Final Thoughts:

• It’s extremely rare that I just follow a pattern’s instructions - esp when it’s a construction I’m not overly familiar with - but I trust Emily Greene’s design and drafting competence and I wasn’t disappointed.

• While I rarely knit bottom-up in the round, I found this construction fascinating - esp the use of short rows to achieve the shoulder-seam angle. I’ve previously only knitted drop-shoulder sweaters from top down. While I won’t suggest that bottom-up is my preferred method for a variety of reasons, I do think it gave the opp for a beautiful neckband. (Not sure if could have been produced with those lovely side-front decreases / 2-st panel if it had been worked top down.) I do enjoy a seam that’s positioned on the back body (as used in the Moon Set Pullover) but I realize that would have messed with the shoulder seam detailing on this sweater.

• The pattern is very clearly written and the design is fairly straight-forward but I wouldn’t call it simple or beginner. It relies on even workmanship and a comfort level with short rows and clean finishing on the neckline, shoulders and sleeve pick up. It’s all in the details…

• My gauge was slightly smaller in stitch and row than the pattern instructs so I opted to make the 3rd size. If I’d got gauge, I’d probably have been better to make the size 2, based on how I prefer things to fit.

• In retrospect, I would have knitted the body to 15.25” in length before beginning the back body because I wouldn’t mind it being slightly more oversized in the length. But it looks like it may block to my preferred length.Update: It did!

• Were I to make this again - and I might because the pattern is enjoyable and the end result elegant but casual - I might include a very small amount of waist shaping, just to make it a smidge less boxy. I like it as drafted but I might also like it with a bit of shaping.

• About the yarn: I truly could not decide if I liked this yarn till I was 3/4 of the way through making the garment. In the end, it appears that I do. In the right project, it can be excellent - and this project was a pretty good pick for it. It would make for great stranded colourwork. It is a bit drapey but it’s also rather spongy. That’s the thing I’m not sure I love, though I bet that it will make the garment very warm while also being reasonably light-weight. It can be slightly splitty but not more so (and perhaps less so) than many other yarns that are loosely plied. It’s also extremely soft, in a way that I can’t describe except to say that it’s “dry”. I’d use it again if the right project came along but I don’t expect it to be a go to.

Sizing: I’ve opted to simply knit size 3 as instructed. Knitted to gauge, it’s a bit larger than I’d like (as I’m not into multiple inches of positive ease) but my gauge is slightly smaller than recommended (to get the fabric I prefer) so I think that will work in my favour. Also, it’s clear from the (excellent) schematic and the pictures of the models, that the garment is not oversized in the sleeves, neck or shoulders (though drop shoulder has a casual vibe).

The Knitting Process / Information:

• This construction is interesting and so well-considered. I rarely knit bottom-up in the round and it always concerns me because I often want to lengthen or shorten garments. I did consider doing a provisional cast on and knitting the stockinette body first, coming back to the provisional cast on at the end of the knit to knit the broken rib hem (and potentially knit a longer or shorter stockinette segment before knitting the broken rib hem). The reason I opted not to is because the length looked good on both models and it is the approx length at which I’d want a drop shoulder bodice to fit, based on others I’ve knitted.

• When I casted on I was ambivalent about using US5 or US6 so, if I remember correctly, I did the hemline ribbing in US5 but then realized that I wanted the more open stockinette fabric that I got on US6 needles. Technically, the hem and body are to be knitted on the same size but I wondered if that might yield a hem that’s a bit too A-line on my body. I am not wide in the hips so a smaller hem should work.

• The instructions direct you to block the garment to schematic dimensions before seaming up the shoulders and knitting on the neckband / knitting the sleeves from the arm openings. I measured mine and they were pretty well bang on pattern so I steam blocked the top pieces along all edges. Note: I had my barber cords holding the stitches when I did this so I was VERY careful not to over-steam / melt the silicone. (I didn’t think you could melt silicone but the cords did soften when heated.) This is doable with care (if not optimal). I would rec that, when putting all of the stitches on hold, you use waste yarn, if you intend to steam block at this point… I had no issues getting a clean neckband or picking up stitches for the arms.

• I did opt to do the 3-needle bind off (just regular style) with the RS fabric facing so that the seam is on the inside of the garment. While I think that the knit/purl 3-needle BO join is very intriguing, it was too prominent on the sweater front for my preference.

• I vacillated between using a US4 or US5 for the neckband. I went with US5 (one size down from my main needle, which also yielded smaller than suggested gauge, so I thought it would be prudent to follow the pattern aka 1 size smaller). The neck opening fits nicely but I think it would have been slightly more delicate if worked on a US4. In the end, I added 2 extra rounds to make it slightly less scoopy.

• When I did the decrease round on the neckband, I did find that the instructions seemed to be one stitch off (my round ended with K2tog and k3 instead of K2tog and K4). I don’t know if I misread how to do this - but I actually spent some time and worked it out on paper first to confirm how it would land and it yielded the same result as when I actually knitted it. Perhaps for size 41.75 there’s a small error in the pattern decrease round. Nonetheless, I ended up with 98st for the neckband, the necessary outcome, so it was no issue.

• When binding off the neckband, the instructions advise to BO in pattern. That could be a smidge confusing because the final round is all knit stitches BUT the intent is for the BO to be in rib (K1/P1). If you look at the photos it’s clear that this is what’s suggested, prob for stretch as much as anything else. I assume the sleeve BO follows this same approach… After binding off, I decided that I’d like 2 more rounds of depth in the neckline, to raise the neck slightly. So undid rib and worked 2 more rounds…

• Sleeves:I opted to cast on the number of stitches instructed for the 4th size because the sample looks quite snug in the arms (in proportion with the rest of the sweater) and I wanted a more gradual decrease. FWIW, there was more than enough fabric / st to pick up from so I had no issues picking up 4 extra stitches. As it is, I skipped approx every 3rd stitch on the pick up round to get to 56st so this is easily doable if you’re looking for a slightly looser upper arm fit. The rib stitch does appear to eat up yardage (at least to some extent) but I hope to get to 14” sleeves before I use up 41g of yarn (the amount I have for each sleeve). If I were to make this again, I’d go up to 5th size for sleeves. There are enough stitches and it would make the sleeves a bit less snug. It’s not that they don’t fit (there’s lots of stretch in broken rib), but that they look snugger than they fit and I’d prefer a bit of a less snug look. It took 31g of yarn to make one sleeve so I will have enough, without issue, to make the second. I blocked the sleeves to be slightly wider…

Yarn Management: As of beginning the front body, I had 118g of yarn remaining… As of end of front body - with sleeves and neckband remaining to be knitted - I had 89g of yarn remaining. After having seamed the shoulders and knitted on the neckband I had 82g remaining for the sleeves. (Stop knitting at either desired length OR when you use up 41g of the yarn…)

Pre-blocked Dimensions:

Bust circ: 41”
Hem circ: 38”
Depth from “underarm” to hem: 16”
Back neck width (incl band): 7.5”
Neck depth (measures from top band to top band): 4.75’
Sleeve length: 14.75”
Sleeve circ at join to body: 11”
Cuff circ: 6.5”
Width from neck (not incl band) to start of sleeves: 9.5”
Full length from back neck (NOT incl band) to hem: 22.5”

Post-blocked Dimensions:

Bust circ: 41”
Hem circ: 40” (unpinned, so this yarn relaxed)
Depth from “underarm” to hem: 17”
Back neck width (incl band): 8.25”
Neck depth (measures from top band to top band): 4.25”
Sleeve length: 14.5”
Sleeve circ at join to body: 10.5”
Cuff circ: 7”
Width from neck (not incl band) to start of sleeves: “10.25
Full length from back neck (NOT incl band) to hem: 23.5”

It would appear, regardless of what the gauge swatch says, that this yarn relaxes and grows on being blocked - and that’s without pinning. It’s not a crazy amount, but good to keep in mind for future reference.

Gauge:
US6:
Pre-blocked - 21st and 30R in 4” (note, I got this exact same gauge POST-blocking on the US5)
Post-blocked - 20st and 30R in 4”

US5:
Pre-blocked Stockinette: 21st and 30R in 4”
Post-blocked Stockinette: 20.75”st and 30R in 4”

US 4:
Preblocked - stockinette - 23.5 st and 31R in 4”
Post-blocked - stockinette - 22.5 and 33R in 4”

Pre-blocked - 1x1 broken rib - 34st and 34R in 4”