To achieve the proper gauge I had to use a 7mm hook instead of the 5mm that the pattern calls for.

I enjoyed this pattern. It’s quite simple which is great since this is my first time making a garment where gauge matters.

Instead of ch 4 in the first part of the lace rows, I did ch 5 so that I could anchor the next row’s sc to the center chain in order to keep the diamond pattern shape secure.

I wanted the sleeves a bit longer than as written so added more repeats. This made me lose at yarn chicken for this attempt though. Oh well! I also want the bodice just a bit longer so on a future attempt plan to have more repeats there as well but with decreases so the sweater will stay fitted.

The Lions Brand Unique bulky yarn is easy to work with and only feels slightly scratchy against my sensitive skin. I’m disappointed with the colorway overall though. On their own, the color tones in the yarn are very nice but the frequency of color changes is excessive to me, leading to an unappealing and gaudy narrow striping effect, and I don’t like how rainbow-y it turned out to be. If there were half as many color changes per skein, or fewer tones overall, that might be better, but as it stands I won’t be using this specific colorway again.

I’ve decided to complete the sweater with this yarn for practice only, and then frog it when it’s done.