04-21-2020

Ordered this Berroco kit this morning through Two Unravelled Chicks & a Llama in Norman. I’ll be getting 8 balls of Berroco Sesame yarn in color Cherry Blossom #7413 - with pattern (and possibly a project bag? - YES!) shipped to me from Berroco.

04-26-2020

Got gauge on #6 needles

04-28-2020

Working on the sleeves 2-at-a-time. Didn’t realize how close I almost was to matching the color alignment unintentionally. Didn’t want to rip one back and restart though. Almost wish the colors were more out of sync - but it is what it is.

05-01-2020

Got the 18” done on both sleeves. Ready to start working on the increases. Want to keep working the sleeves 2-at-a-time as far as possible.
LATER THAT EVENING: Got both sleeves up through all the increases and 166 stitches each. From this point the Right Side and Left Side sleeves differ somewhat. I could probably figure how to keep working together, but the directions are on two different pages in the printout of the pattern and I don’t want to hurt my head - so moved one side onto a second #6 circular needle and will work them separately for a while.

05-11-2020

Finished the center back 3-needle BO and ready to sew the side and underarm seams. Have used 55% of the yarn so far.

05-12-2020

I am not totally happy with the center back “seam” created by the 3-needle BO. I’ve looked through other completed projects by knitters here on Ravelry and checked Berroco’s website for errata and no one has mentioned it. I followed the directions as printed and got a ridge down the center back. Either this is an architectural design feature, or a mistake. I guess I’ll call it a design feature. (Although I have done 3 needle BO in patterns in the past and when doing it in garter stitch to get a smooth garter stitch finish effect I think you need to do the 3-needle BO after finishing both sides with a RS row, rather than a WS row.)

On another note:
I found several comments from other knitters that the pattern calls for a LOT of extra stitches to be picked up along the right and left front edges. So I checked Berroco’s website and found that this pattern does have Errata dated 4/15/20 reducing the number of stitches to be picked up (reduces the pick up count in my size by 74 stitches!):

“Collar: With RS facing, begin at lower right front edge, pick up and knit approximately 124 (124, 126, 126, 130, 130, 136) sts along right front edge, 38 sts across back neck edge, then 124 (124, 126, 126, 130, 130, 136) sts along left front edge, or 1 st in each st and 1 st in each garter ridge—286 (286, 290, 290, 298, 298, 310) sts. (Exact stitch count is not crucial.) Work even in Garter St for 4½”, end on WS. Bind off purlwise on RS. Weave in all ends and block as desired.“

05-17-2020

I had done the pick-up of stitches for the Lower Body as recommended in the (above) Errata for the Collar “1 stitch in each garter ridge” = 179 stitches. This worked out great - no ripples or puckers between the two different directions of garter stitch fabric! Finish the Lower Body at 8” length.
Then did the pick-up stitches for the collar using the recommendation in Errata for the Collar “1 stitch in each stitch and 1 stitch in each garter ridge.” My stitch count with the 8” length in Lower Body came out to 112 + 39 + 112 = 263 stitches.

05-21-2020

Finished knitting this afternoon - still need to get ends woven in this evening.
I made a couple minor changes:
The Lower Body section I made only 8” - mostly because I was afraid of running out of yarn. It was hard to estimate how much I had used at that point and how to predict how much would be needed for the Collar section.
The Collar section I made 5” because I ended up having plenty of yarn - and I felt like the whole project worked up a tad smaller than I expected, even though my gauge was right on the mark. I wanted the front edges to come closer to meeting in relaxed fit mode.
I wish some of the project notes had included the info about yardage used for these two sections. I wish I had kept better records of this info myself!

I am really happy with the overall fit (altho I wish the sleeves were just a little looser fit) - and I think it will be very wearable - in the Fall! Pretty warm to wear during Oklahoma Spring/Summer weather!