inside out

[You can click for a closer view].

I've seamed the arms and sides and I've attached one of the front bands.

Yes, attached a front band. For whatever reason, this pattern has you knit entirely separate button bands and sew them on.

I'm sure there must be a practical reason for this. For one thing, it's easier to make a good transition from the stockinette intarsia of the body and the seed stitch of the bands—no floppy stitches or messiness. Also, if the stockinette row gauge is drastically different from the seed stitch row gauge, it can be addressed by knitting body and band separately.

However, if I would have been paying attention when I started knitting the fronts, I would have cast on the extra stitches for the bands to begin with and put them on a stitch holder after the bottom seed stitch band was done.

Then, I could have gone back and knit them separately. [I've done this before with a Rowan pattern and the result was quite nice]. This would have avoided the icky seam that now runs the entire length of the band. The good news is that the seam disappears for most of it's length. It's only at the bottom where seed stitch meets seed stitch that it's noticeable.

It's just a small detail; but by this point I have enough experience that I should have been able to anticipate it.

I am now working on the buttonhole band for the third time. I think I've finally got buttonholes I can live with; and, due to the Presidents' Day holiday, I have an extra day off to work on finishing. [Yay!]

And speaking of Presidents' Day: Haven't you always wanted your own collection of talking action figure US Presidents?

[Apparently, Dubya is the frowniest American president ever, even when hitching a ride onto an aircraft carrier. In contrast, Bill was a very happy guy].

[I had a hard time figuring out whether it's President's Day or Presidents' Day. I still don't really know].