04-12-2025

Notes on sizing:

I’m trying to have a size 4 body and a size 6 sleeve. I began the sweater with size 5 instructions and worked those stitch counts for the yoke.

For all us busty and big gals, reminder: you don’t need that back shaping (the short rows). That’s for smaller folks with the rounded back curve and less bust. I personally don’t have that S-shape in the upper back. Even though I have love handles, they’re lower than my boobs, and usually there’s too much fabric in the back anyway, so I always need shaping and lengthening in the FRONT. I’ll usually add the short rows starting at my belly button in front and around the sides a little. Forget about those back shaping short rows.

I just took out 10,000 stitches because I forgot about this. Plus the size 5 body is just still too billowy, especially in the back. I’m rethinking.

Arms:

I decided to knit all the way past the colorwork before splitting the sleeves from the body, thereby eliminating the math. It wasn’t too long of an arm split, either. The yoke measured about 10.5” from the bottom of the fancy turtleneck. It could have even been longer, and it would have been fine. But that’s me and my big arms and love handles.

I tried casting on a gusset of 30 st on each side, and that clearly was too much for the arms, which were already about the right size, so I tore that out … Really, the arms were quite generous, so I shifted the markers 8 stitches toward the center of each sleeve (so four markers, one at each point of the separation). I did this to allow for some gusset stitches. But I forgot that I had done that, and I joined it with only 2 stitches in the gusset. I’ll miss the nice generous armpit fold, but whatever. It’s too late. I tell myself it’ll be okay. I knitted on with size 3 US needles.

Body:

Continued on with a size 4US to help along the body shape without doing increases. Upon tryon, it looks like the back of the sweater is nice and not billowy anymore, so I like it. As it gets lower to the hip area, I’ll add some volume. I used some increases at the top of the hip to flare it out there, as shown in photos. I also did around 20 short rows on the front and around to the back to lengthen the front side for my belly.

04-30-2025

I’m now finishing up the sleeves (before working the body). I’m leaving them mostly wide and not pulled in with a ribbing. I’m decreasing 2 st every 3 rounds (one on either side of the marker), which seems steep now that I look at it. I’m 11 rounds in, and it feels like a commitment to either stay with it or maybe stretch out the decrease rows a bit. Maybe 5 rows in between. I have about 5 inches to knit on each sleeve.

Already regretting not knitting in just a few more armpit gusset stitches, but what’s done is done. Since splitting the arms from the body a little lower, it’s really noticeable when I move my arms. Still really like it, though.