The ShiBui Linen top looks a little better after machine washing. I washed it with a load of bath towels, then laid it flat to dry. The rolled edges are certainly behaving themselves better and the stitches have evened out.
The piece now measures 16.5″ wide at the bust and 19.75″ wide at the hem. The body measures about 16″ long to the armhole; the armhole is 7.5″ deep.
I decided that it still felt a little stiff so I threw it in another load of wash (sheets this time) and put it in the dryer with the rest of the load.
Although the stitch pattern shows up, and the piece is oh, so soft, I think that I didn’t knit enough rows for the rolled edges and I think I picked up too many stitches around the armholes — they seem a bit wavy to me.
So, I’m going to rip out edgings at the lower bottom, neck, and armholes and knit them again. For the armholes, I’ll pick up fewer stitches. For all of the edgings, I’ll work more rows. Because I machine washed and dried the sweater, I don’t want to rip out just the bind-off row, join new yarn and knit more rows as needed. There is too big a chance that the boundary will be too obvious between the old and new knitting.
You set such a good example for the rest of us Ann, with your willingness to rip and re-knit. Thanks for the inspiration!