I haven't woven in any ends yet, but otherwise I have finished the sewing for Elizabeth I and the neck did shrink down quite a bit, aided by my radical decreasing (way beyond what is called for in the pattern).

Results: First the sweater itself is just beautiful, in my humble opinion. I am very proud that I finally got it to this stage and that it came out looking so wonderful. BUT, there are small gathers all the way around the neck caused by my extreme decreasing. They're not unattractive, but I know it would look a lot better if they were not there. I'll try blocking and if that doesn't work, I'll rip out the neck and do my decreasing over several rows instead of all at once. The real problem is that I seem to have made the whole thing one size too big. It's looks lovely on but is long and loose and I had hoped that it would be more form fitting. I still don't seem to have the hang of estimating how big/small to knit stuff for me and how to regulate the amount of ease. I do take measurements and compare with other garments but I always seem to be just a little off. I was actually worried that this sweater would be tight!

So, I am a little disappointed that the sweater didn't come out exactly as I had imagined it, but I do love it and I am looking forward to wearing it after it's all finished. In fact, now that I know that it's not perfect, I should feel more comfortable about putting it on and exposing it to the harsh elements outside of the closet!