Cocooned by Rachel Illsley

Cocooned

Knitting
November 2023
DK (11 wpi) ?
18 stitches and 22 rows = 4 inches
in stockinette / stranded colourwork
US 8 - 5.0 mm
US 7 - 4.5 mm
US 6 - 4.0 mm
856 - 1681 yards (783 - 1537 m)
1 (2, 3, 4, 5) (6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
English
This pattern is available for £6.00 GBP buy it now

Inspiration for this design came from a gap in my Winter wardrobe – I wanted to create a warm, cosy sweater that felt perfect for really chilly days whilst also still feeling stylish and interesting to wear.

CONSTRUCTION
This garment is worked top-down, in the round. The yoke is shaped using a modified raglan construction, with short row shaping to optimise fit. Once the yoke is completed, stitches are separated into body and sleeves, which are each worked separately and in the round. The majority of the body features a stranded colourwork pattern. Sleeves are worked in plain stockinette with optional colourwork worked above the cuffs. Both the body and sleeves are finished with half-twisted rib to match the neckband.

SIZING GUIDE
This garment is graded into sizes 1 (2, 3, 4, 5) (6, 7, 8, 9, 10). Recommended ease at the chest circumference is 4-8” / 10-20 cm.

Finished Garment Chest Circumference:
36 (40, 44, 48, 52) (56 , 60, 64, 68, 72)“
90 (100, 110, 120, 130) (140, 150, 160, 170, 180) cm.

Included in the pattern is an option to “size up” once you start working the body, to allow for greater ease at the colourwork and hips if desired.
If the option to “size up” is chosen for size 10, the circumference at the colourwork will be 76” / 190 cm.

SAMPLE
The wearer is 5’10” / 178 cm with a 37” / 92.5 cm chest circumference and a 38” / 95 cm hip circumference. The raglan yoke of the sample has been worked in size 3, giving the wearer 7” / 17.5 cm of positive ease at the chest. The body has been “sized up” to give the wearer 10” / 25 cm of ease at the hips. To accommodate the height of the wearer, an extra 1” / 2.5 cm of depth has been added to the yoke, and an extra 2” / 5 cm of length has been added to the body and sleeve length. Upper sleeve circumference has been worked as for size 4.

GAUGE
Using 5 mm / US size 8 needles, or needle size required to meet gauge, 18 stitches over 22 rounds in both stockinette stitch and colourwork, wet blocked, creates a 4x4” / 10x10 cm square.

YARN
The sample has been worked using Primrose Yarn Co.’s Forage 2-ply base (100% USA Grown American Targhee – Columbia Wool; 256 m / 280 yds per 100 g) in colourways Black Truffle as the Main Colour and Comet as the Contrast Colour.

YARDAGE (includes ~10% excess)

Main Colour:
676 (740, 791, 858, 919) (1000, 1056, 1154, 1221, 1279) metres
740 (810, 865, 939, 1006) (1094, 1155, 1262, 1336, 1399) yards
264 (289, 309, 335, 359) (391, 413, 451, 477, 500) grams

Contrast Colour:
107 (119, 131, 143, 154) (166, 178, 190, 202, 214) metres
117 (130, 143, 156, 169) (182, 195, 208, 221, 234) yards
42 (46, 51, 56, 60) (65, 70, 74, 79, 84) grams

TOOLS & NOTIONS
4 mm / US size 6 circular needles (to work cuffs and waistband; varying cable lengths would be helpful)
4.5 mm / US size 7 circular needles (to work neckband)
5 mm / US size 8 circular needles (to work yoke, body and sleeves; varying cable lengths would be helpful)
8 markers, including one that can be distinguished as BOR
scrap yarn
tapestry needle to weave in ends

SKILLS REQUIRED
-long tail cast on
-joining and working in the round
-working half-twisted ribbing
-working left and right lifted increases
-German short row shaping
-reading colourwork charts
-working stranded colourwork with two colours
-cable cast on
-working a repeating pattern of decreases
-decreasing using K2tog and SSK
-standard bind off