Using my excel sheet to calculate the stitches based on my measurements and swatch.
Making a v-neck: beginning the usual increases at every marker, every 4th rs row, increase first and last stitch (before & after each A marker) until 28 stitches have been added to the front neck total. (Pattern says 27 sts, so I went up one stitch to even it out.) This means not adding the left-right-front stitches every other row, but just every 4th row until the left-right-center-front stitches have all been added.
(Notes for next time: I found the v-neck to be very deep this way. Not a problem for me as the border will knit up properly for it, but for a shorter v-neck I might try to add the left- and right-front stitches as for a crew neck. Then instead of casting on the center-front stitches at once, simply continue adding stitches at the beginning and end either every other row, or every 4th row and join in the round when all front-stitches have been added.)
To create a bit more ease for my boobs, I modified the pattern slightly:
- After putting the sleeve stitches on holders, I cast on 8 stitches to each armhole.
- I knit about 3-4 rounds as normal.
- Then I added markers to separate the 8 stitches I added with a center marker (so marker, 4 sts, marker, 4 sts, marker) for each side.
- Knitted up to the first marker, k to last st before second marker, kfb, sm, kfb, k to marker, sm. Repeat for the second side.
- Repeated this until I had doubled the 8 stitches to 16 stitches.
- Knit about 3 rounds plain.
- Knitted up to the first marker, k to last 2 sts before second marker, ssk, sm, k2tog, knit to marker, sm. Repeat for the second side.
- Repeated this until I had the original 8 stitches for each side.
- Continued to knit as normal.
I’m not sure yet if I will be doing this differently next time around, but when I tried it on it had given my chest some extra fit. Maybe for future sweaters I could knit more plain rounds between the inc/decr sections to lengthen the piece with extra give.
Sleeves: I started the first sleeve decreasing every 1” (6 rows) but ended up with sleeves way too baggy. I think this is cause I had to make the raglan seam quite long to get enough stitches for circumference. Considering the sweater is otherwise a snug fit it looks weird. Frogged back to the first decrease and will be decreasing every 3 rows instead of every 6.
Once I hit 40 sts I decreased every 5 rows instead until 36 sts. Then continue to 50cm plain without decr, 5cm rib