Moving along with Kim

Thanks for all the Wednesday-love, everybody! She's being test-knit by a great group of people, and I'm hoping to be able to show you more of the upcoming accessory patterns early next week. In the meantime, though, I thought I'd check in about my progress on Kim Hargreaves's Darcy design:

As you can see, I'm motoring right along. Shown is the seamed fronts, back, and one sleeve, along with a paltry amount of collar. I modified Hargreaves's instructions a bit on the collar finishing, to compensate for my larger gauge, but I think I'll rip out the bind-off and knit another 5-10 rows so that it will actually fold over in a satisfying way. Right now the right lapel keeps wanting to pop back up, and the top back of the neck isn't folded over at all.

That's easily enough accomplished, though, and I'm still feeling quite pleased with how the garment as a whole is shaping up. This side view gives a sense of the sweep of the peplum, and of how the whole thing might feel when finished:

I'm just LOVING the look and texture of the Manos worked up into seed stitch, and the overall hand of the fabric. I love its firmness, and the way it holds its shape so nicely, and I love the heathery distribution of variegation throughout the garment. Between the seams, cushy stitch, and hearty yarn, I'm betting that this jacket will last me a long time.

I cast on for the second sleeve while chatting with a new yarny friend yesterday, and after that I've only got the collar modification and buttons left to work. I've really enjoyed this little break from designing, but I'm also glad to be nearing the end - I have so many ideas for new things percolating in my head!