WIL: Zimmerman sweaters sleeve counts need to be reviewed carefully. Way to narrow.

I’m in the planning stage now. I did one sweater for my daughter, now I want to try another one of wonderful seamless ones. This time with raglan sleeves, I think, and there is a reason for it. I want to:
a) use seed stitch as main stitch
b) have central motif (large fancy braid) on front and another one (slightly different) on the back
c) have two small motifs one on each side of large motif (small braids).
c) have medium central motif (two small braids side by side) on sleeves.

BECAUSE there will be a central motif, I cannot decrease evenly throughout the body. Raglan will be much better, because all decreases will not affect the center of the body/back.

I realize that having braids and any kind of motifs will affect the percentage calculations. So, I made a sample with desired motif and measured it in order to obtain proper stitch count.

First of all, underarm circumference for this sweater is 26 inches. Therefore, it’s 13’’ per one side.
My seed stitch gauge is 20st per 4.5’’. My central motif is 60st and just 8’’ wide. So, for front I need extra 5’’ => 22 st; 60+22=>88st. For the back, however, I want to replace center braid motif with plain seed stitch. Large braid motif yields 20st per 3’’, so adding two more stitches to “frame” center seed stitch replacement we get 12st instead of 20. Therefore, it’s 74 stitches for the back.
We don’t have to worry that it’s not the same number of stitches for front and back, because that large braid makes them even.
Now, if I would do that whole thing in seed stitch only, I’d need 116 stitches. And that’s the number I have to keep in mind for calculating increases.

I like distinguishing feature of Aran sweaters - those braids going down to ribbing. So, in order to do that I have to place ribbing strategically between the braids, and keep in mind that I want that ribbing to be symmetrical as well. I picked 2x1 ribbing, grabbed a pencil and after some thinking came up with the following pattern:
Front:
A-B1-C-B2-C-B1’-A
Back:
A-B1-D-D’-B1’-A

A => always 14 stitches knitted in the following way:
2K, 1Px4, 2K
“xN” meaning “repeat pattern inside N times”.

B1 => small braid, 8 stitches, crossing 2 leftmost knit stitches from the left to right on each third row,
2P, 4K, 2P, repeating after 4th row.

B1’ => same as B1, only crossing from right to left.

B2 => part of large braid motif, but essentially same small braid as B1, only we cross 2 leftmost knit stitches on every first row.

C => 15st, 2K, 1Px2, 3K, 1P, 2Kx2

D => 15st, 2K, 1Px5
D’ => 15st, 1P, 2Kx5

Using 2.0mm needles casted on 156st, made a round, did 8 rows of ribbing in the pattern described above.
Switched to 3.25mm needles. Going to do 13 inches in round of the following pattern:

13st in seed stitch
1K
8st in B1 pattern
1K
4st in seed stitch
1K, 3P
20 st in large braid motif from Alice Starmore book (obviously, I cannot copy the pattern here)
3P, 1K
4st in seed stitch
1K
8st in B1’ pattern
1K
13st in seed stitch

13st in seed stitch
1K
4st in seed stitch
1K, 3P
1K
10st in seed stitch
1K
3P, 1K
4st in seed stitch
1K
8st in B1’ pattern
1K
13st in seed stitch

this completes back side

02/27 - Ribbing and 16 rows of body are done.
02/28 - 28 rows.
03/05 - three days lost (been sick). 48 rows.
03/07 - 71 rows
03/09 - 89 rows
03/11 - 104 rows. Starting sleeves.
03/12 - Cast on 34 stitches. 8 st in the middle are for the braid, the rest is in seed stitch. 8 rows of ribbing (2k1P), then main part. Increased 2st on each 5th round, until 44 st total.
41 rows -> 5”. Need to do 13” length.

03/28 - haven’t knitted in a while. Anyway, second sleeve is done. After trying on first one, I decided to do another three inches for each sleeve. I’ts time to join all three pieces!
It will be hybrid seamless sweater. Slipping off 6 stitches on each sleeve and on both body sides.

Did two sets of increases (that’s first joining row, two more rows and then 6 more rows in “decrease row - two plain rows” pattern). Undid last 6 rows - I do not like how decrease looks and one of my sleeves is one stitch more than the other. I’ll try again tomorrow.

BTW, I have to also calculate how many decreases I need. Book says, decrease till you only have half of sleeve stitches left, e.g. if you had 66 st, you have to have 33 left. But my sleeves include a braid, so it’s not that easy.
Here is approximate calculation: sleeve is 4 inches wide => 8 inches circumference. Seed st. gauge is 20 st/4.5 in => for 8 inches I would have needed 36 stitches. Therefore, I need half of this left, which means half of them should disappear into initial slip-off (for armpits) and then into decreases. 18 st - 6 (initial) = 12. Each decrease row we lose 2 stitches, so there will be 6 decrease rows altogether.

03/30 - I’m on 6th round of decreases. Redid first 6 decrease rows a couple of times, because I didn’t like how it looks. Finally, on the row before this one I’ve found nice way to do decreases here: http://techknitting.blogspot.ca/2007/01/three-decreases-k...
so I redid all decreases again :) but only decreases, not other stitches too.

04/01 - Doing yoke. It’s sooooo funny once you realize you’re in fact knitting sock heels :)
04/03 - 8 rows of ribbing for collar and we’re done!

Used same Jen’y bind-off. Weaved in all ends, grafted underarms. Done!