Medicare For All
Knitting Friday on Thursday
Because the Verizon man is going to shut down my Internet service pretty soon. I should "wake up" with FIOS but I'm taking no chances.
Today, I have a pattern. Not an original pattern, I’m grateful for the Cali Cardi:
http://www.flyhoney.com/flyhoney/the-cali-cardi-pattern.html
and the my garage sale gem, Spinnovations 4, for inspiration. I’m talking about the top-down half-sleeve cardigan which was pictured last Knitting Friday. I’ve worn that cardigan/shrug and I’m starting on another one in Wool-Ease red with flecks. By this one, only my second, I have the pattern in memory: it’s that easy.
First some particulars:
Needles: US 8 and US 10 in circular and double pointed.
Yarn: DK but you can use any yarn as long as you have two different needle sizes as above and increase or decrease your CO stitches. I’m using no more than 3, 197 yard skeins of Wool Ease.
Abbreviations: BO = bind off; CO = cast on; K = knit; Kfb of Pfb= knit or purl in the front and back of the stitch; M = marker; P = purl; PU = pick up; RS = right side; Sl = slip; st = stitch; WS = wrong side; *....* = work between asterisks till next set of directions or till end of row.
Short Sleeve Cardigan/Shrug - Which means it has one button on the neck band but does remains open in the body, like a shrug.
The Cast On: I read a lot about cast ons for top-downs. The number of stitches ranged from 50 to 90 and more. But I have a little neck and large COs always necessitate gathering at the top of the neck band. So between my two sources listed above, I decided that the Cali Cardi of CO 50 sts would work for me. But the key here to fit this to your size is whatever CO number you use, you are going to increase it by 20 stitches and a multiple of 5 when you start the yoke. So to begin:
CO 50 sts using US 8 needles and work about 1.5 inches in seed stitch this way:
Row 1: Sl1P as edge st, *seed stitch across* K1 as edge st. Mark 1st row as RS and continue in the seed stitch, keeping the first and last 4 sts on all your rows in edge st and seed stitch. End ready for a WS row. Still using US 8 needles and keeping the first and last four stitches in seed and edge stitches, increase 20 sts in P as Pfb evenly across.
(Formula for dividing yoke into 2 fronts, 2 sleeves and one back: Divide the number of sts on your needle by 5. The number you get will be the stitches for each front; subtract one stitch to get the number for each sleeve; add two stitches for the number for the back. At 70 stitches it was: 14 - 13 - 16 - 13 - 14. Place a marker after each stitch count. 14 M 13 M 16 M13 M14.
Yoke:
Row 1 RS: Sl1P, seed st on 3 sts, K to 2 sts before M, Kfb, K1, SM, Kfb* repeat ** to 1st st after last M, K to last four stitches, seed stitch on 3 sts, K last st.
Row 2 WS: SlP, seed set on 3 sts, P across to last 4 sts, seed st on 3 sts, K last st.
Continue these two rows increasing 8 sts every RS row for the length of the yoke. (I worked until the sleeve section had 40 stitches. Don’t forget this sweater is not going to meet in the front.), ) End ready for WS row.
Separate for body: Change to US 10.5 needles.
Set-Up Row 1: On WS, Sl1P, 3 sts in seed, P across to second M - 1st sleeve/back marker. Go back and take the sleeve sts you just purled and put them on a holder, removing the markers as you do. Then, P across to last M - sleeve/front marker. Go back and take the 2nd set of sleeve sts you just purled and put them on a 2nd holder. P across to 4 sts before the end. Work seed st on last 3 sts, K last stitch. (You should have all your Ms removed.)
Set-up Row 2 RS: Sl1P, work seed st on 3 sts. K across the front section. CO 6 sts (Put M between the 3rd & 4th CO st.) Continue to K across the back sts. CO 6 sts (Put M between the 3rd & 4th CO st.) K across to the end, working the last as 3 seed sts and K1 for last stitch.
Set-up Row 3: P across keeping your edge st/seed st border and pulling the sts tightly around the CO areas.
Rest of Body:
Row 1: Edge/Seed border on 1st 4 sts, *K* end Edge/Seed border on last 4 sts.
Row 2: Edge/Seed border on 1st 4 sts, *P* end Edge/Seed border on last 4 sts.
Continue in stockinette with the 4 st seed/edge border with no increases or decreases to the length you like. (I did close to a regular cardigan length.)
Hem Border:
At length, change to US 8 circulars and work a 1 inch or more seed stitch border. with edge sts. Do not bind off, work the crab stitch up the front band (the edge stitches should make this easy), across the neck band and down the other front band. Cut yarn and weave in ends.
Sleeves: Put the 40 sts for one sleeve on US10 DPNs. At the underarm section, take your yarn (leaving a very long tail) and PU 6 sts from your sweater body underarm 6 sts CO. (PU three sts before the marker and three after.) Mark the beginning of your round and K around on 46 sts to your sleeve length. (I knitted straight to about elbow length with no increases.) On your last row decrease 12 sts evenly. (I went from 46 to 34.)
Sleeve band: Change to US 8 DPNs and on 34 sts, work 3 rows of seed stitch. Bind off not loosely or tightly. Work same for second sleeve.
Finishing: Weave in ends. Use the long tails you left in the underarm sections to close any holes. Steam press your sweater. Get a button that “pops” and sew it to the left side of the neck band. Don’t worry about buttonholes; seed stitch is very elastic.
I’ve been very unsuccessful with shrugs and most shrugs I see have too much material under the arms. This cardi/shrug has none of this. It fits well but not tight ly. The half-sleeves have a funky look - not your grandma’s cardigan. And, it’s such an easy knit. I’m offering this not as my own pattern design but my own pattern tweaking. You can probably run with this and make it better. I want to design a top down lace cardi, Maybe you can figure that one out.
Happy knitting.
http://www.flyhoney.com/flyhoney/the-cali-cardi-pattern.html
and the my garage sale gem, Spinnovations 4, for inspiration. I’m talking about the top-down half-sleeve cardigan which was pictured last Knitting Friday. I’ve worn that cardigan/shrug and I’m starting on another one in Wool-Ease red with flecks. By this one, only my second, I have the pattern in memory: it’s that easy.
First some particulars:
Needles: US 8 and US 10 in circular and double pointed.
Yarn: DK but you can use any yarn as long as you have two different needle sizes as above and increase or decrease your CO stitches. I’m using no more than 3, 197 yard skeins of Wool Ease.
Abbreviations: BO = bind off; CO = cast on; K = knit; Kfb of Pfb= knit or purl in the front and back of the stitch; M = marker; P = purl; PU = pick up; RS = right side; Sl = slip; st = stitch; WS = wrong side; *....* = work between asterisks till next set of directions or till end of row.
Short Sleeve Cardigan/Shrug - Which means it has one button on the neck band but does remains open in the body, like a shrug.
The Cast On: I read a lot about cast ons for top-downs. The number of stitches ranged from 50 to 90 and more. But I have a little neck and large COs always necessitate gathering at the top of the neck band. So between my two sources listed above, I decided that the Cali Cardi of CO 50 sts would work for me. But the key here to fit this to your size is whatever CO number you use, you are going to increase it by 20 stitches and a multiple of 5 when you start the yoke. So to begin:
CO 50 sts using US 8 needles and work about 1.5 inches in seed stitch this way:
Row 1: Sl1P as edge st, *seed stitch across* K1 as edge st. Mark 1st row as RS and continue in the seed stitch, keeping the first and last 4 sts on all your rows in edge st and seed stitch. End ready for a WS row. Still using US 8 needles and keeping the first and last four stitches in seed and edge stitches, increase 20 sts in P as Pfb evenly across.
(Formula for dividing yoke into 2 fronts, 2 sleeves and one back: Divide the number of sts on your needle by 5. The number you get will be the stitches for each front; subtract one stitch to get the number for each sleeve; add two stitches for the number for the back. At 70 stitches it was: 14 - 13 - 16 - 13 - 14. Place a marker after each stitch count. 14 M 13 M 16 M13 M14.
Yoke:
Row 1 RS: Sl1P, seed st on 3 sts, K to 2 sts before M, Kfb, K1, SM, Kfb* repeat ** to 1st st after last M, K to last four stitches, seed stitch on 3 sts, K last st.
Row 2 WS: SlP, seed set on 3 sts, P across to last 4 sts, seed st on 3 sts, K last st.
Continue these two rows increasing 8 sts every RS row for the length of the yoke. (I worked until the sleeve section had 40 stitches. Don’t forget this sweater is not going to meet in the front.), ) End ready for WS row.
Separate for body: Change to US 10.5 needles.
Set-Up Row 1: On WS, Sl1P, 3 sts in seed, P across to second M - 1st sleeve/back marker. Go back and take the sleeve sts you just purled and put them on a holder, removing the markers as you do. Then, P across to last M - sleeve/front marker. Go back and take the 2nd set of sleeve sts you just purled and put them on a 2nd holder. P across to 4 sts before the end. Work seed st on last 3 sts, K last stitch. (You should have all your Ms removed.)
Set-up Row 2 RS: Sl1P, work seed st on 3 sts. K across the front section. CO 6 sts (Put M between the 3rd & 4th CO st.) Continue to K across the back sts. CO 6 sts (Put M between the 3rd & 4th CO st.) K across to the end, working the last as 3 seed sts and K1 for last stitch.
Set-up Row 3: P across keeping your edge st/seed st border and pulling the sts tightly around the CO areas.
Rest of Body:
Row 1: Edge/Seed border on 1st 4 sts, *K* end Edge/Seed border on last 4 sts.
Row 2: Edge/Seed border on 1st 4 sts, *P* end Edge/Seed border on last 4 sts.
Continue in stockinette with the 4 st seed/edge border with no increases or decreases to the length you like. (I did close to a regular cardigan length.)
Hem Border:
At length, change to US 8 circulars and work a 1 inch or more seed stitch border. with edge sts. Do not bind off, work the crab stitch up the front band (the edge stitches should make this easy), across the neck band and down the other front band. Cut yarn and weave in ends.
Sleeves: Put the 40 sts for one sleeve on US10 DPNs. At the underarm section, take your yarn (leaving a very long tail) and PU 6 sts from your sweater body underarm 6 sts CO. (PU three sts before the marker and three after.) Mark the beginning of your round and K around on 46 sts to your sleeve length. (I knitted straight to about elbow length with no increases.) On your last row decrease 12 sts evenly. (I went from 46 to 34.)
Sleeve band: Change to US 8 DPNs and on 34 sts, work 3 rows of seed stitch. Bind off not loosely or tightly. Work same for second sleeve.
Finishing: Weave in ends. Use the long tails you left in the underarm sections to close any holes. Steam press your sweater. Get a button that “pops” and sew it to the left side of the neck band. Don’t worry about buttonholes; seed stitch is very elastic.
I’ve been very unsuccessful with shrugs and most shrugs I see have too much material under the arms. This cardi/shrug has none of this. It fits well but not tight ly. The half-sleeves have a funky look - not your grandma’s cardigan. And, it’s such an easy knit. I’m offering this not as my own pattern design but my own pattern tweaking. You can probably run with this and make it better. I want to design a top down lace cardi, Maybe you can figure that one out.
Happy knitting.
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