Following

And here we have it.  Joined fronts.

I was so thrilled to be at this point last night, that I completely forgot to read the pattern and joined the fronts willy nilly.  I was supposed to set up the little detail at the front of the neck and I completely forgot.  Because the detail has slipped stitches, I am going to go back one row and do it right.  It's not a big deal.  

I can't wait to get to where I can try this one after I join at the underarms.  I have never followed a pattern exactly before or at least have very rarely.   I am on  this sweater for a couple reasons. 

First, it is a completely new shoulder shaping for me.  I have no way to know if the shaping will sit right or feel right till I try it.  I also don't know where it will need adaptations to really fit me the way I want a sweatshirt style garment to fit. It seemed logical to start with the measurements that are given, the gauge as given and place my trust in the designer.

Second, the designer.  Ysolda Teague has long been a vocal proponent of designing sweaters to fit all bodies.  She was an early adopter of size inclusivity and genderless inclusivity. She designs for people. Period. I like that and I have since her book, Little Red in the City as well as her participation on Ravelry on  boards where people talked about sizing issues like patterns graded by percentages rather than how people are built.  I have strong admiration for her work. If I am ever going to put someone else in the drivers seat on a pattern, it would be someone such as her.  

But it is hard, when your whole knitting career has been learning to make it up as you go along.