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.