Marriner's Finessa Sweater--Finished!

I'm a sucker for great necklines. That's what drew me to this pattern from Yesterknits. I also love anything yellow. This sweater involved new challenges for me, like knitting with lace weight yarn on size 1 needles. I felt like an oaf for the first few rows, but soon enough I got used to it. I worked on it on and off for about 7 months, and finally finished this weekend. Here's the finished product (in purple).

Front view.

Back view.

Detail of dropped stitch pattern.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with the finished result. The gauge was apparently way off length-wise, which I didn't realize until I was nearly finished with the front. The pattern is not helpful at all when it comes to gauge. Under 'tension' it says: "Approximately 9 sts. to 1 inch when slightly stretched." I narrowly avoided making a mini dress with a deep v-neck. Instead, I had to stop the front early, so the v isn't as deep as I would like.

I used about 3 skeins of alpaca cloud yarn from knit picks. This was my first time ordering from them, and I was pleasantly surprised! Their prices can't be beat, and the alpaca is very soft.

This was also my first pattern order from Yesterknits. They have a great selection of vintage patterns to suit every style. My only disappointment was that I didn't realize that I would be getting a black and white copy of the pattern rather than the real thing. Even a copy in color would have been a bit more appealing. I'd still order again, though, if I found a tempting enough pattern.