I got fairly close to gauge (15 stitches =4”) but I am doing the largest size for CO because I want the length.

I sure don’t like the idea of a seam in the back, but I’ll give it a go. In an effort to mitigate the SS curl at the fronts, I knit half of the stitches on the second row, then purled the rest.

Pattern:
Brown - 8 rows SS
Cream - 2 K rows
Brown - 4 rows SS
Cream - 2 K rows

Nine inches from CO was after completion of a row 4, in an 8 row SS section. I BO 53, left 54 for the sleeve (13.5”), then BO 53 on the next row.

After I BO both sides, I realized I could knit the sleeves ITR. Because I want full length sleeves, I decreased first at 3”, using SSK & K2tog.

First decrease - on round 6 of an 8 round section.
Next decrease after 2”.
Second decrease- on round 2 on a 8 round section. Third & rest of decreases at about 1” intervals.
Third decrease - on round 1 of cream section.
Fourth decrease - on round 1 of a cream section.
Fifth decrease - on round 5 of an 8 round section.
Sixth decrease - on round 1 of a 4 round section.
Seventh decrease - on round 1 of an 8 round section.
Eighth decrease - on round 7 of an 8 round section.
Ninth decrease - on round 3 of a 4 round section.
Tenth decrease - on round 3 of an 8 round section.
Eleventh decrease - on round 1 of a cream section (36 stitches remaining).

I stopped decreasing & knit to 18” (12 full sections), ending with an 8 round section, plus the 2 rounds in cream. I BO with a size 9 needle.

When it came time to seam the back, I tried the mattress stitch & the Bickford stitch, but neither looked great. I decided to pick up & knit stitches from the cast on edge (I picked up 82 stitches) with the cream yarn & repeated for the other side. Then I did a three needle BO. I used the same method for the side seams.

I picked up & knit 58 stitches with the cream yarn for each side seam & did a three needle BO to connect there also.

Even though I am only 5’ tall, casting on 160 stitches didn’t give me the length I wanted. I picked up & knit first 175, then 160, then 140 & finally 147 stitches along the bottom hem with size 9 needles. I decided to do the same pattern as the top. I did one 8 & one 4 row section, the two cream rows, then BO.

I used the last loop of the BO to continue up the side with a 2 stitch attached I-cord that I continued around the back of the neck & down the other side.

Even though I spritz blocked it, the bottom hem still wouldn’t lay flat. More than one way to tame the beast - I sewed a 1.5” grosgrain ribbon to the inside hem.