ta da!

Just in time to catch the last cool days of spring...

(click photo to make it a little bigger)
This ended up as one dense sweater. But I love it! My yarn was a heavy worsted wool from a farmer's market. It's bulkier, stiffer, and more rustic-feeling than the Cascade 220.

I departed from the pattern in a number of ways. Minor modifications included knitting every row instead of purling, switching to a horseshoe cable, and adjusting for gauge, size, etc. The more significant modification is that I did a short-row button band that only buttons up the bottom half of the sweater. I go into a bit more detail on my blog, but basically the pattern's strategy of making large decreases below the bust wasn't necessary for someone with a less curvy figure, like me. Since I didn't feel like reknitting the body, I started experimenting with an asymmetrical button band. And this is what I ended up with!

My main concern with the finished sweater is that my collar ended up very, very weird. I have no idea why it angles out instead of in. It was hard to see how it was going to lay until I'd already finished a good part of the yoke, and I was hopeful that I could block it to lay at a different angle. No such luck. At some point I plan to cut it off and replace it.

It's been very helpful to read about all of your experiences with this sweater. Thanks!