Peerie Fleur by Zoe Valette

Peerie Fleur

Knitting
April 2006
Aran (8 wpi) ?
19 stitches and 28 rows = 4 inches
in stockinette stitch worked in a single color on middle-size needle
US 5 - 3.75 mm
US 6 - 4.0 mm
US 8 - 5.0 mm
1534 - 2360 yards (1403 - 2158 m)
36.25 (42.25, 47.25, 52.75, 59.5)" (92.5 [107.5, 120, 134, 141.5, 151] cm) bust circumference.
English

Pattern description from No Sheep for You: “This cardigan is knitted in yummy chocolate brown accented with fleur-de-lis-inspired motifs in strong pink and an indefinable color Rowan calls “ghost”. It’s knitted in the round and then… steeked. What? You can’t do that without wool. Or can you? Will the steeks unravel and the stranded-color pattern gape where the colors cross? They might, if you don’t choose your yarn wisely. Designer Zoe Valette’s secret here is the almost-sticky yarn: Rowan Summer Tweed. This mostly silk yarn has more grab than most nonwools; it sticks to itself much like wool does. Zoe recommends you machine-sew your steeks so there’s no chance of the yarn escaping.

Finished Measurements: 36.25 (42.25, 47.25, 52.75, 59.5)“ (92.5 107.5, 120, 134, 141.5, 151 cm) bust circumference.

Yarn:

  • Worsted-weight (CYCA #4 Medium) yarn.
  • Rowan Summer Tweed (70% silk, 30% cotton; 118 yd 108 m/50 g): #531 chocolate fudge (MC), 9 (11, 13, 14,1 5, 16) skeins; #528 brilliant (fuchsia; CC1) and #506 ghost (off-white; CC2), 2 (2, 2, 2, 2, 2) skeins each.

Needles:

  • Body and sleeves - size 6 (4 mm): 32” (80 cm) circular (cir), 16” (40 cm) cir, and set of 4 or 5 double-pointed (dpn); size 8 (5 mm): 32” (80 cm) cir and set of 4 or 5 dpn.
  • Ribbing - size 5 (3.75 mm): 16” (40 cm) cir and set of 4 or 5 dpn.
  • Adjust needle size if necessary to obtain the correct gauge.

Notions: Markers (m); safety pins; sewing needle and thread to match MC; sewing machine (optional but recommended) and thread to contrast with MC; 1.75 yd (1.6 m) of 7/8” (2.2 cm) wide double-fold bias binding (available at fabric stores; optional); six 3/4” (2 cm) buttons.

Additional Gauges:

  • 22 stitches and 22 rounds = 4” (10 cm) in stranded color pattern on largest needle
  • 19 stitches and 28 rounds = 4” (10 cm) in k2, p2 ribbing on smallest needle.

Notes from No Sheep for You:

  • To minimize tangles in the balls of yarn, place each ball of yarn in a zippered sandwich bag, cut a small hole in one of the corners, and pull the yarn through the hole.
  • Because this yarn is very inelastic and will relax only slightly after blocking, be careful to strand unused yarns loosely across the wrong side when working the stranded-color pattern.
  • For all areas of stranded-color pattern, you may want to weave in the floats on the back of the work if they are longer than 4-5 stitches, for neatness and to help keep an even tension.
  • Purl all steek stitches every round so that they will fold neatly to the wrong side when cut apart.
  • To minimize the number of ends to weave in, change colors and balls of yarn in the center of the steek stitches.
  • The Yoke chart increases at regular intervals as marked on the chart. You may want to place markers between each pattern repeat to help you keep your place.
  • This pattern is designed with short-rows at the back neck to allow the back neck to be higher than the front. You can omit these short-rows if you prefer.