Getting Ready....

On our excursion to the Tent Sale, Mary Jane and I discussed the Harrow Fair. I'd forgotten all about it, so now I'm scrambling to get some FOs together for the entry deadline, August 23rd. My mom has agreed to send me back the shawl I made for her and I have a two original sock designs that I can enter. Plus I've got an idea for a hat to put together with some mittens already made. But right now, I've decided to work on finishing up this:

As you can see, I've completed one sleeve. Doesn't it look great on Jim? We've decided that it will be another sweater for him to wear to work, which is why the sleeve is a bit short. At first he protested that the sweater was too nice to wear to work, but I told him not to worry, it's been sitting around unfinished for almost five years! Knowing that it will be worn, in addition to the fair, will give me that extra push to finish it. Besides, the Lopi yarn will be really toasty, especially stranded. And I like that it has extra lenght in the torso so his kidneys will be warm, even when his arms are over his head.

Since it is going to the fair, I decided to take a bit of extra effort with the finishing, but I may have been over zealous. I knit a facing for the armhole edge. It looks great:

But it adds a lot of bulk. Oh well, I'm not ripping it now! so I'll just have to make the other side to match. Good thing we have air conditioning, or I don't think I could stand to knit Lopi in the summer.