Stripes and Stripes and Stripes…Minimalist-ish.

Swinging Stripe Cardigan

Note: This sweater is inspired by the shape of the Minimalist Cardigan from Interweave Knits, Fall 2007. I owe my aesthetic inspiration entirely to Ruthie Nussbaum, but the following pattern notes are all my own. I did not pilfer any part of Ruthie’s pattern and try to pass it off as my own, because that would be really really lame.

That said, here’s how I did it.

I am a sucker for top down raglans, so I started with a simple raglan formula as my “skeleton”. If you’ve seen or knitted my other patterns, you should be familiar with the idea by now. I am knitting this sweater in worsted weight yarn (in Cascade 220…since it’s my favorite go-to yarn). My gauge with this yarn and a size 9 needle is 18 stitches/ 4 inches.

I decided on a neckline that was a little wide, to leave room for the band of stockinette that will be attached later. If I were knitting a complete pullover raglan, I would cast on 90 stitches, to give myself a 20 inch neckline. BUT, we are knitting an open-fronted cardigan.

In the case of a pullover, the cast on amount would be divided into thirds…two thirds would make up the front and the back, and the third third would be split to make the sleeves. (So, during a cast on of 90 stitches, you would CO 30, pm, CO 15, pm, CO30, pm, CO15, pm.)

Since we want an open front, We will leave the front section of the raglan out entirely. Instead, we will cast on only the sleeves and the back, PLUS two stitches on each side of the front to support our first few increases. So, cast on goes like this:

CO2, pm, CO15, pm, CO 30, pm, CO 15, pm, CO2

That’s 64 stitches total cast on.

Knit two rows in stockinette to begin, then proceed with raglan increasing to shape the yoke of the sweater. This means increasing before and after each marker on every RS row. I increased like so:

knit to the second stitch before the marker, kfb (knit front and back), knit, slip marker, knit, kfb, repeat…

Continue increasing this way until your sleeves are the desired width and the yoke is deep enough, making sure to switch your yarn every 14 rows to create nice thick stripes (you can cut your yarn and leave tails to weave in, OR carry your yarn up the rows as you knit.) Make sure to try the sweater on as you go. Once the two stitch markers JUST meet under your arm, you should be good to go. The keyword here is JUST. You don’t want the markers to overlap, or meet in the air a few inches below your underarm. The fit should be snug around the shoulder. Knitting until the underarm is loose will leave you with a much baggier fit.

Once your armholes are large enough, place them on waste yarn, or on spare circular needles, and attach the front to the back of the sweater.
When you come to the two sleeve markers, remove them both and knit the last stitch of the front, and the first stitch of the back together. Place marker again and continue. Repeat on the other side.

Now you are knitting happily away on the body, continuing your stripes. To add a little bit of movement to the sweater, increase before and after the side markers every 14 rows or so. This will give the body a little extra room to swing around.

When you near the end of the body, count your stitches and make sure you have a multiple of 4. If not, add or subtract stitches to get an appropriate amount. When you reach the end of a stripe, switch colors as before and knit two rows in regular stockinette.
On the third row, go down two needle sizes (I used a size 7) and knit in 3×1 rib for 9 rows. On the tenth row, bind off in pattern.

Ta da! Your body is complete! You now have a decision to make. You could either knit your sleeves and THEN the collar, or finish your collar and THEN tackle the sleeves.
I went with the collar first.

COLLAR:
Firstly, you want to be aware of your length. Take a minute and carefully measure your sweater from one front edge, up and around the neckline, and back down to the opposite edge. This is how long you want your collar band to be.

For my collar, I cast on 18 stitches. You want it to be pretty wide, since the edges will roll, even after blocking. Decide which of your two colors you want to use for the collar, and cast on your desired amount. Now knit in stockinette until you can’t knit anymore.

DO NOT knit all the way to the length you noted when you measured your collar. The best way to be sure your collar is exactly the right length is to seam it on while you are still knitting. This is the best way to see how your stitches line up, and how many rows you need to knit in order to get it perfectly lined up. So, knit about ¾ of the way to the length you are shooting for, and then begin to seam the collar onto the body of the sweater.

When you reach the last row, bind off, complete your seaming, and admire your work.

SLEEVES:
The sleeves are very straightforward. No shaping is required, so you will just knit in the stripe pattern until your sleeves reach to just below your elbows. You WILL want to count your stitches and make sure you have a multiple of 4, to plan for the ribbing at the cuff. As with the body, add or subtract stitches to make an appropriate number. When you reach the desired length, switch colors like normal, knit two rows in plain stockinette, 9 in 3×1 rib, and then bind off in pattern. Repeat on the second sleeve.

Finishing:
Weave in all ends and block, paying particular attention to the collar, as the edge will be very keen to roll up on itself.

VOILA! SWEATER!!

Done and Done….

I finished my February Lady Sweater this week…finally.
It seems like every time I have a large project going, I hit this obligatory lull about 2/3 of the way through it. I can’t figure out if it’s boredom or fear of finishing. I think it’s a bit of both.
But I powered through the second sleeve this week and made it happen…weaved in the ends and even blocked it (I have never seriously blocked anything before. Is that wrong of me?)
I think I need to block the sleeves again, because I am impatient and an amateur, but overall, I am quite happy with the finished product. It is both delightfully fancy-schmancy and a perfect office sweater. And when I say office, I mean “slippers and comfy pants time”, not “business casual”.

Here’s the deets:
February Lady Sweater by Flint Knits
in Cascade 220…Summer Sky Heather
Knitted on size 9 Addis and my fave cheapo plastic DPNs.

I made some “mods” (read: I’m terrible at following patterns). I’m so accustomed to my own preferred method of knitting from the top down, that I kind of ignored a lot of the instructions. When it came time to execute the eyelet increases, I decided to leave the sleeve increases out, since I like a nice fitted sleeve, rather that a wizardly bell. I also didn’t cast on any extra stitches when I separated the sleeves from the body, so my sleeve to body ratio was quite a bit more drastic than the original pattern. It worked out quite nicely, though. I ended up with 49 stitches for each sleeve, which is exactly the amount of sleeve I like.
I ended up with a couple inches of negative ease in the bust area, which is what I was shooting for. It stretched to fit during knitting when I tried it on, and post-blocking it fits just right. The shoulders and upper arms are snug, the way I like them to be.
I gave it a little more length than a lot of the versions I’ve seen on Ravelry, which makes me very happy.

Overall, I give it an A+. This pattern is adorable. I like it so much, I’m tempted to make another one in green or black, but that may be a terrible idea…especially since the gull lace was threatening to drive my totally batty near the end there. I should probably hold off for a while…for my own sanity.

Stashtastic…

I will readily admit that I sat down at my desk early on the morning of April 1st to get my interweb yarn shopping on. I’ve never been that sort of lady, but the deals….THE DEALS. Yesterday afternoon, the nice UPS man who waits for me outside my fence (since Snickers is such a ferocious beast) delivered a box full of sweaters. Now all I have to do is knit them…
Easy, right?

I love these colors so much it almost makes me wish that summer would hold off just a little longer. Spring has already been decidedly wintry and my knitting brain is not complaining.

There is only one problem. One tiny problem that has only been getting bigger with time.
It’s this pile of yarn in my closet. And by pile I mean two large containers, a couple bags…It’s getting to the point of being ridiculous. I’m like one of those crazy hoarders who live in mazes constructed out of newspaper and empty bottles of dish soap. At least my clutter is aesthetically pleasing.
I would sell a lot of the yarn I have, but most of my balls have lost their labels, or aren’t worth selling. I still have a stash of Bernat acrylic that I stocked up on when I first started knitting. I have vague plans to make a blanket out of it, but I’m not really looking forward to a whole blanket’s worth of scratchy acrylic passing through my fingers. That shit is just not comfortable.

I am considering, if anyone shows even the slightest bit of interest, starting a weekly knitting night at my house for friends who knit and friends who do not knit. I would love to have more knit-addicted friends, and it would make sense for me to take things into my own hands. That would take care of the acrylic stash problem. If I started people on afghan squares, it would help them practice different stitch patterns, and we could eventually seam it all together into one big lumpy communal blanket.
That would eat up a considerable chunk of my stash. Of course, I would first have to find some unwitting victims…

Garter Stitch Swingy-Sweater

Requested by some nice folks on Ravelry…

Yarn: Vanna’s Choice Solid…or any worsted weight yarn you prefer.
(late) ETA: A note about blocking…
This pattern is knit entirely in garter stitch, and was originally knit in acrylic yarn…meaning it’s nearly impossible to block. The sproingy-ness of acrylic actually suits this pattern very well, as it helps to keep the yoke and underarm of the sweater snug and fitted, without feeling restrictive.
If you follow the directions as written, knitting in wool, remember that garter stitch will expand considerably when blocked. You may knit the garment to fit, finish the whole thing, block, and discover that the shoulders and yoke appear saggy and larger than you intended.
It will help to keep this in mind when you try the garment on as you go. If you intend to block, make sure when you fit the yoke, that you don’t have extra room. It should not be too easy to fit the arm sections around your underarms when you try the yoke on. Keep in mind that the fabric will expand.
If you are knitting with acrylic, or if you plan to forgo blocking, knit as written, but you should still be sure that you don’t have too much extra room at the underarms for a nice snug fit.

Gauge: Approximately 17 stitches in 4 inches…
**Gauge in this project is not terribly important, as the sweater is a knit-to fit deal. I would suggest knitting a swatch in garter stitch with the yarn and needles you would like to use. Cast on amount and increases can be adjusted according to your gauge and the size you would like the sweater to be.**

The following is a description of the process I used to construct my own version of this sweater. This is another simple top-down raglan that can easily be customized to fit your own measurements.

The Simple Top-Down Raglan Formula:

Your first order of business is to knit a swatch and figure out your gauge. Once you have this, you can do the math and find out how many stitches you need to cast on for your neckline. (I am a size XS or S in most patterns–34 inch bust–and I cast on 90 stitches for a semi-wide boatneck.)

To make your calculations extra simple, make your cast on amount a multiple of three. When the total cast on amount is divided by three, one third will make up the front of the garment, one third will be the back, and the last third will be split to make the arms, like so:

M x x x x x x x x x x M
x x
x x
x x
x x
x x
M x x x x x x x x x x M

This diagram shows stitches (x) and markers (M) as they would be placed for a raglan beginning with 30 cast on stitches. The front and back are made up of 10 stitches each, and the sleeves are made up of 5 stitches each.
(**The formatting on this diagram is giving me trouble…so please just imagine that it makes a nice neat rectangle :)**)

This basic formula works as the beginning of just about any sweater you could imagine.

Swingy Sweater Instructions:

CO 90 Stitches (or your preferred amount, divisible by three)

Row 1: Knit (RS)
Row 2: Purl (WS)
Row 3 (Set Up Row): K8, PM, K15, PM, K30, PM, K15, PM, 22
Row 4: Purl
**To make a nice even edge, slip the first stitch of each row, beginning with row two**

Begin Increase Rows:
Row 5 (and all RS rows): K to two stitches before first marker, KFB, K, slip marker, KFB…repeat these instructions at each marker.
Row 6 (and all WS rows): K to end

Continue Raglan increases until sleeve sections fit comfortably around your upper arms. This sweater is super easy to try on as you go. When you think you’ve gone far enough, transfer sleeves to waste yarn (or some spare circular needles, if you have them). To transfer sleeves, knit like so:
Beginning with a RS row: K to first marker, slip marker, move all stitches between marker one and two onto waste yarn or spare needle, remove marker 2, knit all stitches until you come to marker 3, slip marker, move all stitches between markers 3 and 4 to waste yarn or spare needle, remove marker four, knit to end.

Body: Knit every row until garment is as long as you’d like, remembering to slip the first stitch of every row to maintain a clean edge. When you reach the desired length, work 4 rows in Stockinette stitch to make a nice rolled edge. Bind off loosely.

Sleeves:

Divide sleeve stitches evenly between DPNS and work in garter stitch until sleeves are nearly the desired length (I made mine elbow-length). On a knit row, decrease by evenly spacing K2tog’s over your total stitch count. You should have roughly 5-8 stitches between decreases, depending on your size. This will give you a nice semi-puffed, rounded sleeve opening. After decreasing, work 4 rows in stockinette and bind off loosely.

Repeat for second sleeve.

Finishing:

Attach two or three buttons at the bust, then pick up three stitches and knit an i-cord across from each button. Use yarn needle to attach i-cord ends to the edge of the sweater. Weave in all ends, block if desired, or just wear right on out of the house.

TAH DAH!!!

Candy Stripe Noro Raglan

I’ve had a few people ask about this on Ravelry, so I’m putting the details down here.
Hopefully I can REMEMBER all the details, as I finished the sweater early this year.
Warning…this is less a pattern and more a rambling description of what I did.

SO! This is a basic top-down raglan that relies on a very simple formula to shape the yoke.

First, you need to calculate your gauge. I used size 9 needles and Cascade 220 as my main color…this gave me a gauge of approximately 17 stitches per 4 inches…but I knit pretty tight, so it’s best to do a test swatch on your own. In my experience, a raglan formula will work with any gauge.

Next, figure out how wide your neck will be. Remember that if you want a fitted sweater, the sleeves will tug at the sides of the neck and pull out toward your shoulder, so the neck will appear smaller when the sweater is off. I wanted a wide boatneck, so I calculated for 24 inches around (108 stitches).

Here’s the key to the cast on calculation: Cast on a number that can be divided by three. One third will constitute the front of the sweater, one third will be the back, and the last third will be split to make the arms.

If you are my size and knitting at my gauge (how fortuitous!), you would split 108 into 3 x 36. You can place the markers whenever you’d like, depending on whether you are knitting ribbing, or a raw edge. It’s really up to your personal preference.

For a ribbed neckline…knit 2, purl 2 until your rib is the desired thickness. You may want to go down two needle sizes to get a nice tight rib, but I didn’t bother.

For a raw edge, knit a couple rows before beginning the increases, or if you want less rolling, knit a few rows of garter stitch.

When you are ready to begin increases:
Row 1: knit 36 (or one third of CO amount), PM, knit 18 (or one sixth CO amount), PM, knit 36, PM, knit 18 (to end of round)

Row 2: k1, KFB, *Knit to 2 stitches before marker, KFB, knit, slip marker, knit, KFB*. You can also use YO’s for your increases, in which case you would k1, YO, *knit to one stitch before marker, YO, knit 1, slip marker, knit 1, YO*.
Repeat this increase pattern at every marker, increasing one before and one after each (eight increases total)

Row 3: Knit around.

AT THE SAME TIME…knit two rows at a time at set intervals using a self-striping yarn (like noro kureyon or silk garden). Make sure you change colors on non-increase rows. If you are following the pattern above, that means odd rows only. So if you want two rows worth of kureyon a little more than an inch apart, knit 8 rows in the main color, then switch to kureyon for rows 9 and 10. Switch back to the main color on row 11…and so on. All the while, keep increasing 8 stitches every other row.

Repeat this pattern until your yoke is deep and wide enough for the markers to meet under your arm. Make sure you are not straining to make them meet, or your sweater will be way tight.

It will help if you have a measuring tape to see how far it is from your collar bone where the sweater will fall, to the middle of your armpit. This measurement should match the finished measurement along an increase. Once you think you are there, transfer the sweater to scrap yarn and try it on. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT…it is a pain in the ass getting stitches from scrap yarn back onto your needles, but getting a good fit is worth it.

When you are finished increasing, join the arms. Knit to the first marker, then place stitches on scrap yarn until you reach the second marker. Slip the marker and knit until you reach the next marker. Slip the remaining stitches to scrap yarn and continue with your knitting. You’ll now have the front and back of the sweater on your needles and the shoulder sections separated on scrap yarn.

Knit the body as a straight tube until it is the desired length. If you are busty, you may want to strategically increase and decrease or add some darts. I am a 34 C (nearly D) and I didn’t add shaping…I just relied on the stretchiness of the fabric to shape itself.

When the body is the desired length, add whatever ribbing or trim you’d like at the end and bind of very loosely. Use a bind of that will stretch with the sweater, and if using rib, bind off in pattern.

Use DPNs to slip the shoulder stitches off of scrap yarn and divide stitches evenly over three needles.

(I have heard that knitting the first and last stitch of the round together will help decrease the appearance of a big ugly hole at the armpit…I have never tried it…I just go back and sew up the gap)

At this point you can knit the sleeves straight without decreases, or you can decrease as you go. I knitted for a couple inches, then began decreasing two stitches every ten rows…I did this six times, to lose 12 stitches total. The best way to figure out how to decrease is to measure your existing arm opening at the beginning of the sleeve, then measure your forearm to figure out how wide you want your sleeve to be at the end. Do some subtraction to figure out the difference, then convert that number to stitches. Measure the length from your shoulder to your forearm, convert that to rows, and then evenly space your decreases over that distance. Ideally, your decreases should end an inch or two below your elbow.

Repeat all that sleeve business on the other side and VOILA! Sweater! Weave in your ends and wear it around. People will think you are a genius and you do not have to let on that it is actually the easiest sweater ever and the yarn did all the work.

The Softest Helmet

A top-down helmet knit in Nashua Creative Focus Chunky on size 10 DPNs. Super soft and warm! This pattern is meant to be entirely customizable. I am just sharing my general method for constructing the hat and getting the perfect fit.

On four DPNs, Cast on 8 stitches (this is the same regardless of gauge or needle size):
(figure out some ingenious way to mark the beginning of the round…stitch markers have a way of slipping off DPNs)
R1: Knit all stitches
R2: Kfb of all stitches (16 stitches)
R3: Knit around
R4: Knit around, but Kfb of the first and last stitch on every needle. (increase by 8 stitches every other round)
This should give you a nice even increase. After trying out various ways of spacing increases and shaping, I’ve found this to be the simplest, since the DPNs act as your guides.

Continue like that, increasing at the first and last stitch on each needle and knitting around the non-increase rows, until you get to 80 stitches. Here I increased just the first stitch on each needle to make 84. I am a really tight knitter, so 80 might be sufficient for most people, but make sure you measure your head and figure out your gauge to get a correct number. If your ideal number of stitches is not a multiple of eight, do the partial increas like I did, but make sure your final number IS a multiple of 4, for the purpose of ribbing.
(Cast on amount is always the same, but how many stitches you increase to depends on your gauge and the size of your head. I have a 22″ head, and wanted a 20″ hat to allow for stretchiness, so I figured out the number of stitches by multiplying my number of stitches in an inch by 20)

When you get to the correct stitch count for your measurement, knit around for another 2.5 inches, then start a k1,p1 rib.

Continue the rib for about an inch and a half.

When you are satisfied with the depth of the hat, measure your forehead and figure out how wide you want the space in the front of the hat between the earflaps to be. Convert the inches to stitches and bind off that many at the beginning of the round (bind off loosely and in pattern. I used a size 17 needle), making sure to end on a purl stitch.
Continue knitting back and forth in k1,p1 rib for another 1/2 inch to an inch, then figure out how wide you want your earflaps and use the inches to stiches math to determine how many stitches each will be (remember that the rib will scrunch up a bit…).
At the beginning of a RS row, slip the correct number of stitches for the first earflap to one of your DPNs. bind off in pattern until you get to the start of the second earflap stitches, and k1,p1 to the end of the row. Make sure your ribbing matches the rest.
From here, knit the two earflaps separately to an equal length…whatever that length may be…bind off, and VOILA! Helmet!
Add icords to the earflaps to allow tying up if the mood strikes you…To further personalize, you could simply slip the stitches that run across your forehead to a dpn and return to them later, adding an extra flap across the front and a couple buttons, making it EVEN more helmety…

(FYI…This hat was inspired by the LOOK of the Nomad Hat in the Fall 2007 issue of Interweave Knits, and by my obsession with furry russian caps and cute earflap hats, but the actual pattern and construction are improvised…)