Knit to 16 inches before decreases. First decreases as SSK (looks better).

Like others, I avoided seaming, so instead of casting off section B, I cast-on stitches for second section A, then worked the last stitch of an A row together with an adjacent B section stitch. At the end, of the second B section, I grafted the live stitches together with stitches I picked up from the side of the first section A.