Lessons Learned from Cropped Crochet Cardigan

I have added three more photos of my finished cropped crochet cardigan in Premiere. Julia suggested that I add some thoughts on the finished garment, so here is a brief summary of my lessons learned from this design!
Front


1) This was my first top down crochet garment, so I basically learned how to design a crochet garment from the top down.
2) I would have liked the garment to have a bit more of something...more interesting finishing or some more technical construction elements. But since this sweater was my first top down in crochet, I kept the stitch pattern and the shape simple. Now I am ready to tackle a top down design with some shaping and more complex stitch pattern(s)!
3) The yarn restrictions actually forced me to finish this garment. My original design was for a square neck (top down) blouse style top. I chose to use Premiere as well as solid stitch patterns, which did not support a "drapey" top. If I was not part of the CAL, I probably would have changed the yarn and continued down my quest for a blouse style garment. Instead, I stayed the course with Premiere (and my stitch pattern) and came out with a completely different garment! But now I feel more confident about designing my "blouse" style garment with a more complex stitch pattern and some shaping.

Side


Whew! That is it for now, and I hope to move on to my Splendour sweater soon! Thanks again for the CAL's input on my cropped crochet cardigan.

Close-up of Stitch Pattern