This is my first test for Jennifer Shiels Toland of JSTDesigns on Ravelry. This cute tee caught my eye right away when I saw her photos on Instagram.

Pattern is very well written and super easy to knit. I would only make one slight change, if I knit this again. Before starting the bottom edging, I would decrease a couple of stitches in the center panel. I’d decrease from 15 sts down to 13 sts. (I would knit the yarnover sts together with the adjacent stitch. I would do this on the last Round 2 or 4, depending when you end the center front column.) Designers call this “adjusting for stitch equivalency.” It’s a technique often used when going from yarnover stitches to no yarnover stitches. This would eliminate the slight flare in this area when doing the bottom edging. Other than this, it looks perfect. Note that not all the testers had this experience, but I did see it in a few of the other testers’ photos. It probably depends on the yarn used and how you knit and purl.

I did not do any waist shaping.

I did two rows of crocheted slip stitches in the back neck area to keep it from rolling and stretching. Looked very good after that. I followed the instructions to the letter except that I added 1/2” more depth to the armhole because I knew the yarn would shrink that much in blocking (warm dryer).

Designer’s Questionnaire:

1. Yarn used (and link if possible) and how much (grams/ounces and or meters/yards)

Yarn link and details above. I used every inch of the 8 balls. I did not have an inch of yarn left over. I bought extra yarn, but I did not need to use it. So now I’ll be able to knit a sweater for myself in this same color.

2. Gauge achieved post blocked garment

Exactly per the pattern (stated above)

3. Needle size(s) used:

Size 2 US / 2.75 mm. I can’t even imagine how anyone could get gauge using the needle size indicated in the pattern (5 US / 3.75mm) I knit continental style with an average tension.

4. What size you knit and the amount of positive ease:

Size 7. On my sister, this will have about 1/2” ease at the bust. I hope to get some pictures of her modeling eventually. It’s for her birthday which is in August.

5. Please mention if you made your armhole depth or body length longer or shorter, and please provide measurements.

Preblocking, my armhole depth was 1/2 inch more. Post blocking, it was exactly per the pattern measurements. All final measurements were per the pattern except for the length from underarm which was 16.5” after blocking.

6. Your experience knitting this garment – did you enjoy it, any part you liked in particular?

I love the armhole edging, neckline edging, center front and lower edging detail. It’s very easy to do and integral with the knitting process. Once finished, there’s nothing left to do except that I did reinforce the back neck with a couple rows of crochet slip stitches. That gave a nice finish and prevents stretching. It’s a fun and easy project. I will say that this size took twice as long as a sweater in my own size. And there was a lot of stockinette since my sister likes all of her sweaters to be tunic length. In spite of this, it only took me about 2 weeks to finish in my spare time. It’s a very versatile piece because you can wear it alone in warm weather and then pair it with a long sleeve pullover in colder months.