I have a frankly astonishing ability to drive myself crazy. I was certain that I could knock this sweater out in a few short weeks, and I actually expected to be able to wear it while the weather was still mild enough to merit this lovely wool/silk blend.

Instead, I spent days adjusting the pattern to suit my gauge and my desire for a shaped pullover rather than a shapeless T-shirt. Hours were dedicated to the perfect rate of decreases and the different (from the decreases and from each other) rates of increase for the upper back and the bust. There was painful indecision over how few stitches I could safely bind off at the base of the armscyes without them being constricting. And for some reason I felt it was not only necessary but indeed noble to try to craft my own sleeve cap shaping. I consulted blogs, my meager knitting library, and a half dozen free patterns on each element.

Of course, once I started actually knitting, nearly every decision was overturned because of a miscalculation or a new realization. This easy, two-page T-shirt pattern spawned a sheaf of paper and led to such unusual exclamations as “I knew I’d end up using all of that algebra eventually” and “If only I could talk to my ninth-grade geometry teacher now…”

The knitting itself was a simple pleasure, till it came time to pick up and knit the neck. It’s something I struggle with, because I’m a perfectionist (shocker, I know) and I hate having loose stitches or holes.

But that trial paled in comparison to binding off the neckline. I wanted a tubular bind off because I like the look and the flexibility. I refused to count how many times I attempted it (I’m certain it was no fewer than 6) and spent twice as long tinking as knitting each time it went badly. Here, I blame the Internet. I consulted two reputable resources that I’ve relied on with great success, and both led me astray. This was most distressing, and slowed the entire process considerably.

I now know and can say with absolute authority that tinking grafted stitches is the most excruciating act of backtracking in knitting.

The worst part? The bound off neckline isn’t actually flexible, and I can barely get it over my head. I didn’t change the central panel at all--I didn’t decrease the stitch count from the size small in the original pattern--so I don’t know the neckline seems so high and narrow because of my gauge, a fluke, or a sign that I have an abnormally large head (I doubt it. My husband has an abnormally large head, so I know one when I see one and mine is not it).

By comparison to the neckline, seaming and setting in the sleeves was positively zen-inducing. I flubbed the alignment of the first sleeve, rotating it a few degrees toward the front, but I didn’t realize the mistake until halfway through the second sleeve, and decided that at this point I could live with it just to have a finished sweater. I grumbled while weaving in the ends because it’s still my least favorite part, but I think I did a decent job of it.

Despite my sense of doom and gloom at the end, the sweater came out looking and fitting pretty well. It’s not perfect, but it’s better than I thought it was going to be while I was slogging through the rough bits. I have now recanted all of my muttered imprecations about quitting knitting forever. (Yes, really. That’s how aggravating the neckline was.)

Modifications
(What didn’t I change?)

• Added waist and bust shaping along the edges of the central panel, creating something akin to nearly invisible faux-princess seams.
• Adjusted the armscye and sleeve cap shape, including depth.
• Lengthened the body and sleeves.

Things I Would Do Differently

• Choose a pattern with waist shaping, or start compiling a table of my ideal shaping so that I don’t have to calculate it fresh for every pattern that I want to add it to.
• Allow for a little more ease at the waist and hip. Because I don’t have a pronounced waistline, I almost always prefer plenty of negative ease to make sure that I don’t look like a tree trunk. But I may have gone a little too far, and I think that the pattern is stretched to the limit of still looking good. I’ll definitely have to wear a cami underneath, because the columns of purls produce an eyelet-like effect.
• Make the neckline deeper and wider. The end result was a very modest crew neck; I would have liked (and was expecting) something closer to a gentle scoop instead.
• Learn a different method for doing tubular bind off, find a suitably stretchy and good-looking alternative, or learn to release my death grip and bind off more loosely. I may yet take off the ribbing at the neckline and re-knit it, but it won’t be soon. I’ll try living with it first to see whether it must be fixed.
• Pay more attention while setting in sleeves. Measure twice, sew once, etc.

Finished Measurements
(Pretty sure bust, waist, and hip don’t exactly line up with my schematic. Still trying to figure that one out.)

Bust: 30 inches
Waist: 25 inches
Hip: 30 inches
Shoulder-to-Hem Length: 23 inches
Sleeve Length: 7.25 inches

Progress
07/02/2013 - Finished the front and both sleeves by this point. (Forgot to note the individual milestones). Blocking, seaming, and neck band remain.

05/19/2013 - Due to tension and pattern issues, frogged the front and started over.

05/16/2013 - Cast on for front and completed ribbing.

05/13/2013 - Finished back.

05/02/2013 - Finished ribbing.

05/01/2013 - Cast on for back.