Update 2013: I originally thought of putting some kind of closure on it, but I’ve worn it without one for 6 years, so it looks like that’s not gonna happen.

My first sweater.

I knit it in the “3X” size which is supposed to have a bust of 62”. I decided I wanted it longer than the finished length shown in the book - 26 1/2” - so I added 3 inches to the back. But then for some reason the lapel shaping needed a lot more rows than I thought it would, so the front pieces came out longer than the back, and I had to add more inches to the back. When I seamed it all up, I added side slits so the length differences would look like a design decision.

It’s kind of heavy and stretches when I wear it, so at this point I think it is about 36” long. The front is shorter because the pattern calls for a garter stitch border and that pulls it up a bit. That’s one thing I didn’t expect, but I like the shape.

I used Yarn Country “Maine” worsted weight yarn in wool / rayon / acrylic. I decided to use a different color for the garter stitch border and lapel. I like how that came out.

The assembly instructions left something to be desired. When I went to attach the shoulders and collar, the instructions didn’t work and I had to undo and redo it. I used single crochet on the inside to attach the shoulders and collar, which very strong and kind of bulky.

The sleeves were supposed to be knit separately and sewn in, but I didn’t trust the shaping that the instructions called for because my arms are short and wide. So I decided instead to seam up the sides and then pick up stitches around the armholes and knit the sleeves from the armhole down. I waffled a lot about how to work the decreases and the cuff, so I ended up redoing the lower half of both sleeves. I basically ended up decreasing 8 stitches every two rows at the top and then switching to decreasing 2 stitches every two rows and then working even for a while and then going back to 8 decreases, then working the cuff in a much smaller needle size. That gave the sleeves what I think is a very nice shape. AND THE SLEEVES FIT!!!!!!!! It’s been forever since I had a long-sleeved garment with sleeves that actually fit. The only thing I would do differently the next time is use ribbing for the cuff, it’s just a tiny bit too tight on the arm where I wear my watch, even with the special stretchy bind off that I did.

There is a lot of fabric under the arms, and not enough fabric across my belly, so next time I do a sweater I’ll do some short rows to add room to the belly.