Just a long border to go

Thank you for your sweet comments on my Sweet Pea! I am happy with my creation and will be wearing it around soon. Though, it may take some time as I haven't had the chance to take out of my closed yet as it has been very warm around here. ( 30C - 80F).
In meantime, I still need to work with light weight yarn. Here is a progress on my Pine Cone that is just missing the border. A long one, over 250 sts and that will include the collar part. This is not my favorite part as I don't like to have many stitches to work in a row. In the design, the border pattern is illustrated apart from the other pieces and there were no drawing links to the rest of the cardi. So I don't know for sure if the collar should be knitted apart and then later mended to the body or if the stitches should be grafted from around the edgings of the front parts. I think I will opt for the first choice. The reason is that I find it hard to graft a given number of stitches. I don't want to run the risk of having to recalculate the position of the button holes. I like to just take easy and follow the pattern's calculation.

Did you notice that the sleeves look kind limp and funny? I had to reajust them by taking many stitches out. About 10 sts, maybe I should have taken 6 instead and the effect wouldn't leave me with funny sleeves. But when I tried on, it looked to be all right. Their sizing was way too loose and I was afraid that it would be even looser with time.

In beetween my mending sections ( one needs some break for mending jobs), I found my old WIP, remember Iris? The photo below was taken some time ago. Look at the unfinished shoulders section and the short ribbing part.

I had archived the photo and classified it as an UFO for feeling that it was too small but could not let it just be unravelled in a blink. I had lost interest on this top for carrying it for too long. Besides of the sizing problem, I was not satisfied with the uneven tubular stitch border.
Now taking a second look at all those twisting works and the fact that it was knitted with Needles Japanese 4 ( 3.3 mm), I felt it was pity to let it go! I took a second measurement against a fitted top and it didn't look that small. In addition, I have the feelings that it will eventually stretch more.
( Please ignore the odd background as photo was taken in a glass table, the knitted piece was not so clear in other settings)

I finished the shoulder area for the back and redid the ribbing by cutting the old one away ( not an easy job) and knitted the border up down. I knitted a longer one for coverage purposes.( tummy issues ;)).