Well-suited for top-down knitting. Mods include equal size motifs on front, an inset front panel, and changes for cuffs and hem.

also see my second try on this sweater, knit from the top down and with many modifications

This pattern will benefit from a tighter, less drapey fabric, so plan accordingly! And almost everyone on Ravelry found the pattern to be larger than expected, so don’t be shy about measuring carefully and sizing DOWN if you must. Mine definitely could have been a size smaller, but I also should have used a different yarn, and knit a bit tighter.

Using Valley Yarns Sugarloaf, a merino/microfiber blend that is amazingly soft and lofty. Also about half the cost of the original Berroco Ultra Silk, and machine washable.

Other knitters have tackled what seems to be a common concern about the deep v-neck gaping open. My plan is to knit the pattern basically as written, but add some kind of panel behind the v-neck, so that I can wear this tunic on its own, without a second layer.

SLEEVES
Cast on 52 sts (to make it a little less wide), modifying hem by using seed stitch instead of 7 rows of garter, and starting the decorative motif immediately at the edge of the sleeve. Gradual increases to bring the sleeve width up to the correct measurement before beginning the armhole shaping.

Overall sleeve length is shorter than called for, too, I think. The finished sweater cuffs hit just between wristbones and the base of the thumb.

Using size 7 needles. I like the look of a somewhat firmer fabric, and I always end up using needles way smaller than recommended. The Sugarloaf label suggests knitting on #9 or #10, but that feels way too floppy and stretchy.

BODY
I knit the body from the top down -- this is the first time that I’ve tried this method, and just winged it on my own, guessing on techniques.

Sleeves are already finished, so those will be sewn in. I didn’t bind off the top edge of the sleeves, and plan to kitchener them to the shoulders for a flatter look. Should have started with the shoulders, then picked up stitches for the sleeves and worked those in the round without seams. That would be worth trying for anyone contemplating this pattern.

On whatever next sweater I do top-down, I’ll want to do the sleeves top-down along with the body, but for this first time I couldn’t take the plunge. Wasn’t sure if Sugarloaf would stand up to being ripped and reknit over and over…

Front shoulders were cast on using provisional method, to make it easy to seamlessly pick up those stitches for the back.

Used short rows for the modest shoulder shaping -- check out this tutorial on “Japanese” short rows for an excellent technique. Makes very smooth invisible turns.

This pattern adapts well to top-down knitting. I knit the stockinette fronts and the back simultaneously, increasing for the armholes where the printed pattern had, of course, decreases.

Joined back to front to knit as one long straight row until I had the correct length for the decorative inset panel. Was easy to slip on and model for size as I went (although with a tunic like this I wasn’t really hung-up on specific sizing, as long as it wasn’t way too big).

So, with the tunic now knit from the shoulders down to the bottom edge of the inset, it was totally easy to pick up stitches along each edge of the front and knit the decorative panels.

MODIFICATIONS: the original pattern uses different sizes of seed-stitch “onion domes” on that panel, with deeper ones at the top near the neck, and shallower ones on the midriff. Naorin’s version of the sweater shows that well.

On me that looked more unbalanced than, oh, I don’t know, slimming, so re-knit my first panel to have equally sized domes running down the front, and knit the second to match.

Also, the original pattern has a twisted-stitch-type cable thing running between the domes. It’s lovely, but I removed the little wee bit that is charted for the curve near the neckline. I just knit that area in regular stockinette and feel like it’s smoother and nicer.

Once the inset panels were done and the neckline trimmed, I picked up the necessary stitches from the bottom edges of the two panels, to continue knitting the body now in the round.

That fun lasts only briefly, because then the pattern splits into a front and back with decorative side vents. The advantage of knitting from the top down (or you can do this if you’re knitting in the round from the bottom up), is that you can add a 2/2 cable twist at the top of your side vent, so that it matches the twist at the point of the onion domes.

I had started with 14 balls of Sugarloaf. I was indeed running short but Webs came through with three additional balls in the same dyelot, even though I had originally purchased the 14 balls five months earlier. Yay Webs!

Sugarloaf is fun to knit with, and I’m glad I have more colors for additional projects, but it has short yardage, so plan ahead. Good thing it’s priced so reasonably.

Sweater is complete. I added a stockinette panel to the front opening by picking up 52 stitches on the inside of the sweater, spanning the lower two onion domes. These picked-up stitches are attached to the garter-stitch row farthest from the bound-off edge of the front opening. This allows the few remaining garter-stitch rows to overlap slightly over the triangular panel.

After knitting two rows, I used short rows to create a triangular shape. I divided the 52 stitches into quarters: work from the top to the 3/4 marker, make short-row turn, work to top, work to 1/2 marker, make short-row turn, work to top, work to 1/4 marker, make short-row turn, work to top.

Work across all 52 sts, picking up the stitches made for the short rows, work two more rows and attached/bind off in one pass by picking up the corresponding stitches on the other side of the front opening.

Overall the sweater came out a little large. I switched from bamboo needles to KnitPicks metal needles, and may not have fully compensated for this in my own knitting style (i.e., my swatch may have been more conscientiously done tighter, but in the actual construction of the sweater I may have been knitting a little looser, as I used to have to do with bamboo needles).

Also, although Sugarloaf is scrumptious and squishy, it probably isn’t the right choice for this pattern. Something a little tighter and maybe with a slight sheen would work better.

No regrets, though. It’s supremely comfortable and fun to wear. I may still add buttons to the tops of the onion domes, if someday I find some that work.

If you are eyeing this pattern, definitely consider knitting from the top down. If you haven’t done that before, then it’s time to take the plunge and teach yourself how. It’s totally the way to go with the construction of this sweater, and will allow you to fit it beautifully. I’m so glad I tried it here.