Barely enough yarn! But all done! Not sure if I should get 9 balls next time if only for piece of mind.

Love the sweater, and how it turned out. Wish it was fall already so that I could wear it, but it will definitely get lots of wear come this fall.

Mom wants the sweater, she even wanted to pose in it. :)

Modifications:

• bust darts - 5 short rows on each side - 3 stitches from each other starting roughly 3 inches below where the arm split is at the side seam - added roughly 3 inches in length to the front :)
• 8 stitches after the front cable on each side to add a bit more fabric to the front (I think it’s about 2 inches total)
• no waist shaping (sigh I wish)
• extended the little zigzag cable into the ribbing on the bottom cuff
• knit both sleeves at the same time to make it easier to make the match (a la 2 socks on 2 circular needles method)
• no more shawl collar, 2 separate button bands and a stand up collar.
• horizontal button holes
• one sized smaller needle for the cuffs and button bands and collar.
• changed the number of stitches picked up for the button band ribbing. Particularly happy with how well the pickup row looks, so much so that I might need to knit the next button band with that row on the outside rather than the inside (took lots of pictures of the pick up row :) )
• Added 2 little buttoned pockets on the inside (used up all remaining yarn), Just big enough for a credit card, or a key or some cash. :)

Things I would do differently next time

• extend the zigzag and 2x2 ribbing into the collar rather than have it end at the collar
• No v-neck, just straight up to the top - but this was an afterthought since I changed the collar AFTER the rest of the sweater was knit.
• alternate skeins - noob mistake, but looks sort of planned - Managed to alternate skeins (entire skeins) light/dark/light/dark/light for the body :) Very subtle stripes and only in certain lights.
• buttons on the other side, wasn’t thinking when I did the button holes, would have preferred to have the buttons on the OTHER buttonband.

20110501

• 8 skeins of MT MCN in Hearth from a fellow raveler, hope it’s enough :)
• got gauge on size 4s
• Cast on size 44 (46 front)
• adding 10 short rows on each side after the sleeves (~2 inches more length in front)
• splitting off sleeves at 74 st because that’s how big my arms are at this gauge if you count the additional inch that the underarm gives you.
• will be decreasing a lot for waist shaping (7 inches difference between bust and waist measurements) decrease only on the front (both sides), as my back is the same size
• Thinking of making a flat collar, and latch buttons rather than button holes.

20110502
- 2 inches done. Goal per day is 2 inches or 20 rows :)

20110505
- At the armhole split, trying to decide if I should make it a tad longer…

20110508

• falling behind! :) Just started the third ball (8 balls total), 2 inches below the arm split. Wondering why everyone does the buttonband/collar before they do the sleeves :) I think I’m going to do the sleeves first, and then see how much I have left and then determine how much of a shawl collar I want. Saw some amazing glass buttons at the farmers market… will think about buttons when the sleeves are done :)
• finished bust darts on one side :) hoping to finish bust darts on the other side tonight and maybe get another cable repeat done :) So LOVE this yarn and colour. :)

20110510

• Chugging along nicely, but a tad slow, think it might be because I’m knitting a larger size. The teeny people have it made :) Maybe this is incentive to lose some weight? :)
• 5 inches below the split, almost 2/3 through the third ball of yarn :) I’m hoping I can knock off the rest of the body with a total of 5 balls of yarn, then each arm with one ball and have the last ball for the collar… Will see if I need to make a DISO post when I get halfway through the arms :)

20110514

• Finished up ball 4 last night. About 5 inches from the bottom of the body.
• added bust darts to increase the length in the front by 2 inches. Wanted to increase it more, but I think it might look odd if the front is 4 inches longer than the back, not to mention I’m almost sure I will have barely enough yarn.
• Slightly worried that I won’t have enough yarn, so thinking I will do the sleeves before I finish the body so I know how far I can knit before I need to start. But I think I have just enough yarn. Been saving the little ties of each skein to be used to sew the buttons on, and have been splicing the yarn as I go so i don’t have any ends to sew in, and to “save” as much yarn as I can as I go along.
• So far LOVING the yarn. :) Knits up fast, and sooo pretty.
• small noob mistake, I didn’t alternate the skeins because I thought they were pretty close, but in certain lights a couple of skeins are slightly different, so have large stripes on the body. but in other lights it’s okay. So I’m thinking of slightly overdying it with my favorite tea so it has a nice smell and evens out the colour a tad. -need to take some WIP pics because I always love to see everyone’s pictures but never remember to take any of my own.

20110515

• Halfway through May and just over half way through the sweater so i think I’m in good shape :)
• Decided to do both sleeves at the same time
• ~5inches done on both sleeves, all stockinette so going really fast. :)

20110516

• Past elbow on both sleeves. Decided to wait till elbow to start doing decreases because my bicep area is a tad larger than my armhole… :) And it’s not because I’m muscular. hehe
• arms are so much faster to knit than the body.

20110517

• both sleeves done just have to do the sewn bind off. :) Should be done later tonight
• Think I have enough yarn fingers still crossed
• each sleeve took just under 1 ball of yarn.
• picked up 8 stitches instead of 4 under each arm so that there aren’t any holes
• decreased 3 times, then knit straight for 6 inches then started decreases every 5th row
• ending 46 stitches each side.
• went down to 3 needles to do the cuffs because 4 needles made a really loose 1x1 ribbing.
• Sleeves are PERFECT! :)
• sewn bind off done. Looks wonderful!… but can’t imagine what sewn bindoff for the bottom cuff or the collar will be like…

20110520

• Body done up till ribbing. Trying to decide if I want the zigzag cable to continue down into the ribbing section :) I think it might look nice.
• calculated - I will be spot on for yarn amounts. It’s going to be tight :)
• fits well, looks amazing :) I LOVE this yarn. Must acquire more!

20110521

• just over an inch of the bottom ribbing cuff done :)
• looks like I will squeek by with just enough yarn :) So long as the collar doesn’t take more than one ball.
• Slightly dreading the bind off of the bottom cuff… sewn bind off for that long…
• small modification, extended the zigzag cable and the 2 purl stitches on each side into the bottom ribbing :) Looks pretty nice.

20110521

• sewn binding for bottom cuff wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Sewn bindoff for the collar/buttonband is going to be painful.
• 4 rows into the buttonband/collar and it’s slow going. Think I need about 30 rows to get to 3 inches.
• must pick out buttons and figure out where button holes need to go.
• wish my zigzag cables went up into the collar area too. Will have to figure out how to do that for next time. I think I prefer a standing collar rather than a shawl one, but this one will be a shawl one to start and if I hate it, I will redo it and make it 2 separate button bands and a stand up collar :)

20110523

• Frogged the entire collar/buttonbands. Didn’t pick up enough stitches till AFTER it was completely done and I started to cast off…
• Decided to knit the button bands separately, and then knit the collar as a stand alone collar rather than the shawl collar.
• Will definitely NOT have enough yarn to make a bit collar, perhaps just a couple of rows :)

20110524

• finished both button bands :) Very happy with how it looks. Need to weave in all the ends for the button holes.
• Decided to do horizontal button holes rather than vertical ones, just for the way that the buttons would pull :)
• 7 button holes completed
• must remember to count the stitches BEFORE deciding how many stitches are between button holes. First time didn’t work so well, at least I wasn’t knitting the entire length of the button bands and collar.
• picked up stitches for the collar but seeing the light at the end of the tunnel

20110525

• finished the collar
• weaved in the ends
• sewed on the buttons!
• Fits like a dream!!! LOVE!

20110526
- Need to take pictures!