Sassafras Test Knit

bdubs30
Fri, 05 Dec 2025 15:21:56 GMT

Test Knit for Sassafras Pullover by Andrea Gaughan. Size D, Fit II (more masculine fit), to fit both me and my partner.
Fun project to work on, the sleeve shaping is genius, and I really like the end result. The turtleneck is super nice and cozy.

My initial blocked gauge swatch did match pattern gauge, but the final was a bit different (original 18sts x 27 rows; end result 19sts x 26 rows). I had to switch to metal needles to get row gauge.

Mods/info:

I went down to a size 4 for ribbing, and I like the tight effect. When I picked up for the neck I did 92 sts (same st # as size A), which helped with the tightness. the one downside is that the neck sometimes looks a bit stretched out/separate from the neck ribbing.

I did JSSBO for neck and arm ribbing, and did a standard bind off on size 7 for the bottom ribbing.
I decreased every 10th row until 30, then every 15th for one set, then every 20 rows, up to 122 rows for the sleeves. I had extra stitches here so had to do a very rapid decrease before starting the ribbing. I like it, but there is some loose fabric around my forearms/wrists. The length is a bit long for me, but I just roll up the wrist ribbing, and it fits my long-armed partner well.

This yarn pilled a lot while knitting, but we’ll see how it holds up over time/after I break it in. It’s a 75% Pima Cotton/25% Acrylic blend. I didn’t love working with it, because of the pilling and the dreaded acrylic squeak, but I do like the end result fabric. Glad that it’s not too warm, since I’ll be able to wear it for indoor holiday parties, etc, and it’s not scratchy against my neck so I can wear it without a long-sleeve shirt under it. Plus, I can wash it in the washing machine (that’s how I blocked it).