This was a really great project. I has so much fun knitting it, and it’s a fabulous sweater. We did it as a First Friday project, and here are some notes I put together.

1. Increases – I used M1 (make 1) increases one stitch away from the edge. You can use this increase, or you can knit into the front and back of the stitch to increase. These increases fall under the arm of your finished garment and will not be noticeable at all.

2. Except for the initial sleeve cast ons, I used an e-wrap cast-on throughout this garment. With an e-wrap cast on, unless you’re very careful to keep your needles close together as you work the newly cast on stitches, they may get loopy at the bottom. It’s not a crisis because these edges all get worked into a seam during finishing.

3. About casting on stitches. When the instruction reads”cast on (some number) of stitches at the beginning of the row, this means to cast on stitches to your right needle then work the existing stitches from your left needle with the same yarn. You will not work these newly cast-on stitches again until you see them at the end of the following row. Conversely, when you are instructed to cast on at the end of a row, that indicates that you will cast stitches onto your left needle and work them immediately. Doesn’t sound as if it would make much difference, but it does – especially at this gauge.

4. At this gauge, stitches are large, and stitch holders can be awkward and distort the stitches being held. Instead, slip the stitches to a long, (smaller size) circular needle and secure them with point protectors. You can also slip the stitches to waste yarn with a darning needles, but you will have to slip them back on to a needle when you go to work them again.

5. Binding off stitches. The Lois fronts are the bound off edges. You must bind off VERY loosely to avoid having the fronts pull up and distorting the hang of your garment. Be aware of your tension as you bind off, and stretch it as you work to be sure the bind off is the same tension as your fabric. If you have trouble with too tight bind off, use a size 17 needle in your right hand to bind off.

6. This garment has a lot of ease, so there is flexibility in the sizing. I made the size to fit a 36” bust. I measure exactly 36” around the bust, and I am very happy with the fit. Remember that bulky knits can be awkward when they fit too closely, so avoid the temptation to knit a size too much smaller than your actual body measurement.