Blog post here.

Update: This has been frogged as I don’t wear it that much. I’m going to reknit it into a cardigan.

I have 770 yards, hopefully enough! Edit: It wasn’t, boo!!! I had to buy more yarn. So beware, I think you want to buy an extra ball. I messed around with the stitch count for waist shaping, but I think it might not have been enough if I’d used the pattern as written. Plus, can’t put a price on peace of mind!

Making 5 stitches into one for the puff sleeves was crazy tight! For some reason I found it easier doing it English style? Yikes though lol

Neckline:
Lots of warnings on other commenters’ projects about how low it is!

I moved the cast on for the neckline up two rows. (Maybe could have made it even higher). At first I cast on the neckline with backwards loop- eep, very loose and droopy (see photo). I have since cast on with knitting-on (turns out you can just turn the work, cast on, and turn it back to join in the round, so easy!). Now it looks way better! Knitting on is much more stable and tight.. I’m glad I didn’t have to mod the stitch count!

I think the neckline is too low on the larger sizes because it is done on the same row as putting sleeves onto scrap yarn at armpits. Therefore larger sizes should cast on for neckline further up, using the same row as the small, perhaps.

For the ribbing, I made it more square. Instead of knitting around and around, I added double decreases in the corners (using the vertical double decrease). I picked up sts, knit one row plain (in the ribbing pattern), and then in each row afterwards did the decreases, including in the C.O row.
Next time I wouldn’t do the purls in the corners in the first row, just do knits instead. There is a small purl bump before the decreases start in the corners which looks odd. Tiny detail, I know.

Also I added short rows to the back so it would be slightly higher.

Armholes:
2nd photo- armholes were also too tight, so when I ripped back I knit more rows without adding any more increasing (I always have to seem to do this, do I have long armpits or something? lol)

I added six rows, but to make the snakeskin pattern start under the cast on (didn’t want a big gap between cast on and pattern beginning), I had to start it before sleeves were put on scrap this time.
That’s okay, it isn’t noticeable. I just stopped doing snakeskin when knitting the sleeve parts.

Fun armhole fact: Mine are now slightly too low! I have to remember to take into account that the armhole gets pulled down when you knit more fabric! Better than too high though.

Snakeskin
As others have mentioned, drop 1/2 a repeat from the snakeskin sections as that is what the pattern sample uses (bad instructions right??).

Oh and I found a bit of loose tension where my stitch marker was, in a line down the front, eep! Gotta make sure that bit’s nice and snug. I noticed it halfway down! I ahem sewed it up a bit more snugly all janky-like on the back, don’t tell anyone.

Ease
I went for 1” of negative ease and added loads of waist and hip shaping to try and maintain that level of ease throughout. I am addicted to waist shaping… I think 1” ease is actually not too tight, I could probably even go to 2” neg… But I think this looks fine anyway, I’m very happy with it. I’m so glad I added the shaping and didn’t go for positive ease!

I did do the shaping within the stocking stich AND the snakeskin sections. I just fudged the snakeskin bits. I did it in the non-wrap rows. After decreases I just put one less st in between the wraps in the next row. (so instead of having 2 wrapped, 2 plain, it was 2 wrapped, 1 plain, etc). The decreases/increases were done 4 in a row, on each side of each st marker.

After increase rows, I increased the no. of sts wrapped, then next increase increased the non-wrapped sts too… if that makes any sense. It looks pretty good; I put a photo up.

Length
I shortened this a lot (yet still ran out of yarn!!). I took about 1.5” out- (mainly from the ribbing and the last snakeskin section), to sit on the hip bone. Perfect for skirts. Juuust long enough for tops. Just.

Cast off
I found the best new cast off for ribbing! I think it is prettier than JSSBO and E.Z’s sewn bind off. And it’s easy too! The K2Tog bind off is my new favourite. It’s lovely and stretchy. I used it on the hem and sleeve cuffs. I used a normal bind off for the neck to keep it nice and firm.
Here is the link to the k2tog bind off.