The Big Sweater Surgery

So, I put my sweater down for two weeks... and I messed it up.
"When I pick this up again, it'll be time to do the bust darts..."
...somehow turned into, "Oh, I'm picking this up just after doing the bust darts!" And that's how I ended up going all the way to the hem of my sweater without doing the bust darts at all.
The thing is, now that I know how much I desperately need bust darts, I can't go without them. I really need those extra inches in the front to keep the front hem parallel to the ground. Postscript, left, includes bust darts. I knit myself cup 2, which adds 2.25". The tee, beneath it, does not and is the villain of this story.
Since leaving it without darts wasn't an option, there were two choices. Y'all know I hate knitting in the round, especially stockinette. The idea of undoing all that fingering weight stockinette stitch only to reknit it was very, very unappealing. Instead, I decided I'd try out a new skill - cutting open the front, adding the short rows, and grafting it back closed. Would I rather spend three nights doing something I don't love? Or would I like to learn a new skill? The process of cutting, knitting, and grafting took about 3 hours, and I'm super happy with the results! The front hem is where I want it, the graft is nearly invisible, and I feel like an absolute WIZARD.
Before - see that front hem? |