My first sweater, and everything that went wrong
I started it in January with the confidence of someone who had only ever made scarves. Nine months later it fits, mostly. The sleeves are different lengths, the neckline is generous, and I have learned more about gauge than I ever wanted to know.
The pattern called for a worsted weight yarn at 18 stitches over four inches. My swatch said 16. I decided the swatch was wrong, which, as every knitter eventually learns, it was not.
What saved the project was a long winter and a very patient friend who showed me how to pick up stitches along an edge without leaving a ridge. I wear the sweater at home, mostly, where nobody counts the sleeves.