This is my 6th test for the VERY talented Aneta Bleyer. Her sweaters have exquisite design elements and beautiful construction methods. It’s always an honor to test for her.

I only made a couple of changes to the pattern. The first was due to my longer row gauge which required that I eliminate some rows prior to joining front and back in the round. Otherwise my armholes would have been too large.

With Aneta’s permission, I did 1 x 1 ribbing at the bottom edge instead of the herringbone stitch or i-cord recommended in the pattern. Other than this, I followed the pattern instructions.

The boat neck gives this pullover a 1960s retro look. Love the little keyhole at the front which is an option in the pattern. The herringbone stitch is time-consuming, but enables the neckband to stand up. My trick was to cast on over the size 4 US needle held together with a size 1 US needle. Then I removed the smaller needle prior to doing the first row of the herringbone stitch. Otherwise it would have been too tight to knit. I often do this for a nice even cast on. The neckband has no stretch, so there’s an opening in the back with a snap closure.

This is my 7th project using this interesting, tweedy looking yarn. Fortunately, I bought a lot of it in every color before it was discontinued. It’s a loosely plied, tri-color yarn with a bit of a nub running throughout.

Needles used:

Size 4 US - Cast on, body, neckband, sleeves (including band)

Size 2.5 US - Lower ribbing only

Size 1 US - Cast on for neckband (in combination with size 4 US), bind off for lower ribbing only

Weight of finished garment: 10.9 oz (309 grams)

What I did differently:

I didn’t do as many rows before joining in the round because otherwise the armhole would have been too large. This was because my row gauge was longer than the pattern row gauge.

Aneta gave me permission to do 1 x 1 ribbing at the bottom instead of the i-cord suggested in the pattern.

Herringbone Stitch (Flat Knitting) Tutorial

Herringbone Stitch (in the round) Tutorial

Double Twist Loop Cast On Tutorial

Bind off without a needle Tutorial

RLIp increase Tutorial

LLIp increase Tutorial