I love a top-down set-in sleeve. As long as the armhole is the right depth and you pick up the right number of stitches to get the sleeve diameter that you want the result will be a perfectly fitting sleeve. At least that has been my experience. I use the method laid out in Barbara Walker’s Sweaters from the Top Down to work my top-down set-in sleeves, and it is very simple and easy to follow. I did not follow the pattern directions for the short rows to shape the sleeve caps, as there were (in my opinion) too few short rows to get me a sleeve cap that would fit. I also did not do German short rows, just wrap and turn, and no working of the wrap on the return row. If I had followed the pattern directions I would have worked a lot fewer short rows as the pattern called for working 3 stitches past the double stitch before turning, and I worked up to the previous wrapped stitch, and then wrapped the next stitch and turned. I did use the pattern directions as guidance on the number of stitches to pick up.
I will continue to work the sleeves together, alternating between them as I use up the first three skeins of my set.
Pattern: Nila by Natasja Hornsby
Yarn: The Unique Sheep Kiri
Needle: US 2.5 (3.0 mm), US 2 (2.75 mm)
