4-10-14: Finished, although I may need to sew the bottoms on tighter. Short rows were easy with the Cat Bordhi video. Why did I ever agonize over that? Lots of ends woven in and underarms completed with a three needle bind off, and, if the truth must be told, some creative hole closing. And, I used my treasured buttons from our Iceland trip to finish it off.

4-9-14: I’m almost all done and then I bump into my arch-nemesis short rows 3 rows before the end of this project (shaping for the collar). I have never been able to learn these. I even sat in the yarn store one afternoon a couple of years ago and watched someone, and it made no sense to me. Someone suggested I watch Cat Bordhi on Short Rows (Picking up wraps at 6:25. Pt 2 shows picking up wraps on purl rows). This can’t be that hard, right? Everyone else on Ravelry does it effortlessly. I will conquer short rows.

4-3-14: First sleeve finished.

3-17-14: Finally got a chance to pick this back up and have finished the body to the point where I need to do the sleeves. So far, the sweater looks beautiful and it’s really an easy pattern to knit once you realize you’ve got to separately note pattern events, like buttonholes and the need to put sleeve stitches on holders on the chart, as it contains only the pattern stitches and no other notation.

3-2-14: many other knitters have commented that because the chart does not show buttonhole rows, they missed buttonholes. I knew that and even circled the rows on the paper chart but it’s teeny tiny so I’ve been using the PDF on my iPad. I caught the error about six rows late--chart row 26. I’m going to try to ladder down and insert the buttonhole and zip it back up. If this works, I’ll add in notes on how I do it.

3-1-14: knitting on size 13 needles, doing the size large because my gauge was 2.25 st/1 inch.

The pattern rows and chart rows are different, so I’m switching my stitch marker to the chart numbers. After I finish the first chart repeat, the next row will be pattern row 31 (chart row 25 = pattern row 30).

Finished half of the first leaf chart. The chart is very easy to follow once you remember to read ot left to right on the odd numbered rows and right to left on the even rows.

I’m always big on stitch markers, and have found it convenient to put one in after the 6 stitch garter border, 1 after the next three stitch margin (this one is over kill, but I like the markers to be symmetrical), one after the first pattern repeat, one after then ten stitch interval, one after the next pattern repeat, followed by one after the six stitch interval, one after the next pattern repeat, one after the ten stitch interval, one after the next pattern repeat, one after the three stitch interval, and then a row marker at the garter stitch border on the other side to make it easy to keep a row count. This probably slows me down but I like using markers like this to make sure my stitch count stays good, especially since this pattern doesn’t include any stitch count updates.

2-27-14: Swatching with kitty cat help.

Pattern Gauge and Needles suggestion:

I’m swatching on 11’s

8 stitches and 13 rows = 4 inches
Needle size
US 15 - 10.0 mm

My gauge is 2.25 on both 11’s and 13’s, although I blocked aggressively.

I like the fabric better on the 13s, so I’m going to cast on for the large but maybe adjust the top.

My Notes After Reading Through Other Projects:

use the sunset super chunky. i have four skeins that aren’t in stash yet.

Will make a size medium with large sleeves. But check gauge for about 1” negative ease. This sweater doesn’t look good with positive ease.

Consider doing length as for xs/sm and knitting a medium size. definitely do the shorter length. Also, consider having fewer rows between the two leaf pattern charts (this is probably the difference between s and m -- i haven’t read the pattern carefully yet)

The chart doesn’t include button hole rows, so make sure you write those in.

Consider slipping the first stitch of every row knitwise and going in further a stitch or two for the buttonholes. Also, work out button hole placement and think about starting the first one a few stitches higher up so as not to sit at the bottom of the sweater.

Advice about make ones: For M1’s at the bottom of the leaves, I’m doing M1R (back) on the right side of the leaves, and M1L (front) on the left side. (You can see which are which on knittinghelp.com.) On chart F, when there are M1’s are around the top edges of the leaves, I’m doing the opposite.

May need to size up sleeves, but keep yoke in the smaller size, ie this idea: http://www.ravelry.com/projects/Hotofftheneedles/modern-g...