Moody BLUE Sweater

My friend Christen came up with the name for this KAL - at the very end, but... it's still an awesome name! Thanks Christen! *I can't tell you what she won because she won't be home for a month to get it.... so remind me later okay?

As I was finishing frogging (yeah... still hate frogging) my sleeve this morning, it dawned on me... my sweater is Blue and it's the "Moody Sweater" so that means....... it's the Moody Blue Sweater! hahahahahaha - yep still laughing! Sorry... it's the inner dorkiness spilling out folks!

After frogging (did I tell you I hate frogging?) the sleeve because I was so busy gabbing yesterday and didn't pay attention to how long the sleeve was...I have an almost done (DONE!) Moody Sweater for new baby Jax! I just have to graft the hood seams together, block it all and woot! Another DONE sweater!

I was a bit (very) nervous about taking out the provisional cast on (click on that to go to a tutorial)  stitches. I've never done it before! This was my first time using that cast on!

After this way of making the sweater....... guess how I'm doing it from now on?! Yep! Provisional Cast on is my new friend! I love how easy it was to pull the cast on pink off and then having the live loops was super cool! The Kitchener Stitch for grafting seams together isn't really all that hard... it just takes some concentration!

At first - because I was so nervous,  I accidentally pulled some of the cast on stitches off and had those dangly, hanging loops (sigh) but by quickly sticking my needle into them, they didn't dangle!  Phew. Disaster averted once again!

So..... obviously...... the trick is to slow down!

Insert your knitting needle into the first cast on stitch - that row of crocheted loops I have in hot pink and make sure the blue stitch is seated on the needle and then.............. pull out the pink!

Here we are up close........ the crocheted (provisional cast on) row in hot pink is where I knitted my very first row of the sweater. Now I just gotta get those live loops onto the needle! Easy enough! It only took a few minutes!

Once you have worked all those stitches onto your needles........ divide them up! 1/2 on each! Now... get ready for Kitchener Stitch! Woohoo!!! That's the only reason I used the provisional cast on method! I wanted live loops at the very end (which is actually the very beginning) so I didn't have to sew a seam ~which for me never (ever!) turns out well!
If you need a little help with the Kitchener Stitch, click HERE ! It's over at Knitty.com and don't be afraid to admit it... you'll need a little help! I do! ~but that totally is another story huh?!
So............ once you've Kitchener stitched your hood seam and you've made 4 - 7 inch ties and sewed them on the front..............

You end up with this!! Isn't it wonderful? So blue (and Moody) and DONE, DONE, DONE! Now all I have to do is block it, send it and then wait, wait, wait for Baby Jax to get here!
The only problem now......... other than waiting........... what do we knit now? Hmmmmmmm