I did start from the Bellatrix pattern, but changed a lot:

• using very different yarns, I entirely skipped/ignored the part of the instructions having to do with what yarns to use when and how to pair them up.

• I also didn’t knit a cable; skipped that whole section.

• I started with a provisional cast-on because I knew I would want a very different neckline later.

• made the mistake of using the largest size in the pattern because it fit my bust, without realizing it would give me too much width at the shoulder line.

• I stopped at short sleeves for a tshirt look.

• used a simple ribbed edge for the sleeves and bottom hem.

• started hips increase wayyyyy earlier than the pattern indicated bc I’m super short-busted and my row gauge was vastly different.

• added a second series of increases below the first.

NECK treatment: I unzipped my provisional cast-on and started to unravel the neck, then realized it was too much of a hassle (unraveling in the opposite direction of the knitting is tough, and even tougher when there are lots of increases in the fabric). Because I knew I needed to remove quite a bit to shorten both the neck AND the shoulder width, I ended up snipping a thread to remove a whole top bit.

After that was done and I placed a lifeline, I knit and unraveled three different collars that I was unhappy about. Because of the way the contiguous method of construction works, the neckline was very “pointy” at the sides of the neck; basically the neck opening was just a slit in the top line going straight from shoulder to shoulder.

Eventually I decided to use short rows in the angles of the slit to make a rounder neck opening. At the same time I was doing short-rows I also knitted decreases to avoid having a floppy, too large neckline. The drawback of this is that unavoidably this neckline rides a little high in the throat - but as the pattern was there was no way to not end up with this problem.

I settled for a simple applied i-cord edging, and chose to knit it in the Noro yarn for contrast; I then threaded a length of thin elastic thread inside the i-cord to tighten the whole thing a little bit (without properly ruffling the neckline).

I need to see how it grows (or not) with a wash and block, and if the bottom ribbing will agree to lie flat or not, but I’m happy already. It’s lovely and I hope will be perfect for what’s left of autumn. :))