29 apr: oh, I have so many notes to write up about this. I made a lot of changes. It fits pretty well though and I think I’ll get a lot of wear out of it!

26 apr: washed it in the washer today (cold/cold on handwash cycle) and tossed it in the dryer on air dry/fluff for about 60m. It fuzzed some, grew a bit more than I like, but still fits ok. It’s still a bit damp so I’ll wait until it’s fully dry. I may need to toss it in the dryer on low heat to shrink it a tiny bit. Still overall happy with it. Oh! and the roll on the sleeve cuffs unrolled but not at the collar ?!. Odd.

25 apr: finished knitting the sleeve and collar yesterday, bound off the collar and wove in the ends today! needs a bath. Fits great, hoping it very slightly grows (VERY slightly) after a bath. Collar resolved issues with the sleeves pulling down the neckline. I knit 1x1 rib on the collar and worked 3 sets of short rows at the back of the collar before working 4 rows of stockinette to create the rolled edge (same method worked at the sleeve cuffs but NOT on the hem -- I didn’t want a rolled hem).

21 apr: finished the second sleeve last night. It has a different decrease: after the end of the rib detail, I worked a k5,k2tog around decrease and then knit straight to the cuff. this gave a much neater looking sleeve than the other one, where I worked a standard ssk,k2tog at the center seam every X rows. I just hated how it looked once I finished it. So I’ll be ripping the first sleeve back to the elbow and reknitting it the same way as the second sleeve. Once the sleeve is reknit, I just need to work the collar! I like the fit of the sweater though I still have issues with the sleeves pulling the neckline down somewhat on the sides -- hoping some knitting ingenuity can handle that when I knit the collar.

29 mar: still working on the second sleeve! Zzz! ha.

26 mar: the worst part about top-down sleeves is that I couldn’t knit them together at the same time. Now I’m having a hell of a time trying to match the decreases on the second sleeve to the first sleeve. Oy!

17 mar: still working on the second sleeve :)

16 mar: I picked up the stitches around the second armhole and started working the second sleeve last night. I didn’t make it too far though, due to allergies.

13 mar: body is done and bound off. I ended up working 4 rows of 1x1 rib on US3 and then did a standard bind off because it looked the neatest (odd, that!). Trying to decide if I should do the neckline or the second sleeve next.

9 mar: tried it on. Three more inches or so, then hem. I’m at the high hip. Still concerned about the neckline since it pulls with the sleeve… I may have to do some short rows in the back for the neckline.

9 mar: I’ve knit a few inches further on the body, want to slip onto a second needle and try it on again to see how the length is. I should be pretty close to working the hemline.

4 mar: slipped to a second needle and tried it on last night. It’s at my bellybutton, so a few more inches left to knit. I’m not entirely happy with the shoulders anymore -- the sleeveless side fits and sits perfectly on my (narrow) shoulders. The side with a sleeve is pulling down. This MAY change once I add the neckline but I’m not sure. If it fits like this when it’s completed I’ll never wear it. Meh. So feeling sort of grumpy at it right now.

3 mar: have worked 3 sets of hip increases, am on the plain st st section now. I think I have about 4” to go on the body. Going to work another couple of hip increases. Almost time for another ball of yarn on the body. I’ve only used 5.5 balls on the sweater so far -- that’s for one sleeve and the majority of the body. The first sleeve took about 1.5 balls IIRC. Probably just one more ball for the body.

17 feb: still on the second rib pattern, have also worked 3 sets of waist decreases. I should probably put it on waste yarn and try it on as I think I may be at the waist now -- it’s long.

10 feb: worked 4 sets of short rows (8 rows). Working even now until I get to waist decreases and other rib patterns.

8 feb: all laddering done, working normally now. Going to work some more short rows in the front (3 pairs, starting wider and going smaller) until I get to a point below the bust where I will switch to the other rib pattern.

5 feb: laddering down 10 rows to change the ribbing is taking forever! I hope to finish it tonight after my workout.

3 feb: undid and re-bound-off the buttonhole band, much better. Also put the body stitches back on the long needle and am S L O W L Y fixing it all to 2x2. Once that’s done, I’ll work some more short rows and eventually switch to the other rib patterns (finishing them at the high waist).

1 feb: sleeve done. sewed buttons on the henley portion too, but I am going to undo the bind off on the edge of the top buttonband and redo it.

1 feb: switched to US2 for the cuff on the sleeve, 3 rows 1x1 rib, then 6 rows of stst so it rolls.

1 feb: almost done with the sleeve. I should finish it today. I’m just above the wrist. I’m working decreases every 3 rows or so because the sleeves were belling a bit more than I wanted.

31 jan: trying to finish the sleeve today while I am avoiding seaming a baby sweater. :)

21 jan: at the elbow. soon I’ll switch to the next ribbing detail.

20 jan: sleeve island, how I’ve missed you! except not at all. I got tired of magic looping the sleeve and found a very short US5 needle to use instead. I’m not even to the elbow yet. Zzzzz!

18 jan: knit the buttonbands, they are fine. finished the ball of yarn on the body and put it on waste yarn to try it on. It’s a little shorter than I thought, so I am goin4 to ladder back up and continue the 2x2 rib for a while longer and possibly work another set of bust short rows. I also started the first sleeve so I could see how it fit. Picked up 96 stitches around the armhole rather than the 88 specified by this size (because I knit the armhole about .25” longer). Joined the third ball of yarn (total! crazy yardage) for the sleeve.

15 jan: still knitting in 2x2, but I fear the extra 2 stitches I cast on (as pattern specified) at the center join is too much space, so I am going to knit the buttonbands for the henley next, before going forward. If the buttonbands look bad, I will rip back before I get any further on the body.

14 jan: worked to just 3” of henley (I want three buttons worth, not five) and joined. Still knitting in the 2x2 rib all around. Once I’m at a point where I’m below the bust I’ll start switching to the other rib details. Going to knit through the current ball of yarn and then do at least the two sleeve caps if not both sleeves.

12 jan: worked short rows at about 6” down front (3 sets of short rows). Started the neck shaping at the same time as the armhole shaping. Now going to join fronts to backs and work back and forth until I have 3.5” of henley worked, then join the two fronts!

12 jan: back is on waste yarn, knitting the front down now. I am not entirely happy with how picking up the stitches from the provisional cast on doesn’t match up with the rib. I know it happens when knitting from one location in two different directions -- it’s off by 1/2 stitch. Sort of wish I’d just CO normally and picked up the stitches from the CO.

I have really small shoulders relative to the rest of me, so casting on the 42.25” size and will adjust for bust and hip as necessary. I actually think the 36” size would fit my shoulders best but that’s a little too much of a difference for my 46-47” bust.

for me, the long sleeved version.