Anatomy of a Shirt

The way a sleeve is attached to a shirt is likely something you've not given much thought.  I've made some very high-tech illustrations to help.  Please do try not to be overawed.

In t-shirts, the front is basically a rectangle with a little dip cut out for your neck.  The sleeves are slapped on the side of the rectangle.

In dress shirts and many sweaters, the sleeve is "set in," which means it's oddly shaped at the top and fits into the front of the shirt with a curve.

If you pretend you're looking at one of the front pieces of a cardigan, for example, it would look something like the picture above.  There's a big dip where the sleeve will be sewn in, and then there's a smaller dip on the other side where the neck is.

These are on opposite sides because, in fact, your arm is quite a distance from your neck.

I'm telling you this because I have not once but twice knit the front of a cardigan with the arm and neck dips on the same side.

The Bristow cardigan is going fine.  Why do you ask?