I have sent the designer (who is ever so sweet and helpful) all my written steps for this top in case you prefer to read off a written counting rows…as I do. But you may need to ask for them, I do not think they are in the pattern-just as a tool to help if you ask?

My mods and questions (which are answered): I only did five houses per sleeve as I did not want my sleeves too baggy. I used the 3 needle bind of after finishing each sleeve… I didn’t want to have the black line down the arm…

Answered from nadita: When it says ‘3 stitches before’ we are really talking about 3 stitches before the marker-so it would go double stitch, stitch, stitch. For row 13 of 5th house: leave the last 5 stitches unworked.

I chose to work my pieces together a little differently to better suit the style of what I know I’d wear and also because I was freaking out a little- I have very little sweater construction experience. I have only really made raglan style stuff before….

For the sleeves (I did a 3 needle bind off on both sleeves as I finished them-making them into tubes right off the needles). Then I picked up 15 stitches along the center of the outer portion of the sleeve. Then I did 19 rows of stockinette and then b/o This made a little rectangular piece that will become the shoulder.

For each the back and the front panels I added 4 rows of stockinette prior starting the house pattern and then after finishing the last house pattern. My gauge was a little off, and I needed to do that to compensate for that.

For the shaping of the back piece I picked up stitches in this fashion: Pick up two, skip one until I had 104 stitches on my needle. I then worked 13 rows of stockinette and then B/O.

Shaping of neck I picked up stitches same as back piece, and then:

P42
ds K to end
P 40
ds, K to end
P 30
ds, K to end
P 34
ds, K to end
P 30
ds, K to end
P 26
ds, K to end
P 2
ds, K to end
P to beginning (104)
K 42 ds,
P to beginning
K 40 ds,
P to beginning
K 38
ds, P to beginning
K 34
Ds, P to beginning
K 30
ds, P to beginning
K 26
ds, P to beginning
K 22
ds, P to beginning
K to end (104) B/O

When I sewed my sleeves to the body and then the front to the back, I left about 6 inches from the bottom on both sides not sewn. In those places, I knitted wedges by picking up stitches along one side and then casting every other row about four stitches-so I had triangles and then I sewed it all closed.

Then I wanted to make my neckline a little less wide, so using my sky color, I used my crochet hook and did some sc around the entire neckline-but I put decreases going around the shoulders-I did about 5 rounds in this manner. Then I switched to black and did rsc around the neckline.

I used black and did rsc around the bottom of the sleeves.

I used black along the bottom and put sc around the bottom and then I did a round of rsc.

I am officially rating this pattern because up until the point where I wanted to change it (which is no fault of the pattern, merely my own tastes and chronic desire to learn new things)…So do realize that my star rating reflects a fabulous pattern up until the point where you begin to join the pieces together because I did not do those steps. I ♥ this pattern. :)

From here down this is just a daily blog of what I did and what I thought as I did it:

I LOVE Nadita Swings’s patterns. She is an artist, and allows US to be artists as well. I have gotten through the first 38 rows on the sleeve and can tell that just by doing this pattern, as well as the dreambird, I will really be able to understand this short row thing (well enough to create my own designs if I ever have a hankering)-because she is an awesomesauce yarn painting teacher!

10-2-14: I am currently writing down the counts as I go-just because I feel like it…I do prefer counted rows over the written versions of patterns, but that is a personal preference.

I’m using the leftover yarns from my dreambird, I wish I had gotten yarn specific to this project, and I may just do that…but for now I am having fun playing with this pattern-the colors are lovely, even if they don’t have as drastic changes as I’d like. :)

10-3-14: I got so excited when I had ten minutes of free time before the kids grabbed the buses. :) I’m enjoying this writing down the counting thing-I have no idea why, but I do. I got so used to the garter stitch in dreambird though, that I’m finding that sometimes I forget to purl and I have to tink back a bit. Hopefully I’ll get my rhythm soon! :)

I got through the first house segment and realized I must have missed a dark pin. I doubt it will really mess anything up, but that just means the next time I complete a segment I have to check my work for the written counting rows. :) This is yet another fun pattern and I’m loving it already! :)

Started on my second house and I’m glad I’m doing the counting rows. The pattern is actually very easy to read and follow along, it just is a bit more time consuming than it would be if it were just written in counting rows. I find I enjoy the detective aspect of figuring it all out and writing it down…I almost feel like Raphie with his secret decoder pin…Only instead of a crummy commercial I’ll have a beautiful sweater! :)

10-4-14: finished the fourth house…a little unsure of my counting in a few of the rows because I’m not 100% sure of the meaning…I did a few houses one way and another the other way and they don’t look too different, so I don’t suppose it matters much, but since I’m writing up the counts, might as well go for perfection….I’m not a fan of this yarn for this project. I plan a LYS trip this week for some more project specific yarn….

Update from nadita: when is says to include the double stitch in the counting -let’s say it says 3 stitches before, it should be stitch stitch double stitch. I was getting myself confused, she’s so sweet to help me out.

10-6-14: Finished the first sleeve. About to start sleeve two and double check all my counting rows that I so diligently wrote down. :) I did go to my LYS to scope out the yarns they had that I might want to use instead, but found that I do like the ones I have enough to just carry on….I may make this top again in other shades some day….

10-7-14: Grammy came for a visit. She was most impressed with my knitting. :) She taught me crochet and never liked knitting at all. :) She liked the Painterly sleeve she saw…And then we went for Chinese food. Yumm… I did manage to get all of house 1 tested and I am spot on in my counts. House two is mostly tested and is also spot on.

10-8-14: House three is completed and tested. Hopefully I’ll pound more out this evening at dd’s kobudo practice-I have plans this afternoon so no knitting. :( But good photographic opportunities. :) Visiting an old old farm house. I am thinking I am not going to make bands for the sleeves. I think I might do a garter stitch edge or just give it a rsc edge…we shall see.

10-9-14: House four complete and tested. I didn’t get any done at kobudo though, poor dd didn’t feel well when she got home from school so we had to skip it. :( I did have a bit of a yarn catastrophy though. As I was moving my project my yarn must have caught on something out in the tv room and the stupid thing unraveled from the skein clear out of the tv room…through a long dark hallway…through the kitchen…through another hallway…through the living room and all the way to my couch….Oh…and my little dog’s tail had a cute little yarn loop on it as well.. Thank GOD it was just from the skein and not my work.

10-10-14: I took the time to type up the work I’ve done on the sleeves. Quite a few pages, took quite a while, but in the long run it will save eons when I make this pattern again. :) Bright siding it baby!

10-11-14: Second sleeve complete and have done my front section cast on! whohoo! I’m having heart palpitations with my wondering if this is going to work out or not, I’ve not ever made a top with this type of construction before and I cannot envision it ending well. I think I need to stop doubting myself and just go with it…

10-12-14: Ok, so yesterday was the Walking Dead premiere and I had a premier party so I opted to take care of my guests and not knit. BOO!

10-14-14: Finished the first house and am working on house number two of the front! :) YEAH!! :) Nice to be back making progress! Slow going, but I am loving the colors and the detective work! :)

10-15-14: Must have picked up some sort of virus. I was sick as a dog all day-horrible joint aches and tummy troubles with a pounding headache. I did manage to finish the third house and start on the fourth though…ignoring my children taunting me with ‘mommy has ebola’ in the background. BRATS!

10-16-14: I got a lot done today. I got all the way to row 13 of the 5th house but had to stop to ask a question (answered at teh beginning of notes). I also came to a decision of how I shall put this all together. My gauge is a little tighter (my yarn is a tad thinner) so I’ll be adding a little to the tops of both the front and back panel. I will be attempting to shape a neckline on the front panel since I have to add more rows anyhow. I will also shape the sleeves to have the shoulder on the sleeves so that I don’t have my seam halfway down my arm…just a personal preference thing.

10-17-14: Like an idiot I put one of the sleeves on wrong for the WIP photoshoot. DOH!

10-20-14: working on house two of the front-I’ve decided that I want the other piece to be the back…I think I figured out how I want to piece the pieces together…I’ll be doing an underarm gusset as well as shoulder strap things to attach the front and back to-I did a bit of research on sweater construction and I think that is the way I want to go. It’s a personal thing as I don’t typically like really loose garments and I love this pattern so much I want to wear it a lot. :)

10-21-14: all basic pieces are done…this is where I will deviate from the pattern. I began picking up stitch at neckline to form a curve…

10-22-14: I finished all my shaping pieces yesterday (excepting for gussets and wedges-I will make those if needed). I did write down what I did in case it turns out and want to recreate it, but haven’t gone through the trouble of typing it out in case it is a disaster. ;) Considering I have hardly no sweater experience as far as non-raglan construction goes I’m really really stressing out over this. AHHHH!

later….I just sewed together one half-a sleeve to a front and a back. Looks like it will work!!! WHoooooohoooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!