12/16/22 update
Three years later this thing is still waiting for shorter sleeves…the yarn is way more blue than gray (KnitPicks’ color representation of the mohair was way off) and I don’t do blue so I don’t have much motivation to fix the sleeves. Will take to my parents’ over the holidays and fix them there so I can give it to my sister--the color will look great on her; will have her model for pics so I can finally mark the thing finished.

10/7/19 update
On hold while I drag my feet and pout about having to shorten the sleeves.

Overview
Simple and straightforward pattern; well-written and easy to follow with plenty of new stitch counts throughout to keep you on track.
Great beginner/palate cleanser/mostly mindless project that works up quickly (seriously, you could prob finish it over a long, rainy weekend if you were committed).

Mods

• used provisional cast on, k CO with last row before increases
• extended collar (to 12cm = 6cm when folded under)
• changed increases to R/LLI
• added short rows to back neck (5 SRs ≈ 1”)
• shortened body and extended ribbing (overall sweater is 2cm shorter)
• picked up 4 extra sts for each sleeve
• extended cuff ribbing (11 rnds)
• smaller needles for hem and cuff ribbing (US8s)
• tubular BO for both

Finished measurements
after washing and blocking (pat into shape and lay flat to dry)
Bust at underarm -
Sleeve underarm to cuff -
Length shoulder at neckband seam to hem -

Resources
Techknitter explains LLI
Suzanne Bryan’s tubular BO in the round…
And her excellent demo on closing underarm gaps
Grafting stockinette in the round small circumference

Yarn
Using Knit Picks’ Wonderfluff (slightly thinner than the yarn called for) and Aloft, first time using both. WF is a blown yarn so it has a nylon core/tube, which I’m not sure how I feel about as I much prefer natural fibers…I’ve used blown yarn but never for garments. However, it was the most readily available, affordable and similar alternative to the recommended yarn (also ridiculously soft and fluffy, and handled frogging better than expected).
I fell in love with the dreamy, airy and light look of the original sweater and wanted to keep it as warm as possible (I stay cold Sept - May). I’m sure the alpaca will pill, just a matter of how soon and how much).
I tend knit on the tighter side and prefer a more dense fabric, so added Aloft for a bit more substance.

To spit-splice blown yarn:
Rip off the very ends of both yarn tails (rather than cutting--for more organic, ragged tip).
Gently tease apart the last 2” of both ends, opening up the nylon tube a bit and loosening the fibers within.
Splice as usual: overlap carefully, wet and roll between palms quickly.
Once the join appears secure, gently tease/loosen fibers along the join (to regain some halo and check for areas not fully felted together).
Works surprisingly well even with the nylon core…though it can make the spliced section a bit thinner since the yarn compresses so much

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Notes
Making size S M for my 34” bust.
I started with the size S; k alllllll the way to the bottom ribbing and decided to frog it. My swatch was spot on but I had tightened up on tension while knitting (I have such a hard time with open, loosely knit fabric…even if I love the intended result, I unconsciously tighten up when I see open sts and it takes a concerted effort to maintain my normal tension). Though the sweater fit ok, I wanted more positive ease…not quite as much as 20cm (which would put me at a size L) but more than the S offered.
The WF handled frogging better than I thought it would, but I didn’t even try to separate it from the strand of mohair--the two were beyond entangled, so I wound both into a giant ball together and put it aside for a few weeks until I got over my disappointment. When I started the second attempt, I didn’t have any issues with uneven feeding; no “bubble” that tends to form when you wind/ball up two strands together…mohair is like velcro!

Attempt #2
9/13
CO neckband on US9s using crochet chain provisional cast on; folded collar and k cast on together with last rnd before changing needles.
Guessing the pattern has you sew the neckband down after for stability since knitting it together with the CO edge keeps it really stretchy…but given the yarn in using, this sweater is going really light so I’m not worried about the neck stretching out under its weight.

I don’t love the m1L inc’s used in the pattern; they’re pretty obvious--can leave holes and distort the neighboring sts, especially if you tend to k tightly . Substituted invisible/lifted inc’s (used LLI throughout).
The pfb wasn’t as glaring but I used the purl version of the lifted inc just for consistency (Techknitter doesn’t demonstrate it but it’s the same, just purlwise).

9/14
After trying on the body of my failed first attempt, I knew I wanted to add SRs to the back neck…but i didn’t want to disrupt the pattern--ex. back would have 16 rows of k2p1 rib (10 short rows + 6 rounds of rib), then 6 rounds of k2p2, 6 rounds k3p2, etc everywhere else …so I decided to space out the SRs in between every increase (used German SRs):

BOR marker becomes CB. Mark CF.
Increase to k2p1.
K 1 rnd in pattern.
Work 1 SR - 12sts on either side of BOR.
Resume itr to indicated length (remember to measure from CF).
Increase to k2p2.
K 1 rnd.
Work 1 SR - 16sts on either side of BOR.
Resume itr to indicated length.
And so on:
3rd set of SRs - 25sts ea side
4th - 42sts
5th - 56sts
No SRs after the 6th inc--the yoke sat perfectly at this point and didn’t need more.
Total of 5 pairs of SRs ≈ 1” added (though stretched to ~2” after blocking).

9/17
Because BOR was reassigned as CB, to separate for sleeves:

K 32, place 44sts on hold (R sleeve), CO 6sts k 64, place 44 on hold (L sleeve), CO 6, k 32.
Used knitted CO for underarm sts.

9/20
Finally got through the sea of stockinette. Because I’m super short-waisted, I wanted the ribbing to pull in slightly and sit on my hips with the body bloused over a bit for a hint of shape (long boxy anything looks terrible on me; oversized tops need to either be cropped at my natural waist--basically right under my boobs--or fitted at the ribbing 80s style…otherwise I look like a tent). I shortened the body (k to 24cm) but lengthened the ribbing (k to 7cm), knitting it on US8s, so overall sweater is just 2cm shorter.

Used tubular BO. It’s a yarn hog, but I’m pretty sure I’ll have to order one more skein of WF anyway so might as well use the pretty BO I really want…though it probably wasn’t worth the effort in such soft, fuzzy yarn (the tail was starting to look kinda ratty by the end) but I just love how neat it is.

9/21
Started first sleeve, picking up 2 extra sts on each side and then decreasing them. I usually do this kinda haphazardly but I found a great video by Suzanne Bryan--she has a more systematic approach and picks up specific sts/bars (including the ones above the big holes that I usually stay away from) and dec’s so that the extra st is underneath and twisted…makes so much sense. Going to try her method on the next few sweaters I make to see if I can’t get more consistent results (worked beautifully in this pullover).

First inc in 13th round (count picked up sts as first rnd).

Didn’t change sleeve length or number of inc’s, but used lifted inc’s here as well; stuck with RLI throughout instead of mirroring with LLI; the yarn is so fuzzy that these increases are hard to find (much less determine which way they’re leaning) unless you’re up close looking for them.

Inc in every subsequent 10th rnd 8 more times.

After 9th Inc rnd, k 9 rnds stockinette.
On dec rnd switch to US8s.
K 11 rnds ribbing before BO set up rws.
Tubular BO.

9/24
Finished first sleeve; if I’ve weighed and measured my partial skeins, scraps and swatch correctly, I think I’ll just barely have enough. Leaving first cuff sts live in case I run out and need to shorten the sleeve.

9/28
Finally finished second sleeve. Barely made it with enough yarn--just 12y of WF left over (had I not shortened the body by a mere 2cm I totally would have had to order another skein or frog and shorten something). Had to reuse not only swatch yarn but also the 20y or so I had put aside, deeming it too beat up to use (had several false starts on the first attempt, then frogged yet again to make a different size). I split the ratty yarn in half and used it only in the cuffs. Hope the BO camouflages it a bit and that it’s not too noticeable or fragile.

9/29
Wove in the five ends, washed and blocking overnight. Can’t wait to wear it (though it’s unseasonably warm this week, highs in the upper 80s)!

9/30
Sleeves are way too long after blocking…I love extra long sleeves that can cover my hands a bit when it’s cold but these are too much--when I pull the cuffs down, the ribbing completely covers my fingertips…but wearing the cuffs around my wrists hides the balloon shape since the sleeve is folded back in on itself--looks more like a bell sleeve than balloon.
Need to shorten--maybe snip the yarn at the start of the sleeve--before first inc--and graft back together?

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Final Thoughts

So glad I went with the SRs…they made a world of difference; I was worried that 1” wouldn’t be enough to raise the back neck sufficiently but after blocking, everything grew lengthwise and the back ended up ~2” higher. The neck is much more comfortable than my first attempt and the whole sweater sits and looks better. If I were to do it again, I’d make the first SR a bit longer--maybe 36sts on either side of CB--and each successive pair longer by one pattern repeat.
Hem ribbing doesn’t pull in as much as I’d hoped but overall length and fit is great.

I knew WF would pill (expected with soft, short staple fibers knit at a loose gauge), but now I’m worried it’ll be worse than I thought…the neck and yoke are already starting to look ratty just from getting moved around in my lap while knitting the body and sleeves. I loved knitting with the yarn and would consider using it again but maybe not for garments (certainly not for those with negative ease or which will be layered under outerwear). Will see how the sweater looks in the spring.

Would definitely make it again, with changes (nothing to do with the pattern as is--the pattern is great! I’m just incapable of making the exact same thing more than once…and something with this amount of stockinette is painful the second time around).

For next time:

• shorten sleeves ~4-5”

• US9 needles for cuff ribbing (as is, ribbing is slightly too tight to wear pulled down a bit over my hand the way I like to wear my sleeves)

• might look cute cropped OR

• more fitted (no ease?), lengthened with waist shaping and slightly less voluminous sleeves (see Vogelgryff’s Sunday Sweater…not sure if hers includes any of these changes but I like the way it hangs on the dress form)