on the needles: that orange sweater

Hey. Hey guys. I've finally cast on my first ever garment! Better late than never, eh? I went to the yarn shop, bought lots of orange yarn and started making the most basic jumper I could find. (details on Ravelry here, as usual). Man, are garments a whole different ball game. I'm only a little way through the back piece, but I've already learnt a lot. 

1. Tension be crazy. It seems that every time I sit down to knit, my tension is a little tighter. What's that all about? I'm making a conscious effort to really relax and work a little looser so it evens out. 

2. There's a time and a place for attempting continental. This ain't it. I thought it would be a bright idea to experiment with changing my hand position and knitting with the yarn in the opposite hand so I could work faster. It wasn't a bright idea. I've ended up with a weird tight row that really stands out. Turns out if you knit differently, it makes your knitting look different. Who'da thunk it? I've learnt my lesson and am now sticking to my usual, comfy-but-awkward-looking technique. 

3. It's all about the process. After working on smaller projects and lots of speedy crochet things, I'm actually enjoying the slow, leisurely process of slogging away with a garment, focussing on enjoying the knitting itself rather than racing along towards the outcome. 

4. Movies and long journeys are my new BFFs. So far I've knitted my way to the Midlands and back, and through a few episodes of this and that. Can you recommend any great movies/series to knit through? Also, any garment-making wisdom would be much appreciated.