After knitting for myself all year, Matt asked when his next sweater was coming. This is the pattern he chose.

So far, my biggest concern is that it’s coming out too small. Also not a fan of stranded knitting worked flat.

I do love the colors. Fingers crossed that it will block out.

Update 07/01/2018: I’m going with instinct here and restarting with a larger size. Going to try the 44” instead of the 41”. Fingers crossed I have enough of the main color.

Update 11/23/2020: Okay, this was frogged, and started again. I will get this done for Christmas this year!

I debated if I wanted to do it in the round, as I don’t really like working stranded knitting flat. However, my biggest concern was how bulky the raglan seams would feel with the seams plus stranded color work. (I am not happy with how the sleeves worked up on The Dude). So I will work the lower body as written to the raglan shaping, then do the yoke as one big piece.

I also know that I already bought a zipper for this…and we have moved twice since then…wonder where it is?

Update 12/22/2020: so…as expected, there’s no way this will be done in time for Christmas. Since I decided to do the yoke in one piece, I didn’t read the raglan decreases correctly.(Note: the back, the fronts, and the sleeves all have a different decrease ratio). Had to rip back a days work on the yoke (basically to the charted section).

I did order a new zipper. While I had a cream one that would work, I think it was distracting with such a strong contrast. I know matching the brown MC would be hard, I opted for a green zipper. It is in the mail…so an other reason it can’t be done by Christmas.

Update 12/31/2020: Finished! Glad it’s done. Need some modeled photos, but it does fit.

Final Thoughts:
The biggest mistake was not doing this in the round. I am VERY glad I did the yoke as one piece, as I can’t imagine how thick those raglan sleeves seams would be. It’s already a slim fit (FYI: Matt had a 37” chest and I made the 44” finished. The stranded section definitely makes for a thick fabric). I’m pleased with the way it blocked, and I’m happy (as is he) with the color choices. One of my best zipper installations. I don’t love my reverse crochet. I don’t do it enough to get a nice even edge.

Pattern Changes
I knit everything up to the yoke separately, then did the yoke as one piece. I was concerned with how thick those raglan seems would be. I am sorry I didn’t do it in the round and just steeked it.

I ended up casting on the collar (long tailed tubular cast on) as I’m better with casting on tubular than binding it off. I then picked up the stitches for the neck and added the neck and as a three needle bind off. I love how neat the neck line looks with this technique. Will use again.

Matt hates the zipper all the way up the collar, so I only did it to the neck (and I wish he had said that before I ordered a 27” zipper…hate having to shorten zippers)