I bought the yarn for this project in Singapore. I began knitting it for Lee’s birthday, finished one sleeve, and realized that the evil gauge adjusting monster had visited my knitting bag, and the sleeve was big enough for both Lee’s arms! This realization came while I was in El Paso. I bought smaller needles, but the store we were at had limited selection, and I wound up with metal double points, instead of a bamboo circular! Talk about slippery insanity.
Despite these set backs, I eventually finished the shrug, and gave it to Lee (yes, after her birthday).
The first time I saw her wear it, I realized that it was MUCH too broad across the back - she has a tiny back. I stole the shrug back, and undid the graft holding the two pieces together, ripped back a couple of inches, and re-grafted the shrug together. The second graft is not as smooth, but I am not doing it again! Finally a year after the intended date, she has a shrug that fits.
One last note: you might think that the sleeves are too long, but Lee is quite tall, and specifically asked for sleeves that covered her hands, since she has never had the “pleasure” of such a garment!