A "Fast Knit" sweater that takes me forever

I downloaded a pattern from the internet. The Tivoli t-shirt. Seamless top-down, my favorite type of sweater. I don't like to do seams so whenever I can I convert whatever pattern I'm doing to knitting in the round anyway. I like top-down sweaters because I can try them on as I go and adjust the arm holes and other such fun things. I have started this darn project about 4 times before getting it right. I was beginning to think I'd never get past row 20. So, casting on and ripping out have dominated a great deal of time for this project. I am now up to row 27....10 more rows and I can begin the waist shaping. I am having better luck with the yarn than the pattern maker had with the yarn, hopefully my luck will hold and I'll finish this sweater/top in this lifetime. Hopefully it will look as good on me as it does on the "real people" models from the site where I found the pattern.....