I finished my Lettuce Coat last Thursday, but have been too busy to blog it (of course, I did find time to mark it finished in Ravelry, for some reason I am a slave to keeping Ravelry up to date). It is a very comfy coat, and fits like a coat, meaning that from a side view, it's a little bulky, but the front split opening adds a suggestion of slimness on the front view. 
It's knit from the top down with a provisional cast on at the shoulders which is then used to knit the fronts until they all merge under the arm. I had never knit a sweater this way and it was enjoyable because it kept my attention, waiting to see what comes next. However, I still dislike wrassling a sweater around in my lap, especially when you knit the whole body and then pick up stitches for the sleeves. I was worried that the weight of the coat would elongate the stitches at the shoulder seam, but they are holding nicely. Also, there are no buttonholes to knit, you attach I-cord loops as you trim the fronts in I-cord. The wooden buttons really accent it, I think. I was supposed to carry the I-cord all the way down into the Brioche rib, but it made the lower corners curl, so I removed it. The brioche rib is reversible and doesn't curl, and it creates a nice selvedge chain that can stand on it's own.
Here's the side view I was talking about. A little bulky in the waist, but it's still flattering. And warm!
This is a closeup of the Malabrigo Red Java colorway, I love how the colors range between pink, rust, brown, red and all shades in between.Okay, no more cheating, I have to finish my Giraffe Jacket before spring!
