It's getting there...

My Hand-to-Hand sweater is now a cardigan, and it's getting close to completion - I think.

This is what happens when crocheted steeks go bad:

Complete and total fraying. I had to run a line of machine stitching down each side of the border to contain the mess. Of course, that left stitching lines and and unsightly mess on the inside of the sweater, so I ordered matching wool in 2-ply shetland from Schoolhouse Press , picked up stitches along the whole front and made a facing.

The problem was, this left tell-tale marks on the front of the sweater; it was a little bit lumpy and bumpy - and you could still see the machine stitch lines (well, at least I could; nobody else in this house could see anything wrong. You know how that is...)

Sooo, I cast on two 3 stitch I-Cords on the side of the button band, and did this:

I made an I-Cord braid in the shetland, and ran it all the way up the front (an adaptation of an I-Cord technique from Joyce Williams!) It's a combination of attached and free I-Cord.

As soon as I finish the other side, I'll be just about done. I need to sew on the buttons (right now they're tacked on) and block. However, it will not be truly finished until I fix this:

Now that's a big old honkin' cable boo-boo! I'm going to have to snip stitches, reroute the cable, and weave everything back together. At least I saw it before I take it to the fair next week!