Before: A steek is born

Lynda's first steek before cutting
Originally uploaded by Loretta.

First, we painstakingly counted all the stiches in the front of the sweater. This was made difficult by the fact that it is knit in a very tiny gauge and the chaotic atmosphere in my sisters house. With all of us there talking and laughing and stirring up the dogs, it was pretty difficult to keep on count.

Second, we sewed a basting line down the center front stitch of the sweater. I started it to show her how, then Lynda finished the basting.

Since Lynda is the experienced seamstress, she did the machine sewing. She machine stitched up one side of the center stitch and down the other side.