Battle of the Bulk

My Forecast cardigan is getting really bulky and hard to tote around. Especially so when I shove beer from the work fridge into my bag (Tip: Never leave beer unattended in the employee fridge when you hire a writer). I almost—almost—took the sweater out of my bag and stuffed in a skein of Lane Cervinia "Softer" and size 11s for the Airy Wrap-Around. Almost. But I resisted. I knew that as soon as I set Forecast aside, I'd never finish before the cold weather vanishes. And I might not even finish it for a very, very long time considering my project distraction track record. Accumulating free beer, on the other hand, can wait a day.

So far, I've made a few modifications to the pattern. The most notable is that I'm using a XOXO cable pattern from Barbara Walker's A Treasury of Knitting Patterns instead of the bobbles. Those bobbles just didn't do it for me. The cable, on the other hand, keeps the circular texture of the bobbles, but in a way I find more aesthetically pleasing.

I also lengthened the body ribbing, but I think I might lengthen it even more when the sleeves are done. This is because I am cursed with an unusually long torso. The fact that I'm 5'11" tall? It's all because of my torso. If it weren't for my torso, I'd be an average 5'7".

And lastly, I used a triple border for the sleeves and end of the body rather than a double. That wasn't planned—it just happened because I was only loosely following the pattern. For the body, it doesn't make much of a difference. For the arms, however, it does add bulk. I don't think I'll rip out the first sleeve all the way to the first triple border and fix the bulk. I do think I'll go back after I finish the second sleeve and decrease a significant number of stitches at the cuff. I have tiny wrists, and the border makes them feel very cold and very tiny.