My last post sounded pretty dismal. It was the end of November and I had nearly finished my #NaKniSweMo2015 sweater when one of my cats suddenly had to go to the emergency vet.

https://www.instagram.com/p/-vDHTgiJCA/?taken-by=caityrosey81

I didn’t make the November 30 deadline. But, as many of you assured me in the comments, I wasn’t a complete failure. An 80,000 stitch sweater is quite a feat to knit in one month and I shouldn’t devalue that effort. I’ve never knitted a sweater quite that quickly before. Now I know that I can. I’ll definitely try again next year for #NaKniSweMo2016.

I finished seaming the sweater last week. I enjoy seaming saddle shoulder sweaters. So much easier to get it right than with a set-in sleeve. More straight lines.

Thank goodness, with all that rigmarole, it still fits.

https://www.instagram.com/p/_gMgCgCJPN/?taken-by=caityrosey81

My husband tried the sweater on for me so I could take a few photos before wrapping it up for Christmas. I admonished him to “smile like you’re enjoying this” and he obliged me gamely.

For those of you interested in the vital stats:

Pattern: Denali by Norah Gaughan

Yarn: Studio Donegal Soft Donegal in the Turquoise colorway. I used approximately 8 skeins. I almost always seem to use less yarn than the pattern calls for. I had estimated I would need more like 9 skeins.

Needles: US 4, 5 and 6

Dates: November 1 – December 17, 2015

The pattern was very straightforward and the cables were remarkably un-fiddly. Cable crosses only came every 8 rows or so. Lots of easy knitting spiced with only occasional rows requiring my full attention.