FO - Cadence

So in the midsts of Lauriel going wrong and Christmas stress, I decided I needed some gratification. Preferably in the garment direction. I dug out some wool I'd got the the BaaRamEwe sale way back in August and trawled ravelry for something with more or less the right yardage.

Pattern: Cadence by Jordana Paige, from Knitty Fall 2012.
Yarn: King Cole Merino Blend Aran (7 balls) in the colour 782 Turquoise, which I think has now been discontinued. Bought from BaaRamEwe in August Sale for about £18.
Mods: oh tons, mainly to make it fit for my long body and long arms. I kept to the pattern for the beginning part, but then I knit the sleeves and body all in parallel so I could make maximum use of the yarn. Overall, I'd say I added about 1.5" to the sleeves and maybe 1-1.5" to the body, and I'm glad I did - I think the size has turned out perfectly. However, I was running out of yarn at the eleventh hour and cut about 3 rows off the ribbing around the body; necessary as I have less than 5 yards or yarn left!
It would seem this is my actual first garment, blocked and ready to rock. I would heartily recommend it to anyone else wanting to start down the garment track. You knit from the top down, put some stiches onto scrap yarn for the sleeves, and then crack on with the body. The pattern does contain my four least favourite words to find in a knitting pattern - 'at the same time' - but I just wrote down what needed doing on what row and that was fine.
Overall, I am chuffed with the way it turned out. The yarn and pattern work well together, I love the colour and it fits really well.

Photos courtesy of Stepcuddles