Yarniacs Colours of Fall KAL 2016.

Yarn A - Mesange (Riverside)
Yarn B - Ochre (Spicy Mustard)
Yarn C - Creme de lait (natural)
Yarn D - Sorbet (Bodacious) Wollmeise Petit Poison light (not exactly Bodacious - too pink)

4 weeks and my last colour hasn’t arrived. Sub something else. Decided on my Wollmeise Petit Poison, which looks pretty close to the missing yarn and seems to be Bodacious.

Project Notes:

Stripe Placement:
need to watch the yoke colour stripes carefully so that they don’t fall at an awkward place

• per the pattern, after the sleeve split there is only 1 round of colour B (my yellow) then the 3-row pattern, then the MC (my cream). This does not match up with the FOs, which have much wider Colour B stripes, including a lot knit after the sleeve split. I prefer the way the pattern is actually written, as I don’t want an awkward stripe across my bust.
• Moved the 8-row chart up to after increase 7, then switched to B, to get a few rows in before splitting for sleeves. This brings the eye up (with higher chart) and results in a smaller B stripe, which is good for me.

Yoke Shaping:

• seems to be a lot of increases rapidly. Did 5 rows between increases, instead of 4. At sleeve split (as per pattern) 49 front, 60 sleeve and 95 back (not including steek) plus cast on 8 for underarm, so end up with 53 for front and 103 for back).
• I allocated 2 more to sleeves end up with 52 fronts, 62 sleeves and 101 back, plus steek.
• added waist shaping. 3 sets of decreases starting at 4 inches below sleeve split, 8 rows apart. 12 rows, then 3 sets of increases 8 rows apart.

Steek:
- see the picture at the bottom, above the yarn balls - it shows a purl stitch on each side of the rest of the steek stitches. This makes it easy to “stitch in the ditch” before cutting. Also, no steek at the bottom for the ribbing. Why bother?

If I ever knit this again, I wouldn’t steek after the hood. It is easy enough to purl the few colourwork rows on the body, especially compared to having to knit a facing for the whole body section.

Sleeve:
- pick up 8 plus 2. Row 1 decrease corners - 70 stitches. Row 10, decrease 2 then every 20 rows until 58 stitches and 10 rows. Follow pattern (there is an error - only 3 rows total of chart 10) then rib 14 rows, then b/o.

Pockets:

• start at 10.5 inches below underarm. I wanted to do slanted vertical openings like Jettshin did, but I was 2 inches too far (should have started at 8.5 inches below underarm), and didn’t want to add length to this sweater, so I did horizontal openings instead.
• 3-stitch icord opening trim.

Colour Changes:

• incorporate colour D into the 8-row chart I rows 2,4,and 6; otherwise it is only on the hood and sleeves.
• I debated on using the MC (cream) for the icord to be less obviously for the bottom section, or cream for the bottom and blue for the colourwork, but decided on blue (which follows the pattern), as I prefer the blue to the cream, and I wanted the vertical line.
• I also decided on blue for the pocket openings just to break up the cream.

I-cord - 32 grams blue to start. I’m not sure why we have the twisted stitches in the first 2 rows. These created small holes, and I would omit next time. Did the 5-stitch icord on the 3.5 mm needles and it was pulling. Re-did with a 4-stitch icord (running out of blue yarn) and used a 3.75 mm needle. Much better. Ended with 13 grams.
- will do body facing with cream, and yoke and hood facing with blue (until it runs out) and the other CC colours.

Other yoke sweaters to compare:
Angry Sheep (yoke sweater on same 3.5 mm needles although with fingering yarn - same 22 stitches gauge):
- after sleeve split and underarm cast on had 63 for sleeves, 52 for fronts and 102 for back
Oranje (yoke sweater on same 3.5 mm needles with sport - same 22 stitches gauge)
- 57 fronts, 106 back, 5 steek.
Eilowny (yoke sweater on 4.0 mm needles with DK yarn- gauge 20 st. to 4 inches)
- 42 fronts, 58 sleeves, 81 back, cast on 10 at underarms
total body stitches 185