Rusted Root

Pattern: Rusted Root from Zephyr Style (XS)

Yarn: King Tut cotton (~2.5 skeins)

Modifications:

-I started by knitting the neckline with a tubular cast-on, instead of leaving it to be picked up and knit after the sweater was finished. Personally, I do prefer the neat edge of the tubular cast on.

-I omitted the lace panel and instead used a simple purl swiss dot pattern across the front & back. It's just stockinette with a purl every sixth stitch on every sixth row, staggering every other purl row by three stitches.

-I added three rows of hip increases (and I'm very thankful I did; I can't imagine this would fit without them).

-I knit two extra rounds of plain stockinette after picking up the sleeve stitches, before knitting the ribbed edges, just to get the round going again. Also, on the first picked-up round of each sleeve, I ended up picking up about 5 stitches along the gap between the beginning and end of the round to close the hole.

-I substituted 1x1 ribbing wherever 2x1 ribbing was called for.

-I used size 6 needles instead of size 4 for the ribbing at the bottom hem, because I know I tend to bind off a little too tightly. Also, I knit 6 rounds of hem ribbing instead of 4 as called for by the pattern.

Notes:
The pattern was pretty easy to follow (except for the part about knitting the neckline last--why would you want to do that??), and I had about 1/3-1/2 a skein of yarn leftover. I noticed several other knitters commented on their sleeves not poufing out much, and mine were about the same. I think this is because the k1f&bx4 row in each sleeve sits too far in on my shoulder; although my bust size matches the XS, my shoulders are probably closer to the S, so the neckline pulls in too much and makes the poufy part of the sleeve lie flat. If you think you might have this problem, I'd suggest starting off by knitting the larger of the two sizes you're between, and then add a few extra decrease rows in the body, under the bust. As for the yarn, I found it to be very similar to Classic Elite Provence, which is to say it was great to work with, aside from the occasional split. It's got rich color and a great sheen; I'd definitely use it again.