"I Told You So!" Sweater Update

   See, I told you!  I said right here in this blog that the sweater I was going to make for my granddaughter was going to kick my ass. And it is!  It started right at the beginning.
  
   This pattern is different, I may have mentioned, than any other I've used. It took me quite a while to get the measurement of the back piece right. Which means doing a few rows, and if it's not right, frogging it and starting over. So I finally got it right. I finished the back piece, no problem.

   Then it took me, literally, over an hour to get the right number of chain stitches for the first front piece. I did finally get it, and finished that piece too. The second front was easier, since I knew how many stitches it would take. I just had to figure out if the chain was loose or tight. Turns out it was tight. So the two fronts are exactly the same. I'm getting there!
    When I start the sleeve, I notice that it's only an 8 inch circumference. The arm holes in the other pieces added up to over 12 inches. So what did I do wrong? I text messaged my friend, and she suggested I email the designer, so I did. It just seemed improbable that the sleeve would stretch that much. I know, I tried to stretch it, it wouldn't go that big.
   Laying in bed this morning, I started thinking about it. I couldn't get back to sleep because I was thinking. I decided that the three pieces I had finished were too long, from the armpit up to the shoulder. If I take off about 2 inches from the top of each shoulder, the sleeves will fit. So when I got up, that's what I did.

   Then I read the response from the designer. She said that the sleeves will stretch to fit the armhole. Maybe they would if I had used the recommended yarn for the project. But the yarn I am using is a worsted weight cotton, not a sock yarn. So I think I'm going to stick with my original decision, since my granddaughter is on the tiny side, and I thought the sweater looked too long from the shoulder anyway.

   Here are the photos I took yesterday, before I frogged the 2 inches. Don't you agree it looks too long in the shoulder/neckline area?

   So now I think I'm on the right track, and I'm back to work on the first sleeve. In my next update, I will include new photos taken after the "adjustments". 

   All in all, I do recommend this sweater pattern. It's the Autumn Cardigan by Lisa van Klaveren, of www.hollanddesigns.etsy.com.  It does crochet up quickly. I can't wait to see it all finished, with the cute buttons and everything.