3/26/16: I love most of the features of this sweater, including the collar, which I made as per the pattern. I’m not in love with the pockets, so the next time I make this I probably will skip them. What I also don’t love is that I had to get 2 balls of yarn in a different dye lot to finish it and the result is more noticeable than I would like. Working the front panels in the 2nd dye lot didn’t really help, nor did having to rip back the back so I could finish the collar. So I tried overdying it with Rit, following the directions for wool in my front-loader. There was basically no change in the color and the new yarn felted slightly; the other yarn is fine. Lesson learned about dye lots and mixing old & new yarn. I really love this sweater though - it’s super warm and cozy - and need to make another.

3/11/16: I had 8 balls of this yarn in my stash from a few years ago but needed 2 new ones to make this project; I knew I wasn’t going to get 2 new balls in the same dye lot. So I started with sleeves (2 at a time), then the back, then the fronts (2 at a time until the collar short rows). I tried striping the new dye lot with the old dye lot on the fronts, but it was very noticeable. Instead, I used the old dye lot to knit the hem and collar, and the new to knit the cabled sections, hoping I’d have enough of the old dye lot to complete the collar. I didn’t; I had to rip back the back to the last of the armhole shaping in order to have enough to finish the collar, and am knitting the top part of the back in the new dye lot. Yes it is noticeable, but I don’t expect too many people to be staring at my back and if they do notice, well … so what? I can’t see it, so it’s less of a problem. The daunting task of seaming is next. Yikes - so many ends to weave in & that collar to sew on!