Because I fell in love with a yarn which was the wrong weight for this pattern (Fibra Natura Sea Song in Sea Colors), I have been struggling to knit the Gracefully Gathered Halter Top in Knitting Lingerie Style by Joan McGowan Michael. The gauge is totally different, so I had to completely rewrite the pattern for the correct stitch count.
The pattern specifies the finished size of the top rather than the body measurement, so I decided to allow an inch or two of ease around the bust. Mistake! After knitting a few inches, my top was looking way too wide, but I had a naive hope that all would be well when I blocked it. However after knitting 6 inches, it was painfully clear that the top was way way way too large.
I frogged it completely, and started over again, with a circumference 20 stitches smaller. After a few inches of that, it was clearly still much to big, so I had to frog it again!
I eventually realized that, since on me the last complete round (shown as red in the diagram at the left) is below my bust (shown in pink), for me the circumference should be based on my under bust measurement, rather than my bust measurement. (This may not have been the way the designer intended it to fit, but then she won't be wearing it.) This is my third attempt, with a circumference of 140 stitches at the widest points (vs. the original 186), which gives slightly less than zero ease under the bust.
I stayed up way too late last night to finish it, trying it on periodically. I have got the circumference right at last (yay), although I had some trouble because now my circular needle is a bit too long (80 cm/~31" needle, ~71cm/~28" wide knitting). However, when I finally added the straps, I found that they cut painfully into my underarm area (where I put red circles on the photo at the top). This is partly my fault because I decreased by 12 stitches as specified in the pattern rather than adjusting for the smaller gauge of the yarn I was using, and I guess partly because I'm built differently. I'm going to have to frog the strap and top few inches and redo it two or three inches narrower. I'm also going to make the straps quite a bit longer, since I want to be able to tie them in a bow which is currently impossible. They are currently 16", I plan to make them 24" at least.
