The yarn for this was entered into the Monterey County and Santa Cruz County wool and handspinning shows. Got a 3rd at MC and Honorable Mention at SC. Woolen spun on the Indian Head/Salish spinner wheel.

Started this Sweater in the smallest size (37) but after starting the first colorwork band, I ripped it out and started again with the second smallest size (40). I am a 34 and 6 inches of ease seemed like too much, and 3 inches seemed too little. But the gauge I was getting in the original version was a little smaller than I’d gotten in my swatch, so I think it will be a little smaller than 40 when I’m done.
(One thing I didn’t notice is how close to the edge the whale snouts are in the size that I made. I might have even gone up one more size to get a little extra edge room on the front of the sweater if I had thought it through.)

I’m using the weaving in technique from the pattern, but it was showing through the front of the sweater. I’m using the two handed knitting version, but I might try doing it with only on hand. I have trouble purling continental and also with keeping tension on my left hand. We’ll see. I don’t want the white especially to show through on the front because of sloppy weaving technique.

I ended up getting better at the stranded knitting technique and did use two hands and the weaving instructions from the pattern.

Collar instructions didn’t give me identical edges. I ended up using Sl with yarn in front on every row that started the outer edge of the collar. The pattern has on side of the collar done differently but that didn’t work for me.

Sleeve instructions don’t note that the colorwork chart should be worked top to bottom rather than bottom to top since the sleeves are knit top down. I’m glad I thought about it rather than just blindly following row numbers on the chart. Also I used the two sleeve charts in one order for one sleeve and in the other order for the other sleeve so that they mirror each other. That is, left facing waves then right facing waves on one sleeve and then on the other sleeve it’s right facing waves and then left facing waves.

Bound off the sleeve cuffs with color B. I like the look of the bound off edge being a different color and thought that it would show less wear and dirt on the cuff if the very edge was the darker color.

Added icord edging (6 stitches) to the front so the whales would have room between the edge of sweater and their snouts. Sewed in a zipper behind the icord edging and I’m calling it the perfect modification. :-)