Sweater #3! My first one was large in a tunic-y sort of way, so I went down a size. The second one still managed to be loose, though wearable. I’m going to go down one more size with this one and see I can’t get something a bit more fitted.

11/13 - A sober lesson in swatching -- just learned that I’m an extremely loose knitter. I’d suspected as much, since I do the same thing in crochet, but after the last two giant sweaters (made with the same yarn but without checking my gauge), thought it might be good to do up a square to check. The pattern reccs a size 8-10 needle and I’ll be going with a 7. Could even go down to a 6, but I think I should tighten up a bit now that I’m aware of it.

11/15 - Added 2 inches to the bottom of the sweater since everyody says it’s a bit on the short side. Also had alternating 14-row stripes to give some visual interest. Finished knitting the back tonight and am now blocking it. It’s fitting very well!

11/30 - Finished tonight, with a large chunk of break time taken for Thanksgiving preparations. Changes made from the original pattern: added thick alternating stripes, lengthened body by 2 inches and sleeves by 3 inches. The fit is perfect! Sleeves came down to my knuckles and hem stops at hips, like I’d imagined. The striping doesn’t completely match between the body and the arms because I didn’t do the math beforehand, but it’s got a fun off-kilter charm to it :-) This was my first time setting in sweater sleeves and picking up a collar on a sweater, so that was educational. Have to say that I don’t see what all the fuss is about finishing sweaters, but maybe that’s just because the seamstress in me doesn’t mind putting together a stack of pieces.