Drops Circle Jacket

Sorry for the headless picture, from the whole bunch of them I couldn't find one that will show the jacket well and me having a normal look on my face. For some reason I look sad and unhappy on most of them and I don't want to give an impression that I don't like the jacket. It was finished last Friday and I've been waiting for a chance to have the pictures taken in the outside light to show the real color, a true rich turquoise.

Started: May 13, 2007
Finished:May 18th, 2007
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cotton DK in Turquoise, 13 1/2 skeins
Crochet hook: 4mm
Pattern: Drops Design Circle jacket, pattern 99-3
Modifications: made the actual circle smaller, so that the jacket is not that long.

To anyone who wants to make this jacket I'd suggest to get as close to the recommended gauge as possible and follow the instructions. The positioning of the sleeves is very important here. I first decided to position them almost on the same level as the center of the circle, like on my other circle jacket and it was a mistake. In that position you will have a very large collar and to make the jacket long enough, you'll have to add to the diameter. It was nice to have a lot of knitted material to wrap around myself in the winter jacket, but not such a good idea with the summer one. Also, this way the center is located in the middle of my back and is visible from under the collar.

Anyway, the verdict is - I love it! The pattern is simple,well written and easy to follow even for people like me who dislike row-by-row instructions. And because of the big gauge it knits up really fast. Or should I say crochets up?