5-4: May the Fourth Be With you! I am starting out with 74 stitches for the base and then will decrease as I go up till I get to 67 stitches to allow for a nicer hip shape. :) Hubby finally ‘surprised’ me with my Noro Taiyo yarn that I not so subtly told him I wanted :) Can’t wait to start! The yarn feels like the bark of a tree, but I am hopeful that it will wash and wear softer-the colors of this yarn are worth hoping for the best (and dealing with what everyone says stinks about the yarn-the knotting and twisting).

My height for the gauge is way off-I’ve got 9 rows for 4 inches so I’m going to take off a few rows between the two diagonal parts.

Later that day…I finished most of the back, besides the bottom I am also modifying the pattern to make it a little less big in the armpits by skipping a few rows in the shaping-so, of course, it was a little trial and error and ripping out the Taiyo does upset the yarn gods. Because today is Star Wars day, I say this in my very best Yoda voice, “Determined I am-twists and knots are strong with this yarn.”

5-5: And I’m done…I did rsc along the neckline as well as a few decreases because even with my modifications it was still too open for my taste.

My modifications for this top (mainly because my gauge is too tall and I wanted the bottom to flare a little because I don’t like things tight on my hips mainly because I have to wear a belt and I don’t like the way a belt looks through a snug top.):

fsc 74-the row 2 and 3 have 74, one decrease in each of row 4-6, 2 decreases in rows 7 and 8 and that brings us back to 67 stitches to match the pattern
Omit rows 26-29 omit rows 51, 52, for front rep rows 1-11 instead of 1-14,

Shape shoulder and neckline: row 1. dc in next 17 instead of 13

Front row 1: dc in next 20 instead of 17

Update: I sewed along the armpit a little more because I wasn’t liking the openness of it. I don’t get how mine is the only one with this issue…I did omit rows for this very reason. Thank goodness I did because I’d be swimming in it otherwise! :)

Update of update: I actually frogged this so I could remake it in the round. Notes in my new project for this top in the round.