I'm sure this all goes together, but it sure looks a bit scary now...My collar pieces don't look exactly like the schematic and I fear there is an errata there somewhere in the pattern, or user error, or quite possibly both. My shaping just looks wrong. I will have to get creative in my seaming. My bind-offs are jagged (my fault). I could've used a smoother method on those. Which of course I learned today after finishing those. I am not going to rip it out though. Took the afternoon with my sister and Mom, who with years of sewing and knitting experience, studied and studied the written instructions to see what could be going on with the collar, the shaping and the assembly. Another schematic to show the final assembly of pieces, as well as more complete instructions on finishing would have been quite helpful, we all agreed. More pictures showing the shrug worn the rightside up also would've been fantastic. The pattern book shows it worn upside down. I found one showing it rightside up on the Berroco blog. And I think there is possibly an errata in the collar shaping as well as in the instructions for sewing on the collar. I will modify these and sew on the collar to the front and back using the bind off edge. I still love the yarn and am not giving up on this one! Too much is at stake now!
Shown here layed out with pieces approximately where they will go before seaming is complete and before doing finishing pattern rows. These will be picked up along the cast on edges of the collar and on the bottom cast on edge of the back.
It has the cat's seal of approval now...so there's no turning back! Update: 1/26/09 After inquiring, it is confirmed that errata will be posted on Berroco site and on the Ravelry thread. Changes in collar instructions: Bind off 3 st. on the next 14 WS rows only when shaping the collars. (not every row) Also, sew on collars with BO edge to the fronts and body, not using the CO edge to sew to the body. Pattern also doesn't indicate seaming the two collars at the back of the neck.
Next step, I am picking up stitches (making new stitches where there are none basically) all along the front and neck edges and this will be the start of the ribbing needed. Though I am not sure how to pick them all up in one continuous line as the pattern reads. I will run out of cable on my circular. Unless I hold on to them with a metal stitch holder instead...hmm...the pattern didn't say I needed a humongously long cabled needle...Must be time to think about this and stop! Or go buy a really really long cabled needle!