I am doing this in the round this time…and downsizing my hook to an E. Ripping out the last one I did in order to make it…because I am part insane and part determined.

Starting off: Fsc: 134, easy going….took a few moments of mental strategizing but I was able to figure out how to work the half rows into this in the round project. I will write out my notes here after I double check them on the second time around to be sure I didn’t write down any errors. This is very promising.

Okie dokie. I cracked the code. I am working the small size, so instead of fsc (instead of chain) 67 I did fsc 134…. To avoid the shifting of the chain rounds you can either turn after every round or do what I did and that was to dc into the post of all of the stitches instead of the loops. The third photo down shows my joining rounds-You can see that it is a straight line, but you can see that the colors do not match up…if you can live with that then try it in the round, if not, then go for the pattern as written. Another thing to consider before moving on is that doing it in the round makes your colored rounds shorter-so you have thinner stripes opposed to the thicker ones that you get from making it in two pieces.

I did not turn my work for the dc rounds-rather, I joined with sl st to beginning ch 3.

When you get to round 9 (which is where one would think it would get tricky to work in the round):

Find 1/4 of your stitches (this is your magic number)-don’t worry about a remainder(for me it is 33 because my beginning fsc was 134). I ignored the stitch markers in the following rounds and was just careful to make sure I had the same amount of stitches in my round 18 as I had in the beginning (for me 134)

1. sl st in your magic number and then start at the end of the directions for row 9 and do it in the reverse order and then do the row in the proper order. You are basically doing the row twice-once in reverse and then once the right way so you will have a row that is short then high and then short….

2. follow the row as written and then do the row in reverse

3. sl st in the 1st 4 stitches, then do the row in reverse and then as written

4. follow the row as written and then do the row in reverse

5. sl st in the 1st 4 stitches, then do the row in reverse and then as written

6. follow the row as written and then do the row in reverse

7. sl st in the 1st 4 stitches, then do the row in reverse and then as written

8. follow teh row as written and then do the row in reverse.

9. Sl st loosely back to where the original joinings have been occurring (at the beginning of row 9)

then carry on until you get to the second time of repeating this section…..For that part you need to wind up with your beginning of 9 in the opposite side as the first, so you will turn your work and then sl st into your magic number and then begin your repeats.

I have completed both the repeats of this and it seems to be working. As for the sleeves, that is the part that is scaring me most. I think I will be dividing it into quarters and then do the front separate from the back and then just sew the top parts together…I had thought about just making different sleeves but I really like the style of these, so I want to keep it as true to the pattern as I can.

I finally am on round 52, so I’ll be starting the sleeves tomorrow…But I have a long day of packing to go up to a funeral, if I can squeeze it in I hope to finish it up, otherwise I won’t be able to touch a hook until Monday. Another perk of doing this in the round is you can try it on as you go….I am realizing why my pits are always so open. The increases should be starting now, but as the photos show, this is under the bust for me I think I will do quite a few more rounds before I worry about pits…

5-8: I added more dc rounds so I ended on round 58…
finish off round 58
Round 59: join with sl st in 13th dc to the left of joining. ch 3 (counts as dc) dc in next 36 dc, ch 52, skip 22 dc, dc in next 53 dc, ch 52, skip next 22 dc, join with sl st to first ch 3

The next few rounds will be shaping the neckline. Decreases should go just before or just after the sleeve part not on the sleeve.

1. ch 3, dc in each stitch around-I chose to use the fillet part of the pattern for on the chain parts and then kept that going through out the rounds. Put 3DCCL in each corner of sleeve
2. same as 60
3. same as 60
4. same as 60 but instead of 3DCCL put 4DCCL
5. Same as 60 but instead of just 3dccl also put a 2dcCL
6. same as 64
7. same as 64

I am going to attach the yarn and make some sleeves as well, but for now this is all I have time for.

Got it done at DD’s Kobudo class. I looked like an idiot running into the bathroom every few minutes to try it on though. Everyone probably thought I had diarrhea. Bahaha!

Sleeves (if mine seem confusing I suggest you divide your top in half and then follow the directions for the shaping of the sleeves because I really took a long time messing around with these sleeves and they worked for me, but I don’t know if all body types will work with this):
1. join in the center of the underarm. ch 3 (counts as dc) dc in each dc but keep the fillet pattern the same as the opposite side of the chains., put a 2dcCL before and also after the sleeve.

1. same as 1 3 loosely sl st to the first dc after the first cluster, then skip first dc, hdc in next dc and then use the fillet pattern to get to the second to last dc before the last cluster then put a hdc.
2. turn, sl st in next 2 stitches, ch 2 (counts as hdc), follow fillet pattern up until the last two stitches, place a hdc
3. same as 4
4. same as 4 Finish off by putting a sc around the outer edge of sleeve

Repeat with other arm

I put fsc around the neckline

I also then went back to the bottom of my top and made it a little longer using up all the rest of the yarn I had left….Sorry about the not that great photos but I was trying to look happy when I’m really actually tired, frazzled and my kids don’t want to take my photo. The only one that showed the sleeves well also shows off my heart surgery scar a little too much, but whatever. Pretend you don’t notice. :)

Update: The first three photos are what it looks like after blocking (which I didn’t do the best job on-I merely washed it and pulled it and let it lay flat-I didn’t pin it). I took a photo of each side, so you can see the side that is unjoined as well as the side where I do my beginning stitches.