WIP- Taiyo Summer Vest/Tunic/Something-or-other

So, I've been on a bit of a neon kick lately. See here and here for inspirations. I impulse-bought these 8 skeins of Noro Taiyo at work last week. I decided I needed something brainless to knit on and a finished garment that I could actually wear in the summer. It's not the thinnest yarn (heavy worsted), but I like it a lot. I'd probably be wearing it most at work (which has a/c) and in the evenings, anyway. I can't stand 100% cotton, but Taiyo is great. It's like a much softer version of Silk Garden. It's 40% cotton, 30% silk, 15% wool, and 15% nylon.

Unfortunately the mindless knitting is about to come to an end, though I'm extending it by putting the front on hold and working the back to the same point. It's getting close to time to decide on neck and shoulder shaping. The original idea was to do a simple tee sort of like this one but without the cowl.

I've since decided to go with a somewhat oversized 80's look since I'm knitting with neon yarn and a somewhat thick yarn. I'm pretty sure I'm set on a fairly long length, and the bottom ribbing is made to be the same width as the garment instead of pulling in. I haven't done any shaping in the body.

I decided to work it flat and seam it because I don't want the stripes to be thinner and I think the structure that seams give would be nice to help keep the garment from stretching. That means I should be as careful as possible to make the stripes match front and back. One of the skeins on the front had 1 notorious Noro knot that didn't seem to affect the color sequence. The first skein of the back so far has had 1 knot that drastically changed the color sequence. I had to go digging in the skein to find the right spot to continue. Another good reason for buying extra yarn when it's Noro.

My plan is to skip any armhole shaping and pick up in ribbing around the arm. This is how my Catronia vest is made, and I really like it. It results in a sort of baby cap sleeve. Catronia has shoulder shaping, so I should probably do some here as well. Not a big deal, but I have to decide the most attractive way to do it. Short rows and a 3 needle bind off are appealing, but I have to be careful not to create wedges with the stripes. I have boatloads of extra yarn and it's not all that many short rows, so I should be able to pull it off.

I'm still trying to figure out the neckline. Something off-the-shoulder or close to it would be the literal interpretation. An actual traditional boatneck where you knit lots of ribbing and sew it up wouldn't work with the drop shoulder "sleeves." It would result in ribbing dropping down over the shoulder and being connected to the armhole ribbing.
The remaining options are a wide and shallow squared off neck or a wide and shallow scoop neck. I think the wide and shallow scoop neck wins.

While grabbing links for this post, I noticed that Ravelry is releasing a new search feature and every pattern needs to be reclassified. I'm about to go do all of my designs. Starting in a few days, they are going to ask everyone for help and you will be eligible for prizes if you help classify designs that aren't your own that still need it. Details here.

PS- I've finished the handspun pillow panel. I just bought a 20" pillow to use with it. Now I have to decide how to make the rest of the pillow. Does anyone have any experience sewing handknits to fabric pillowcases? It seems like a bad idea to me. My new default idea is to knit a back panel in black Manos del Uruguay. It would either be on the bias like the front or center-out with square increases.