This is my first test for Beatriz Rubio of Chile. Check out her lovely designs here.

What I did differently:

• I did not do the cable cast on. Instead, I did a long tail cast on (tightly) over two needles (size 1 and 2.5 US). I do this as a method to keep the back neck loose. I have very broad shoulders. After the cast on, I just used the size 2.5 (3 mm) needles for the rest of the body. The long tail cast on worked out great.

• I made my armhole depth 2 inches (5 cm) longer than specified in the pattern because I’m tall. Also, I needed to allow for shrinkage in washer/dryer which is mostly in length for this 100% cotton yarn. Due to this adjustment, I could not follow the pattern sleeve instructions exactly for my size.

• Because I made the armhole depth so much longer, I had to pick ujp 112 sts for the sleeves. This was reduced to 108 sts on the following round to match the sleeve instructions for a size 5. This type of “short row contiguous sleeve cap” construction did not work out well for me with regard to fit. With this type of construction, the cap of the sleeve can only turn out to be a large, uniform curve rather than the traditional “bell shape” sleeve cap which fits the upper arm much better. Therefore, I only recommend this type of short row sleeve cap for garments that have some negative ease and fit much tighter under the arm. I don’t like my sleeves to fit titghttly under the arms which is why I did not follow the pattern for my body size 2. My result is a comfortable, loose sleeve cap, but one that has WAY too much fabric in the cap area. Had it not been for my testing commitment, I would have just made this top sleeveless and it would have been more acceptable to me. (Note that after shrinking in a warm dryer, the sleeves and armhole depth looked considerably better. I knew the garment would shrink quite a bit lengthwise, but only about a half inch widthwise. Sleeves shrank 2 inches in length, and I had allowed for this.)

• I did not make this cropped. It’s full length with wider ribbing. See measurements below. I’m 70 years old at the time of this making, and nobody wants to see my belly button or midriff area.

• Pattern has instructions for 3/4 length sleeves. I wanted full length sleeves, so I did the 14 rounds (included 2 sts increased each repeat) one additional time. This resulted in 124 sts before starting the decreases for the cuff.

• I decreased for the cuff over two rounds as follows:

1st round - K2tog all around (= 62 sts)

2nd round - (K1, K2tog) repeat around to last 2 sts, K2 (= 42 sts for cuff). I then switched to size 1.5 US needles for the cuff’s 1 x 1 ribbing.

• I did 20 rounds for the sleeve cuff ribbing and then bound off with the same size 1.5 US needles and JSSBO.

• I picked up 116 sts for the neckband which is a few more than the pattern recommends for my size. I used a 3 to 4 pickup ratio for all except the back neck which was 1 to 1. I did this because I have very broad shoulders. The pattern does not say to go down in needle size for the neckband, so I did not. If I was to knit this again, I might go down a needle size and pick up more stitches. I tried to be very neat with the tubular bind off, but the neckband looks a bit wonky. It might be the cotton yarn, but I think it’s just a little too “open” with regard to the stitches. So a smaller needle might have produced a better looking neckband. Also, I would have preferred a deeper V-neckline, so I would spread out the increasing a little more if I was to knit this again.

The body on this pattern had a really good fit for me.

Needles used:

Size 2.5 US (3 mm) for the body, sleeves and neckband

Size 1.5 US (2.5 mm) for the lower ribbing and sleeve ribbing

Weight of finished garment = 14.4 oz (408 grams)

Finished measurements: (Before shrinking in a warm dryer):

Armhole depth - 8.75”

Body Length from underarm - 14.5” (11.5” + 3” ribbing)

Sleeve length from underarm - 22” (19.5” + 2.5” cuff ribbing)

Upper sleeve circumference (at underarm) = 19”

Body circumference at bust per pattern.

After shrinking in a warm dryer:

Body shrank a total of 1.5” in length (so 13” total length from underarm).

Sleeves shrank a total of 2” in length (so 20” total length from underarm).

Ribbing shrank about .25” in height.

Finished armhole depth = 8.5”

Sleeves and body only shrank about .5” in circumference.

200 sts around for body
42 sts around for sleeve cuff

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