WIP Update: Mermaid Body (Mostly) Done!
Here's what it looked like before blocking and shoulder seaming. Since then, I've picked up stitches across the back of the neck and put the provisionally cast-on stitches back in action. I'm doing the collar portion all in one piece to avoid a seam at the back neck, and also to do the icord bind-off in one piece. I just have 10 ridges left, but the rows are long! Then it's sleeve time! I'm going to do a provisional cast on for those, too. That way I can do a 3-needle bind off. I love provisional cast ons so much! Below is what my Mermaid looked like folded and blocked, ready for shoulder seaming.
I also finished a hat for Bryan and I'm really happy with it. I'm not posting pics yet, since I haven't decided what to do with the pattern. The biggest thing I learned on that project is that ripping out in the opposite direction of the knitting is really hard when purl stitches are involved! The whole length of yarn has to be pulled though the stitch. Unless your yarn's really durable and you have tons of time to waste, you'll be doing a lot of cutting. How did I learn this, you ask? At one point the hat was too long, and the ribbing too loose, so I cut off the ribbing. I picked out a cable pattern repeat and grafted on a new ribbing from smaller needles. I love doing shit like that. I think it's the next big step after learning to "read" your knitting- learning how to create stitches with just yarn and a tapestry needle (grafting and duplicate stitch). Maybe this is why I have trouble resisting repair jobs.
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I, too, love cutting up and fixing knitting! Once, at another yarn shop, I modified a sample garment for the shop owner. It was a pretty cabled sweter knit from Cashmerino Superchunky. But it grew, in the way that yarns with microfibre will, and ended up down to my knees! So she had me turn it into a regular sweater. I managed to pick out the seam and then tediously unpick two entire rows of knitting (b/c of the purls), then I bound off. The amount of sweater left over after this mutilation was at least enough for a baby garment! Possibly enough for a woman's small, cropped sweater.