• Working in the round to the yoke, then steeking for a quarter neck zipper. That’ll be easy.

• Cast on with ysoldas 2x2 tubular caston which is a brilliant piece of knitting.

• CO 380 in a 2x2 rib, decreased to 280 for the lower colorwork, decreased to 210 for the body. I’m a pretty straight up and down 40”. I would not recommend the lower colorwork for anyone who is particularly curvy, as it naturally narrows exactly where you don’t want it to.

• Added 2 1/2 inches in length to the body and sleeves as I am an Amazon

• Doing the fairisle in three colors? Work it REALLY loose! I am a loose continental knitter and the gauge was still a massive challenge.

• Crazy Brilliant Tubular bind-off from RevKnits

• 9-stitch steek placket for the zipper. Machine sewed the steek, and hand-stitched in the zipper. 9 stitches was overkill.

• Used a 12-inch zipper. This would have been great if I were boobalicious, but if I had it to do again, a 10-inch zipper would have fit better. Also, washing the zipper really helped eradicate the mysterious boob pucker.

This is a prototype for a ski sweater for my sister.

Play-By-Play

Origin: My sister asked for a ski sweater, but what we decided on seemed several clicks above my skill level. So, I decided to one for myself first as a prototype. Hence the extensive notes.

March 1 - Colorways determined after months of pondering. First fairisle sweater : possibly more nervewracking than the first time one has sex. Commence yarn purchase.

March 11
After concluding that orange and blue will look “flat” I decide to throw in some gold. I totally know how to knit three color fairisle, so this will be a cinch… no problemo.

Thank god for Eunny Jang: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vffTC_jkvN8

Colorwork plotted in excel, with an eye toward minimizing long carries and not using all my orange since its a limited colorway.

March 19
Been reading lots on steeking. Steeking superwash. Not scary at all.

March 20
Cast on!

March 28
Wow. My gauge is off. 9.5 spi on the ribbing, 7 stockinette. This thing is the size of a hula hoop. Riiiip!

March 31
New caston complete. We’re back in business

April 20
Effing 2x2 ribbing complete. Begin body!

May 7
Bottom colorwork section done. I’m a little concerned with the tension but it’ll block out. Fits perfect (victory!!).

Yarn totals used after bottom ribbing and colorwork:
Gold Rush: 11g - 44yards
Blue: 14g - 56yards
Poppy: 59g - 236yards

May 22
Finished the body stockinette. Dang that was fast!

…Paused to finish Gyre and the Green Goddess…

June 28
Started the sleeves, the first week of which was heavily impeded by the Saroyan decrease debacle.

July 23
Finished sleeve one, includes delay for Tour de Fleece spinning!

August 25
Finished both sleeves, includes delay for Clownshoes

Both sleeves took almost exactly a full skein of the navy yarn ~400 yards.

October 27
After some hibernation, I spent a couple of weeks prepping the yoke, attaching the sleeves and got about 20 rows in… Only to discover the body is ginormous and baggy. Riiiip!

//Hide out. Weep. Curse sweater.

December 27
Ripped out the entire body. Decreased from 280 to 245 dropping a stitch per repeat towards the end of the colorwork. Still a little baggy, so decreasing another stitch per repeat just after the colorwork for 210. Still have a couple of inches of positive ease.

January 6th
Finished new body. Fits perfectly. Ready to attach sleeves.

January 11th
Attached sleeves. Wove in all ends. Knit setup for yoke. 8 repeats on each side in front. 14 repeats in back. 9-stitch steek for the zipper in front. 330 stitches + 9 for the steek. Dropped a safety line. Bring on the yoke!

January 30th
Yoke complete. Switch to flat knitting on 0s for the neck. Increase to 142 + 8 selvedge stitches for the zipper placket.

February 3
Off the needles. That 2x2 tubular bindoff from RevKnits is a spiffy piece of technique. Bring on the Zipper!