Swatching with US4
Unblocked: 23.5 sts x 31 rows in 4”
Blocked: 22.5 sts x 33 rows in 4”

I can honestly saw I’ve never had a swatch actually tighten up vertically.

Now, the question: swatch US5 or just start knitting with it? I know the correct answer, but I also know what I’m most likely to do.

Thumb cast on (Sease p155)
I think I’ve gotten a bit tense while figuring out the first set up bits. It’s not that difficult now that everything is all established though so now I can focus on getting my tension a bit more relaxed.

The yarn is so lovely but I already have a dye mark on my finger where I tension the yarn. That seems to happen a lot to me with blues and greens.

I wanted the sleeves a bit long but I overshot that by a tad. Should have put thumb holes, they are the perfect length. Going to keep them as is though. Still need to block and find buttons and tack down the pockets but the knitting is all done and ends are all woven in. I’m quite looking forward to wearing this sweater!

Oh dear. This is awful. Even though my gauge swatch actually shrunk up with a US4, with a US5 this yarn grows like crazy. The sleeves are about 5” too long. And, what’s even worse, this sweater is so heavy and has so little structure, the whole thing keeps stretching as I wear it. The hem is almost halfway to my knees and the neckline opens up so much it’s barely on my shoulders.

The only hope to make this wearable is to tighten up the neckline. So I’m going to run some slip stitches around the inside of the neckline with a fairly small crochet hook. Then, if that gives it enough tension to be able to support the weight of the sweater and not stretch out, I will rip the hem back to above the pockets and then knit on the hem again (which should put it at a flattering length for me). Then I will rip back the sleeves and do the same thing. Hopefully with these changes and the structure at the neckline, the extra depth at the underarm won’t look so much like I’m wearing a shirt two sizes too big.

Okay, I’ve put two lines of crocheted slip stitches around the neckline and shoulders and it’s keeping the neckline closed so it looks much better. I’ve also ripped back to right before the pockets and will do one more repeat of the not-cable pattern then do the hem. That should put it at flattering-for-me length. And lastly, the sleeves need to be pulled back 4½ inches and the hem reknit. That should shorten it by 3¼ inches which should be a nice cuddly-long length.

All ends have been reknit and newly knit sections are blocking. Fingers crossed!

Okay, second pass has had much more success. It could possibly be half an inch to an inch longer, but this yarn is so stretchy that I think just a day of wear will get it there so I hesitate to make it so long that it would be too long after wearing. Thankfully the added structure at the neckline prevents it from stretching too much and keeps it from falling down my shoulder.

Reclaimed 75g of the Tosh Sport and all of the Shokei wool.

Overall, there are many less than ideal things about this sweater - the sleeve circumference could be smaller, the armpits higher, and the waist shaping more apparent… I feel like it is one size too big. BUT, it’s comfy, next-to-skin-soft, a lovely color, warm, and not unflattering (though maybe not flattering - I don’t think I like a-line shirts on myself) so I think it will get a fair amount of wear.

If I did this again, I’d knit the whole thing at a tighter gauge to give it more structure and knit a smaller size.