A very nice way to cast on for the 2x2 rib: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YL4DLMdO6vQ&list=LLO9...

Alterations to the pattern:
1. Skipped one pattern repeat in body and sleeves: I am 164 cm tall (5 ft 4.5 in) and the length of everything is now just fine for me.
2. Made some waist shaping:
Decreases: 1 stitch in every second block of purl stitches between the JF repeats in the row 5 of the second repeat (so that every second block contained now 2 instead of 3 purl stitches). Then I decreased another 1 purl stitch in the remaining blocks of 3 stitches in the row 19 of the second repeat.
Increases: 1 stitch in every second block of purl stitches between the JF repeats in the row 5 of the third repeat, 1 stitch in the remaining blocks of 2 stitches in the row 19 of the third repeat.
3. Knitted a kind of “lacy 2x2 rib”, invented on-the-go:
Right side: purl 2, knit 1, yarn over, knit 1
Wrong side if knitting in the round: purl 2, twist the knit stitch, knit it together with the yarn over (no twisting of the yarn over, there must be an eyelet!), knit 1 twisted. As for me, twisting makes the sitiches look more accurate.
The yarn is quite stiff and it is impossible to get more or less decent even stitches in the rib. Let’s pretend they are supposed to look the way they look, it just adds some “laciness” to the general appearance

Conclusion: this is a truly ingenious design, and as all ingenious it is simple. It was a really relaxing knitting, you can follow the description without thinking at all. I can say I was just holding the needles, the sweater knitted itself Love the result - thank you, Yoko!

P.S. My mom expropriated the pullover. Now I have to knit another one for myself