Slink, Complete.

It's FINALLY FINISHED!! I really like how it turned out, although it is a bit heavy for an almost sleeveless knit. I wish that it had been done on a finer gauge yarn. Here are my notes:

Yarn: Classic Elite Rockford Cotton. This is an Egyptian cotton yarn that is currently discontinued. My mother found this for me at a yard sale in Massachusetts. I had enough of the eggplant color to finish this top with about 6 yards to spare. It was meant to be, me thinks.

Pattern: "The Slink" by Jennifer Stafford, found in the book DomiKNITrix: Whip your knitting into shape. Great pattern, almost no mistakes that weren't corrected on the website (I did find a misprint on the schematic, but I emailed Jennifer about it. She was very sweet and even sent me a free t-shirt for my trouble. Totally not necessary, but very sweet).

Pattern Notes: The top is cast on using a provisional cast on, knit sideways around the body, shaping for the armholes and neckline and then the provisional c/o is removed and the sweater is "seamed" using kitchener stitch. Can I just say right now that I had never used kitchener stitch before. The result isn't the neatest looking seam in the world, but it is hidden by my arm, and my SNB girls assure me that it is barely noticeable. If it bugs me too much, I may take it out and re-do it. I love that I have that option.
The sideways knitting proves a unique challenge. More than ever before, my ROW gauge was more important that my STITCH gauge. The wonderful thing about this pattern is that for the very first set of sized repeats, Jennifer gives a measurement of how long your piece should be. VERY helpful, because while my stitch gauge was dead on, my row gauge was apparently off a LOT, and while I was attempting to make one of the larger sizes, I realized that due to my row gauge issues, I would have to use the smallest size for all the length repeats. Turns out that it fits perfectly, so I must have done something right.
Finally, what I love about this pattern is the leeway that is given. You can make a cropped top or a tunic length, the neckline can be plunging, revealing or modest. Jennifer is very specific about where to add or subtract from the pattern to make the top all your own.

I must say the most gratifying thing ever was putting the book with the pattern on the shelf after I was completely finished with the top. As this was my very first large wearable FO, I'm proud and happy!