Mariner launches!

After (literally) six swatches, I have cast on! I think I may may may have gauge. And I reemphasize may. It kept seeming like no matter what needle size I used on the Schoeller Esslinger Palma cotton yarn (lots of sheen, smooth as silk), I got the same darn gauge. Too tight. But hopefully I'm okay now. Gotta think loose thoughts. Hmm, that sounds more like something you do for your bowels :-/

What I'm knitting? Mariner from Irresistible Knits by Kristen Cowan. The book was 99 cents — count 'em! — at the UCSD bookstore. Ridiculous. I want to knit half the book. However, I've already found a bunch of obvious pattern errors (doesn't match the picture if I knit it as specified, so I'm making changes). I'm a novice, so hope I'm correcting correctly! It's a long, slightly bell-sleeved tunic which I'd like to wear with jeans. Another worry (besides gauge and pattern corrections) is that I seem to be knitting it in a medium. Well, they say that's 44" chest size. I measured (not hand-)knit tunics that I own and they were all 44" in the bust. And I'm 43" and if I wear it as a top, I don't want much ease. My butt is also 43". And I did the stitch math, and at the right gauge, it's 44". Really. So it should fit, it should.

Nervous Nellie, me. I'll be checking my gauge every five minutes or so. But I've never knit an adult-sized sweater before! (And. Yeh. I'm still not quite done with the baby sweater.)