Thinking About Making a Sweater

 I'm thinking about making a sweater.  Today I am wearing this top:

Clearly I wasn't wearing it in the picture.  (As an aside note on the changeableness of the weather here in Pittsburgh it went from brilliantly sunny to this overcast in the time it took me to go upstairs, grab a hanger and throw on a t-shirt then come back down to the porch.  Literally about 3 minutes.)  

Anyway, about this top.  There are things I like about it, things I'm not sure about, and things I don't like.  The things I like I will put in my sweater. 

I like:

• The high-low bottom edge
• The length - the back comes to just below my bum and the front hits me perfectly at about my crotch (is that low hip?)
• The sleeve length - 3/4 sleeves are my favorite
• The print detail at the bottom edge and the neckline
• The gathered detail at the front, it's hard to see here because it's a dark fabric; but trust me it's gathered in the center of the neckline, just under the print band

Things I'm not sure of:

• The color.  I have nothing against navy, but I'm not committed to it.  I do want something dark, though.  
• The neckline insert.  Not sure I care for the contrasting color.  I've always felt it was too much with the print band.
• The shaping.  It's slightly A-Line, I wonder if it would be better with a shaped waist.

Things I don't like:

• The size.  It's too big for me currently, I'd make a sweater a size smaller.
• The elastic at the bottom of the sleeve.  This is the thing I dislike the most.  A narrowing cuff/sleeve edge, but no ribbing.
• The neckline depth.   I want it a bit higher.  Just a tad.

As a sweater I see this in a darker solid with a coordinating variegated trim at the bottom and neck edge.  I'd drop the neck insert, but keep the gather.  Keep the length, and the A-Line shaping too. I can't decide how to knit the contrast trim.  That's definitely something I'd have to research/swatch.  Hmmm.  This was very helpful.