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The collar

I really like the way the collar looks … now. But once I put the button bands on, it will be 1.75 to 2″ wider on each side, and hang down over the shoulder( and I can’t leave the button bands off, or it won’t close).

I could re-knit the collar, and pick up fewer stitches across the saddles and back neck, but not 4″ worth, without leaving puckers. Decisions.

Construction notes: double needle pickup across the saddles and back neck, to a height of 1″ across the back neck, tapered with short rows along the saddles to 0.25″ where the saddles meet the front. Fronts then knit from live stitches connecting along the saddles with short rows to the level of the back neck, where the rest of the stitches were picked up and knit across. 

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Seaming

It took a lot longer than I would have predicted. but the backs, fronts and sleeves are all seamed. After all that ripping and re-knitting, the sleeve caps went in without much trouble — it actually took more ripping and re-seaming to get the saddles to sit straight across the stair-stepped shoulder decreases. the whole thing looks like a depressingly rumpled and shrunken mess, but until it is washed and blocked, that is to be expected. I really like the way the saddles look, but I guess they will be lost underneath the collar.

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Sleeves

Lots and lots of ripping and re-knitting, both of the transition between the cuff and sleeve body pattern, and the sleeve caps (along with the saddles). It took a couple of tries before I felt I had a good match between the cap and the armhole, but I think I’m finally there — seaming will tell.