UPDATE 7.25.2023: I blocked the whole piece again, stretching it lengthwise and it fits PERFECTLY now at 39 inches around the bottom at its widest and 32.5 inches around the bust.

When I saw my friend Julie working on this, I thought to myself: why make four identical pieces??? Wouldn’t it be nice to make each quarter different? Perhaps in a lighter yarn, perhaps in Noro? And then I saw this lovely Noro yarn for sale the very same day when I went with Julie to the Greene County Wool Butterfly Farm on Open Farm Day. Is that what you call Kismet?
I deliberately bought different color ways.

I am getting the drape and loosely knit look on a US #7 needle. My gauge is 5 sts/ inch and I will thus follow size 43 to achieve size 34.

Since the left back and right front and the right back and left front are worked the same, I am knitting them up two at a time.
Starting the shaping after 2 inches.

I won’t be doing armhole shaping, but will keep going straight for more shoulder coverage, working a garter and eyelet border.

BO 2To eliminate jogs in the neckline, I slip the last st on the WS row, then slip the first and second Stich of the RS row, BO, Purl one and bind off.

Yarn Usage. : 30 g / quarter piece.

Reversed stockinette stitch or stockinette stitch?
I know the pattern calls for reverse st st, but having knitted this up in Noro, I cannot decide which side I like better and made up my mind to alternate the panels. I will have half the front in reverse, the other half in smooth st st and the same for the back
Can’t wait to wear this.
UPDATE: After a lot of deliberation, holding the pieces together one way or another, I decided on seaming them showing all stockinette stitch, and if I want I can turn it inside out and wear it in reverse stockinette stitch. It’s just that the panels look best together color wise the way I arranged them.

Connecting the panels: For the side seams I used the simple mattress stitch as close to the edge as I could to avoid a bulky seam and to be able to wear this both ways without a seam showing in the sides.
For the center seams in the front and back, I used the same decorative crochet seam as I used for a wedding blanket . At the time I made this video: Decorative crochet seam.
Used the steel blue cotton doubled for seaming.

Size. (. See UPDATE above) :Turned out a bit bigger than I meant it; 44” around the bottom and 38” around the chest . Definitely oversized on me, but I like it , especially as a layering piece for a sleeveless dress. I may be able to block it out a bit smaller.

I wear it inside out, back to front; four ways in total.