Second time's a charm?
Aha! I have managed to wrestle that unruly neckband into submission:
The solution was to switch to a smaller crochet hook, and to skip a few stitches while working around the neck. It's just a single row of single crochet, leaving out the second eyelet row that the pattern suggests. I think with a few small buttons, this will work nicely.
With that sorted out, I've gotten going on the first sleeve. How long it's going to be is still anyone's guess!
I've also started a new sock. Eunny's Bayerische Sock pattern is just about the most complicated cable pattern I've ever tried, and I'm having fun with it so far. With 96 stitches and intense concentration required, I can only do a few rows in one sitting. Here we are after the first 16 row-repeat.
I'm knitting it in Regia 4-ply, colour 536, which sadly is discontinued. I think this is my favourite sock yarn these days, not that I've tried a lot of the higher-end fancy ones. I really like the way it wears. One of my favourite pairs of hand knit socks is in this yarn. I've been wearing them non-stop for the last three years and they still look great. It doesn't pill or get fuzzy, and it feels nice on the feet.
I hope that this pattern is still intriguing when it comes time to knit the second sock. I have a feeling it's going to take a while!