarm. Then, starting at the top of the shoulder cap, you work back and forth in pattern, decreasing by wrapping a stitch as the pattern rows turn. Hours of trying that - no way so I finally just "cheated" by knitting one of the rows over to the decrease and purling back in pattern for the next row. Break the yarn and move the next row's added stitches over to the needle. Repeat until cap is done knitting two together instead of short row wrap. Maybe one day I'll sit with a knitter who has done this before and see how it is really supposed to be done. BUT - the cap is done, ready to start the sleeve pattern, top down and decrease as usual along the way. I've learned so very much from this sweater especially the fact that it takes a long time to knit a Fair Isle.

No wonder I like the colors in Marina so much. They echo the colors in my gardens. The blue/green of the junipers, the light colors of the ornamental grass stems, the purples of the phlox and blues of the bachelor buttons. However, this knit is easier than the weeding.
Up to row 28 and very happy with the ease of the design, colors and the way the Jamieson and Smith yarn is acting on the 3.25mm Inox circular needle. And yes, I know my arrows are pointing different than in the photo but who is going to know unless we have a room full of Marinas?

The white cord at the bottom of the corrugated ribbing is simply to keep the rib from curling. Didn't want to steam the ribbing to flatten it out so just sewed it shut for now.

Have to get a 20" circular in 3.25mm to keep going on the Shirt Tail Hemmed sweater. NO WAY am I ever going to knit Fair Isle sleeves on double points. Hmmmm.... road trip up to Camden and Unique One Knit shop and an overnight camp stay on the ocean edge? Great time of year for it as the leaves are starting to turn and the leaf peeper crowds aren't here yet.

(First photo is with the corrected color - Jamieson #598 Mulberry)
Economy doesn't always pay off. Thought I could use a Jamieson "Bramble" in place of the J&S "Crowberry" in Marina. Cold rainy day yesterday so happily spent time starting the ribbing. By end of day I was up to start of the body of the sweater. Not a happy camper with Bramble as it is too light in contrast to the other darks it is near. Friend Shirley said Crowberry is more a grape color and of the same color value as the Indigo and Dark Green surrounding it. So..... ribbit, ribbit back to the Bramble. Might just ladder down to the Bramble for about 8 stitches and try knitting it in to see if I like it better. Won't matter since the Bramble has to come out anyway. I found some Jamieson Mulberry Color 598 which I'll preview. It's much closer in value. If it doesn't work, might try the only LYS with J&S nearby to see if there is a dark grapey color. I think it would be easier to color design your own entire sweater than to substitute one or two colors into a Starmore.