Shawl Together Now

And it came to pass, as the sun set upon the third day, that the collar was done at last.  And she looked and called it Good:

Yes, I think I can now say that I like the collar, though since this is version 8.0, it may be that I just want it over with.

I have no freaking idea why the thing is so, well, LARGE.  There is about 300 yards of yarn in there, if you can believe it.  Obviously, garter stitch uses more yarn, but how there ended up to be so much acreage in the thing is beyond me.  I'm thinking that the depth of the V neck is to blame: shallower would have been preferable, because it just takes so many dang stitches to get around the wee beastie.  But there comes a point where you just have to press on and see what happens.  Apparently for me, that point is somewhere between the 7th and 8th version of the shawl collar.

Which translates to a collar which, even when folded in half, is pretty freaking high in the back.  For someone short of neck (like me), it's really more fabric than necessary.  But if cozy was my goal, I think I have well and truly got it.  This thing is not just a shawl collar, it's an actual shawl, attached to the neckline of a cardigan.  Epic.  Practically a hood. Beware of sudden updrafts: Sweater may achieve liftoff.

Still, I think the project's headed in the direction I had hoped (Knitting Gods; insert SMITE here).  I was going for something that looks tailor-y and fitted-y and sorta, well, period, if you get my meaning, but without being costume-y.  Although, if it does end up costume-y, I will still love it. 

Strangely, after all the time I have spent with this wool, as fleece, as spinning, and now as knitting, I'm only now starting to think about what it will be like to actually wear it.  And I like what I have so far.  Two challenges left (that I am aware of, at least): 

1.    Make sleeves that work the way I want them to, and
2.    Don't run out of yarn.

Same thing we do everyday, no?