Stephanie

Easy to follow overall. Directions for joining pieces weren’t very clear, but customer service was super helpful! If you get stuck, email them. They even offered to help me if I sent in pictures of my project. The sweater came out well; I chose size S & it fits great. I do recommend getting an extra skein of yarn. I did a gauge swatch with Easy Care (same yarn weight/yardage as Soft Alpaca) and still used 8 skeins & I opted for no collar (personal preference).
Suggestions to improve the pattern: add a bit more direction when it comes time to join the front, back & two arms. Add a suggested sewing method. Simplify collar decrease instructions ie. sc until one stitch before stitch marker then sc2tog. Beginners need more guidance. If this were added, then definitely 5 stars.
Overall, I recommend this pattern even to absolute beginners. There are some ugly duckling parts but it will come out right. If you get confused, email customer service, they’re awesome!