It’s done, the hand of the knitted fabric feels great, and it fits as well as you can expect from a drop-shoulder design. The extreme taper to the sleeves seems a little odd, but I will wear it for a while before deciding if any adjustments are needed:
I found these 3 buttons in my stash and they are perfect. I don’t plan on buttoning/unbuttoning as it pulls over my head just fine. But they make a nice decorative finish to the neckline:
I’m entering it in the county fair next week in the “Fleece to Finished Item” category.
Twisp of Fate 
It’s beautiful, Katie! I hope you and Rick are feeling better, too. I’ll bet this will win a very grand prize.
What a lovely sweater! I think you will get the grand prize ribbon. What is the stand that you have it hanging on?
Thanks you guys! Holly, it’s a “wooly board” – or sweater dryer.
K – can’t believe you can knit a sweater so quickly, but it came out beautifully! and those buttons are wonderful! not much knitting at the state fair here (we visited a week ago) but lots of quilting and crochet work.