Last weekend, thanks to a couple of super-long layovers in airports, I got a lot of knitting done on my current Big Project.

It's a top-down, raglan-style, drape-front cardigan in linen. Even though working in linen gives me a semi-permanent mark on my left index finger, I love it! I divided for the sleeves and then knit an entire sleeve and about an inch of the second sleeve.

Dividing for the sleeves is always an exciting moment for me. It means that I finally get to work on fewer, instead of more and more and more, stitches. It also means that I can really try on the sweater.

I know that you can put the stitches onto strings at any time and try on a top-down sweater. That's actually supposed to be part of the point of working in that way. But, somehow, I never really feel that I have a good sense of the fit until I reach the underarms. It is the first major moment that I can be sure that my math and good sense have not led me too far astray.

Another moment of truth is after both sleeves are done, and the body has been worked for another inch or so. That is a great time to try a sweater on and see how it looks.

Of course, the ultimate moment of truth is after the first wash and dry cycle, when you see for sure if all is as it should be. Or you cry. Whichever.