Sweatering Along

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My Hourglass Sweater is sweatering - finally!  I'm in the flow and I think I've done pretty well with my top-down increasing. The seams look nice and straight, they aren't pulling much. I thought that I had invented a new kind of increase, but it looks like I just re-invented the wheel. Thankfully I just checked The Knitter's Companion before I started showing off and mouthing off to you, and my nice increases (RLI & LLI) are on pages 56 & 57 of the 2nd edition (ISBN 978-1-59668-001-2).

 Interestingly (not really) I think I have been reversing my 'Left Slanting Increases' and 'Right Slanting Increases'.  More to the point, I always thought that the Left and Right referred to the direction of the stitches next to the seam. I generally find Interweave's publications extremely trustworthy, and based on the pictures in the book, it looks like the Left/Right refers to the direction of the seam. Soooooo, it seems that I get a bit muddled when working on a top-down raglan, where the seam is straight and is not directed to either the left or right. In simpler terms, on the right side of your seam I make a left slanting increase (LLI), and on the left side of the seam I make a right slanting increase (RLI). 

So, in conclusion, here are my insights for the day:

1. The Lifted or Raised Increase is a nice looking increase, you should try it. 
2. Interweave Press publishes good books and are worth referring to.
3. When making top-down raglans, the Lefty increase goes on the right side of the seam  and the Righty goes on the left side of the seam. 
4. Kurt Vonnegut and my 9th grade English teacher, Mr. Lass, were both right: there are very few new ideas. 

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