So thrilled to be doing another test knit for the talented young Irene Lin. This past spring I tested her Hanna Pullover which was a joy to knit. The construction of the Mesh Sleeve Jumper is very clever and easy. (That is not a shoulder seam. The entire neckline/upper part of the sweater, including shoulders, is knit seamlessly.) Love the neat look of the V-neckline which was super simple to do. And the Mesh Stitch is such a nice texture contrast to the stockinette of the body.

This is the first time I’ve ever used the Premier Soft Worsted yarn. It’s as soft as cashmere and machine washable! Also, it comes in some lovely heather colors. This “Terracotta Heather” shade was the only one available at my local Jo-Ann store. I sure hope they’ll carry more of the heather shades in the future, because I’d like to use this yarn again. It reminds me of the Lion Brand Heartland yarn, only the Premier has a tighter twist and slightly more body. The Heartland is probably more drapey, but the Premier label says “Anti-pilling”. Both of these yarns have a very slight sheen to them in addition to the silky smooth feel. Although this yarn is called “Soft Worsted” on the label, it’s really more of an aran weight which is in keeping with the weight used for the designer’s sample garment. I will give a report regarding the “anti-pilling” after wearing this a few times.

Here’s my report:

It pills and quite badly (same for the Lion Brand Heartland). In fact, I would say that the Premier Everyday yarn pills even worse than the average acrylic worsted weight yarn. Too bad, because it knits up very nicely. This report comes after wearing the pullover 3 times and before even washing it. It also snags VERY easily.

Size 8 US needles were used for everything except for the hem ribbing. Size 6 US needles were used for the latter. I picked up 109 sts for the neckline and bound off using a size 7 US needle. So easy and neat looking!

Due to my height (5’-8”), I made my pullover 1.5 inches longer than that suggested in the pattern. Also, I opted for the long sleeve version. This required a total of 120 rounds before getting to the decrease round. I had 44 sleeve sts after this decrease round, which is fine for 3/4 length sleeves. I had to do another decrease round to make it fit my wrists properly:

k4, k2tog 7 times, k2 at the end of the round. (37 sts)

Then I started the twisted rib. At the end of the first twisted rib round, I did a “p2tog” to get 36 sts total. I followed the pattern directions after that. Measurement from top of mesh sleeve to bottom of cuff = 18 inches.

Pullover weighed 18.5 oz (525 grams) upon completion.
This equals 945 yds. (864 meters) or 5.25 balls of this yarn.

Note that the Irish Mesh Stitch has a strong tendency to bias which creates a “traveling seam” look under the arm. This happens even though the sleeves are knit in the round. It’s especially noticeable with long sleeves. I did some embroidery after finishing the sleeves to disguise the interruption in the stitch pattern. The bias problem is not really noticeable with 3/4 length sleeves, but it’s quite evident when knitting long sleeves. For this reason, the designer has decided not to use the Irish Mesh Stitch, but has instead substituted an equally beautiful mesh stitch in her final pattern. The pattern mesh stitch is very close in appearance to the Irish Mesh Stitch that I did for this test.