I finally got up the courage to sew on a sleeve last night and it didn't go well. The sleeve seam is bulky and somehow I screwed up the armhole shaping. The sleeve is a little puffy at the underarm hole. It's also a bit small.
I don't like the way this is turning out so I'm thinking about just ripping it all out and using the yarn for a felted hand bag. Would I really wear this sweater when it's all done? Probably not. I'm not so into the color anymore. On the other hand, I'd like to see it all finished. I should sew on the other sleeve and the buttons, just to see the fit. Once I understand where I went wrong, I should adjust the pattern accordingly. I have no idea how to do that, but I'm guessing I should add more stitches across the back and maybe I should not bind off as many stitches as the pattern calls for in the armhole shaping.
Sounds like a plan. Next time I'll make the sweater in black.