I sewed the sleeves on my Lauralund yesterday.

I didn’t sew up the sleeves, I just sewed them to the body so I could get a feel for how the sweater would look on me. As I suspected, the body is too big around. It isn’t as loose as I thought it would be, but the extra circumference does unflattering things, mainly in the back.

Remember in Disney’s Little Mermaid? At the end, when King Triton rises out of the water to wish his snotty, rebellious daughter (who had almost single handedly destroyed the world because she was too selfish and short sighted to behave like an adult) well as she leaves her family and heritage for some guy she’s only known for three days? (No, those are NOT editorial comments, I’m sticking to the facts). Right, so when he rises out of the water, and you see him from the back, the image that sticks out to me more than any other are the significant rolls of fat under each shoulder blade at his sides. Well, that is sort of what my Lauralund looks like in the back. Mind you, it is the appearance of ample fatty rolls, they are not an actuality, but it isn’t flattering, just the same.

So. Nate likes the sweater though he agrees it needs tweaking. I think it has potential to be pretty darned cute. I’m trying to decide what to do about the fit. I think if I frog the top and reknit the top half, gradually decreasing so it’ll hug my chest, it could work. I’m loving the seed stitch and the sleeves. The verdict is still out whether or not I’ll need to lengthen them. I intentionally knit them top down to allow myself an easy way to add or subtract length. It is possible that I also need to tighten the sleeves to avoid the droopage in the back, but then the sleeves would be tight, and it’s such a bulky yarn, I don’t see that working. What to do, what to do…..

Oh, and Susan rocks for her suggestion in the comments yesterday.

“… Also, there’s one here: http://fibertrends.com/viewer/patterns/CH13x.html
if you’re thinking of a paddington bear sort of look.”

Thank you, my dear. That will most likely save my sanity whilst upping the odds that Olivia will get a decent coat that fits.