"Natasha" Sweater

I've been working on the "Natasha" sweater. I'm not exactly sure what to call it, since the patterns in the booklet are all named by the yarn specified. This sweater is supposed to be knit in Adrienne Vittadini Natasha, but I'm using Rowan Kid Classic instead. Natasha knits up at a gauge of 17 stitches per 4", while Rowan Kid Classic is 18 stitches per 4". The Petite size has a 39" bust which I thought seemed a bit large, so I knit it at a tighter gauge with the Kid Classic, and the fit is great. I'm really loving this sweater. Here's the progress so far:

I decided to knit the back plain. I like the asymmetry of the design and felt that mirroring the back on the front would detract a bit from that.

The sweater is half-assedly seamed for several reasons. I intend to rip out the seaming, but I wanted to see how the sweater fit in several areas before I make some decisions. The first problem I needed to work out was with the sleeve directions. The sleeve is knit on the bias, and the sleeve directions say to knit until the length of the sleeve is 15" before beginning the ribbing. I was unsure of whether to knit until the long part (yellow line) of the sleeve is 15" or the short part (blue line) is 15". After trying on the sweater and comparing it with the pattern picture, I'm going with the short side.

The other change I want to make is with the neckline. The mock turtleneck isn't quite my style, and with the mohair that will itch like mad, so I'm considering reworking it into a v-neck or crewneck. No decision there yet. I showed it to The Knitters, and they're with me on nixing the turtleneck. The question is what to do with the neckline edge.

So far I'm really loving this sweater. The construction is pretty neat with the body knit from the bottom up, and then the sleeves knit top down with a triangular bias. I can't wait to get to the ribbing on the sleeves.