November 30, 2017

I’ve given the pattern a read through from start to finish, I think this will be the most difficult project I’ve attempted so I really took time to understand each step.

Made a gauge swatch on 4.5mm needles. Both stitch patterns came out about 1/8 bigger in both dimensions over the gauge sizes given in the pattern. I’m going to proceed anyway as I fall at the upper end of the 2-3” recommended negative ease and I know my knitting gets tighter as I speed up.

December 2, 2017

Knit to a couple of inches into the body. The pattern is very descriptive, no problems so far.

December 6, 2017

Reached the end of the written pattern for the waist, just above starting the ribbing. I think I might modify the pattern to make it a bit longer in the body, maybe I could do the opposite of the pattern’s back decreases to shape increases past the waist. My gauge swatches gained extra length once blocked though so I don’t want to commit either way just yet. I’ll leave the body on the needles and pick up a sleeve in the meantime…

December 11, 2017

Finished sleeve number one. I flew through most of it on a Sunday afternoon once I’d taken time to evenly pick up stitches and do the short rows. I don’t think I completely understood the instructions about leaving wraps on the reverse stockinette side, whenever I did that I got a holes, so I picked up the wraps anyway, which just leaves a row of the reverse stockinette slightly raised and aligned at an angle.

I got to the lower arm shaping after 63 repeats, then followed the instructions as written to the end. The length looks spot on with the turned up cuff.

December 20, 2017

Completed sleeve no.2 a couple of days ago and tonight cast off the body. In the end i worked an extra 16 rows (2 repeats of panel 2) with 16 sts increased on the back only. All increases were made using the inverse of the back decreases, using m1 and m1p in pattern. I used tubular cast off, although I did it on the wrong side it doesn’t look too bad.

I’m now going to make an extra button hole on the button band, so picking up 85sts and using 8 buttons in total.

December 23, 2017

Knitting all done, just blocking to go! Looks good on but the button bands are pulled a little out of line with the negative ease. Also I’ve only now realised my tubular cast off of the body is pretty tight! I’d never done this cast off before so perhaps I reverted to my natural tendency to knit tight while concentrating on following some instructions? Anyway it’s not too bad now but I’ll have to be sure not to add any length towards the hips in blocking.