Dawn by Rachel Illsley

Dawn

Knitting
February 2024
Light Fingering ?
26 stitches and 34 rows = 4 inches
in stockinette / stranded colourwork
US 3 - 3.25 mm
US 2 - 2.75 mm
1287 - 2262 yards (1177 - 2068 m)
XS (S, M, L, XL) (2XL, 3XL, 4XL, 5XL)
English
This pattern is available for £6.00 GBP buy it now

Dawn is inspired by a piece of music by Ola Gjeilo of the same name and is the fourth design of my Gjeilo Collection. The music is constructed using a combination of short, quick notes and longer, drawn out phrases; you can see this construction represented in the combination of small, individual stitches combined with longer lines of stitches throughout the design.
When I listen to this music I imagine streaks of colour across an early morning sky and the colourwork patterns here are designed to be a geometric, modern take on a beautiful sunrise.

CONSTRUCTION
This garment is worked top-down, in the round. After the neckband, short row shaping is incorporated to optimise fit. A combination of stranded colourwork and stockinette is worked throughout the yoke. Once yoke depth is reached, stitches are separated into body and sleeves, which are each worked separately and in the round. The yoke can be separated into body and sleeves at any point after the last increases have been worked, either in a stockinette or colourwork section. Patterns of stranded colourwork and stockinette continue though the body and sleeves.

SIZING GUIDE
This garment is graded into sizes 1 (2, 3, 4, 5) (6, 7, 8, 9, 10). Recommended positive ease is 3+” / 7.5+ cm at the chest circumference.

Finished Garment Chest Circumference:
33.75 (37.25, 40.5, 44, 50.75) (54.25, 57.5, 61, 64.25, 71)“
84.5 (93, 101.5, 110, 127) (135.5, 144, 152.5, 161, 177.5) cm

SAMPLE
The wearer is 5’10” / 178 cm with a 37” / 92.5 cm chest circumference. The sample has been worked in size 4, giving the wearer 7” / 17.5 cm of positive ease at the chest. To accommodate the height of the wearer, an extra 0.5” / 1.5 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. The sleeve circumference extension has not been worked.

GAUGE
Using 3.25 mm / US size 3 needles, or needle size required to meet gauge, 26 stitches over 34 rounds in both stockinette stitch and colourwork, wet blocked, creates a 4x4” / 10x10 cm square.
Neckband, waistband and cuff circumferences assume you are working 7 sts per 1” / 2.5 cm.

YARN
The sample has been worked using Curated Yarn Co.’s Sock base (75% Superwash Merino / 25% Nylon; 400 m / 438 yds per 100 g) in colourways Carbon as the Main Colour and Second Hand Rose as the Contrast Colour.

YARDAGE (includes ~10% excess)
Main Colour:
974 (1079, 1132, 1209, 1348) (1389, 1461, 1543, 1560, 1696) metres
1066 (1181, 1239, 1322, 1474) (1520, 1599, 1688, 1706, 1855) yards
244 (270, 283, 302, 337) (347, 365, 386, 390, 424) grams

Contrast Colour:
203 (229, 239, 257, 290) (298, 316, 337, 342, 372) metres
222 (251, 262, 282, 317) (326, 346, 368, 374, 407) yards
51 (57, 60, 64, 72) (74, 79, 84, 85, 93) grams

TOOLS & NOTIONS
2.75 mm / US size 2 circular needles (to work neckband, cuffs and waistband; varying cable lengths would be helpful)
3.25 mm / US size 3 circular needles (to work yoke, body and sleeves; varying cable lengths would be helpful)
1 marker
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
-long tail cast on with two colours OR cable cast on
-working a repeating pattern of decreases
-decreasing using K2tog and SSK
-standard bind off