FO: Baby Bolero

Finally seamed, blocked, and declared finished!

Project specs:

• Pattern: Debbie Bliss Baby Bolero pattern from Baby Cashmerino 2 (the cover photo)
  
• Yarn: Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino, red color, purchased from Monarch Knitting & Quilts, Pacific Grove, CA
• Needles: Size 3 bamboo needles, Takumi/Clover. I usually prefer circular, but due to TSA recommendations, I chose straights. The pattern called for two sizes, 3mm and 3.25mm. I decided I could live with a difference of .25mm in my needles.
  
• Notes: The pattern is kind of vague at times. In the future, I would avoid stair stepping* the shaping at the bottom. I might try the 3-needle bind-off for shoulder seams. I would definitely do a provisional cast-on for the edging and I might even attempt to knit it in one piece, to avoid grafting and the line that appeared when I wove the ends in; at least, I'd take care to end the ends on the inside edge of the edging. I did steam the edging flat, although I'm not sure how aggressive you can be when you don't touch the fabric.
  

The yarn was a little bit splitty. Mostly I noticed that since it is S-twist yarn, the stockinette had a vertical stripe look to it, where one side of the V was twisted tighter and the other side of the V was looser. I think I prefer even Vs created by Z-twist yarn. But it does wash and dry (in the dryer on low) well.

Overall, I'm glad it's done. I'll add it to the "finished objects" pile; it might get sent to a somewhat distant relative/friend who is expecting.

My dad was visiting this weekend, so we went around doing touristy things and I didn't take photos of my eBay purchase yet. But it did arrive and was speedily shipped.

[11:45am: ETA Re: Stair stepping: I read somewhere on Friday, a link to a link, about avoiding stair stepping when binding off some of the stitches in a row, to keep the last loop to be bound off, slip it to the left needle, and knit it together with the first stitch not to bind off. Now I can't find it...can any of you, dear readers, tell me where I read this? This is not the same as short row shaping.]