betcha you thought you weren't going to ever see this...

abalone on, originally uploaded by gradschoolknitter.

Finally, a picture of the abalone sweater ON ME! I don't really like the picture (of me, the sweater looks fine), but I had such a hard time getting one that I am just going to go with it.

As you might be able to tell, it is still open, much like the original, even though I attempted to do some gauge math and make it big enough to close in front of me... but I like how it looks, so I guess it all worked out! In any case, if I hadn't done the math and added extra stitches it would be waaaay too small.

Details:

Pattern: Abalone
Yarn: Malabrigo Worsted in Olive, 2.5 skeins (now I have to find something to do with the other 2.5 still sitting in the stash...)
Needles: US 8 / 5mm
Mods: Many: Cast-on 62, increased to 112. Hoped this would fit all the way around me, perhaps clasped together with a shawl pin, but alas, it was not meant to be. I'm happy with how it turned out, though. Also, nixed the icord bind off on the band as it turned out way too tight. Used Jenny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind-Off (knitting all stitches) instead.