16-08-2021

OK - other than the short row section (which could really do with a bit of explanation so that it’s clear why you start and stop when you do), this pattern is very clear.

I’ve opted (what a surprise) to modify the sweater as I feel, based on my previous experience of knitting a yoked sweater with no ease, that 3”ish of positive ease is where I’m at. 0” ease will not permit for raising one’s arms. 6” of ease (as suggested) seems large esp given that the medium is already on the large size for me. As such - I’ve opted to stop increasing at 256 st. That’s 8 st or almost 2” larger than the small (to permit for the bust) but it’s also a good 2” smaller in circ than the medium, which would be too big.

How I Got to A Size Between S and M:

I knitted the yoke to 256st and then knitted 5 more rows (to get to the armscye length of the medium). I generally like a fitted armscye so I’d usually go with the smallest size, based on my dimensions, but again - I want to be able to raise my arms. Even though the size S would have fit at the bust with a bit of ease, I was concerned to go overboard with fitting as I did have to frog my last yoked effort for this very reason.

This means that I had to alter the starting stitch on short row section. I opted to think of this part of the process in terms of an altered size S NOT a size M made smaller - given that I stayed closer in stitch count to the size S. As such, I started the short rows at 88st NOT 84st, as instructed for S.

Note that, once I removed 42 st x 2, for both sleeves, and added back in 16st (8 st at each underarm), my bodice circumference is 188 st: 256-84+16. That is about 41.75” which will give me 3.25” of positive ease in full bust. I don’t want the sweater to be much bigger than 37” under the bust. My under bust is 32” and my lower abdomen is 36” and this garment will stretch given its open fabric.

Presuming I do the gathers via DECREASES (not increases, as instructed - see The Gathers section below), that will remove 16st (3.5”), then the circumference will be 38.25 (~17” on front body and 21” on back body).

Alas, the instructions aren’t very clear when it comes to explaining HOW you are using the short rows vis a vis the BOR marker (which is not the side seam marker but is 4 stitches from the side seam marker, towards/on the back body), other than to say that you work the short rows over the sleeves. (I’d have been fine if I didn’t want to alter anything and went with either the S or M, I understood the pattern conceptually, but because I have opted to alter, I need to understand specifically what’s happening and this pattern doesn’t really provide intel on this account.) Also, I’d really have preferred a schematic rather than the written finished dimensions which don’t give a 3D understanding of things. I actually used one of the sweater photos to create a schematic from the written dimensions.

At any rate, my short row hack seems to have worked.

Next I’m going to add another 2.5” before I’ll get to my under bust, given that I have projected breasts. (Note: This turned out to be 10R because every other time I’ve done this I’ve gone too long given that the weight of the sweater underneath the bust pulls and extends the fabric down to some extent.)

Now I have to decide if I want to (minimally) decrease for the waist, just to get rid of LOTs of ease on the back body OR just to do the front bodice gathers or some combo of the 2. Update: I opted to decrease 16 st at front via gather (see below) and then 6 st from back side body starting 1” below the bust gathers.

The Gathers: The pattern refers to these as pleats but, technically, I believe these are gathers - another form of tuck. Pleats are secured in a different fashion…

So, as I read the instructions and considered the full circumference of the garment, I decided that, to add more circumference with gathers created by increases, at the point of the garment where there’s enough ease, would not make much sense. Moreover, to decrease at the side body, only to simultaneously increase at the centre front, seemed unnecessarily convoluted.

So - I decided to figure out how to create the gathers by decreasing, NOT by increasing. I opted to decrease 16 stitches (not the 17 called for in the pattern as increases, in size S). I also didn’t want the decreases to lean either left or right so I learned the centred single decrease.

For starters, I figured out where the side markers should go - between 4th and 5th stitches cast on at under arm. The front body has 94st (half of 188, back body has the same). When the front panel is segmented into thirds, the centre panel is where the gathers happen, each side panel is 31st and the centre panel is 32st.

At that point, I thought I was set. But what I didn’t realize is that a centred single decrease actually makes use of 3 stitches, even though it only decreases 1. So I had to rip back and made the side panels 23st each and the centre panel 48 st (which is divisible by 3 but also yields a 16 st decrease). The decreases are beautifully centred (actually they look as if they lean towards one another in a very elegant way, prob cuz I did 16 of them back-to-back) BUT the centre panel is now about 30 per cent wider than the version instructed. Mind you, that may work out fine. I just need to keep knitting to see if this ends up paying off. (Update: it did pay off.) If it hadn’t worked, my next try would have been to do 1 left followed by K2Tog, SSK for 32 stitches (the original panel width for my modified small).

Gathers Update: While my technique cinches under the bust, in an appealing way, the decrease vs increase idea does not produce floaty gather below the bust, like the increase method would. If anything, it would appear to produce a gather or ruching above the decrease line, though not in any meaningful way, given that I didn’t reduce that many stitches and the yarn doesn’t yield that effect. So in a bottom up construction, I believe my decrease idea would produce the same outcome as the increase instructions provided in the pattern. I’m going to knit for about an inch before deciding whether to rip it back or to keep on. (Update: I kept on.) Also, on a related topic, I’m concerned that the back is too roomy. But that I didn’t leave enough ease to be able to raise my arms. Maybe that’s just how it goes with yoked sweaters… Excess ease does is mitigate the amount of pulling when one raises one’s arms. And, after about an inch of knitting below the decreases, it seems like this is almost a smocked effect (which isn’t visible because the row of decreases sits right under my bust). There aren’t gathers above the decrease round, it would appear, because my full bust uses all of the fabric to accommodate it.

I’ve decided - I’ll do an inch of decreases on the side back body … every 6th round, 3x, starting 5 rounds beneath the “gather” decreases for a total of 6st decreased over 13 rounds. Who knows if it’ll work, but I appear to be on a creative tear!

For a fairly plain, single-colour, yoked stockinette jumper, this is quite a production.

16-08-2021

Final Thoughts:

• I’m really amazed by how a light-fingering strand (Holst Garn) and a lace-weight strand of mohair can create a sweater on a US 8 needle (4.5st“ at gauge) without being entirely see-through. To some extent, it’s about how the yarns bloom, but I’ve never seen this happen to this extent before. It’s a perfect way to produce an exceedingly light-weight sweater on a larger needle. You get all of the benefits of fingering AND of working fast with larger needle size. As long as it’s not see through, I don’t really care about the stitch-size but I do care about the thickness and heaviness of a sweater. Heaviness hurts my neck over the course of the day. Thick yarn produces a kind of chunky look I don’t enjoy for myself.
• I imagined that I might make this with 225 g of yarn, given how light both yarns are but I exceeded those expectations considerably - this took 180g total?! My average garment weighs 245g. So it’s 25% lighter in weight than pretty much any sweater I’ve ever knit that I’ve kept for myself. There’s nothing bad about that…
• I made the neck opening with the instructed number of stitches but did the first 2 rounds using US5 needle and then 2 rounds using US7 before graduating to a US8. This created as snug a neckline as I would want - and I have narrow shoulders and a small head. So my experience is not that of others who find the neckline too open, though I did knit it in the smallest size. I do think my adjustment does the trick and I might even aim for something slightly more open next time - but depending on how this neck blocks (so it remains to be seen).
• As a fingering-weight sweater-knitter, this thing knits up in a flash. US8 needles are as large as I will work with (or I find my hands don’t feel happy).
• I don’t like wearing mohair (but I didn’t want to experiment with other types of fibre given that I know mohair’s bloom is what permits making something so light at such a gauge). The colour of the yarns is spectacular and I really want to be able to wear this without feeling like mohair is in my teeth and eyes. If it doesn’t work for me (Update, it didn’t), I’ll give it away and try it again with Lamana Como, single stranded. That should be thick enough to get gauge and it’s still very light-weight.
• The Holst Supersoft does colour-run (quite a lot in this very saturated pink/purple). I would NOT use this colour in colour work for that reason.
• One thing I do not recommend (that this pattern calls for) is the tubular bind off IF you are using mohair. OMG - it looks awful and it’s a nightmare if you have to rip it back. Take it from me - and I spent 6 hours attempting it 3x, only to actually cut off the hem of the sweater in defeat - do not bother. There are better applications for tubular bind off and the Hiya Hiya Grandma’s stretchy bind off more than does the trick. I do wish I hadn’t increased the stitches in prep for doing the tubular bind off (cuz I wasn’t going to go back and rip back the ribbing for a 3rd time ) but I went down 3 needle sizes when increasing before the rib so the increase in circumference isn’t that notable. Having said that, I’d use the tubular bind off with another sort of yarn (smooth, worsted spun).
• I love the final fit -but I might make these sleeves in a modified second size, going forward, (not the smallest size) because these are snug (mind you, they may well relax with wear because this fabric is knitted at an open gauge so there’s more mechanical ease enabled.
• Alas, the whole thing feels like mohair (unsurprisingly) and I’m not sure how much appetite I have to wear this as much as it deserves.
• This sweater is no yarn hog - I double-stranded and it still comes out at about 1500y. If I’d knit it single stranded, it would have taken about 760y… Most of my sweaters come in at about 950y (single-stranded)…
• I will definitely make future, refined versions of this pattern - using the diff sleeves, lengths and finishes.

21-08-2021

Body LengthI’ve decided to knit to 12-13” below armscye - ~11” stockinette and ~1” ribbing. Keep in mind that this fabric doesn’t snug into the actual underarm, given that it’s a yoke construction and the armscye can’t be fitted because arm lifting is a thing. So this is more like a fitted sweater with a 14” length.

Sleeves: I’ve decided to do the fitted and 3/4 length sleeve with long ribbing. I’m starting with 42 st on the needles. I’ll cast on 4 + 2 (per pattern instructions) on either side of the underarm. Then decrease only 1 st on each side of the BOR marker. That means I start the sleeve at 52st and I’ll decrease 2 extra st (to get myself back to the xs sleeve) at the elbow. (I just want to ensure that there’s enough room in the arms to mitigate any mobility issues created by the yoked construction.) Other than that, I followed the instructions. Note below - In case you make another one with this sleeve profile, after set up (and with 52st):

• K 8 R
• Dec R (50 st)
• K 9 R
• Dec R (48)
• K 9 R
• Dec R (46)
• K 4 R
• Dec R (44)
• K 4 R
• Dec R (42)
• K 9 R
• Dec R (40)
• K 9 R
• Dec R (38)
• K 10 R
• Rib for 8R (on US7 needle) - don’t increase stitches
• BO

28-08-2021

Returned the ball of Holst that is unused and gave the remainders of the used balls of Holst and Shibui to M. It’s enough to make a hat from…

Pre-Blocked Dimensions:

Neck diameter: 8” (block to at least this dimension)
Chest Circ: 38.5” - 40” (note underbust decreases are the reason for this, otherwise this would be bigger because the decreases ruche above the underbust where there’s considerably more fabric - see the mid yoke dimension for reference)
Under bust Circ: 38”
Hip Circ: 34”
Upper Arm Circ: 10.5”
Wrist Circ: 6.25”
Under arm to Hem: 12.5”
Underarm to Cuff: 11.5”
Upper Arm to Upper Arm (3” below fr neck), midway through yoke): 52”

Post-Blocked Dimensions:

Neck diameter: 8”
Chest Circ: 37” (but effectively larger because gathers permit for extra volume)
Under bust Circ: 35”
Hip Circ: 39”
Upper Arm Circ: 9.5”
Wrist Circ: 6”
Under arm to Hem: 12”
Underarm to Cuff: 11”
Upper Arm to Upper Arm (halfway through yoke):48”

Alas - I really can’t stand the feel of mohair so this lovely sweater will need to be given to someone who can wear it. Sending it to my mum so that she, my sister or nieces can give it a go. But this is it. I will never use mohair again. I hate it. Note: I rewashed/blocked the sweater as many have suggested that this yarn combo requires 2 washes. I even used a small amount of hair conditioner. And if anything, it came out fluffier and itchier than ever.