The green sweater

The green sweater
Originally uploaded by Harpa J

The green sweater

This sweater is knit with nine skeins of anny blatt´s Lolita on pins nr. 4 ½ (US 7) but you can use any yarn you like. I can warmly recommend Lolita though - it is very easy to wash and it wears well. It does not get hot and sticky like some synthetics do.

Size - approximately 1o years. However - the size is very easily adjustable.

It is knit top down – you can use a suitable top down raglan pattern for your yarn of choice, but it is really not necessary.

Here is a good description of how to knit top down raglan.

The method I used is this:

Cast on 84 stitches using provisional cast on. If you are using finer yarn increase the number of stitches, if your yarn if thicker you need less.

Connect the stitches and knit approximately four rounds.

Then you divide the lot into from back and sleeves putting in markers after 14 stitches (first sleeve), then after 28, again after 14 (second sleeve) and again after 14. Note that if you altered the cast on number you have to change these numbers accordingly.

Now you increase one stitch on each side of each marker. How often you do this depends on how close fitting you want the sweater to be, the elasticity of the yarn and the shape of the prospective wearer. I increased in every fourth row for a very thin child. If you are going to have cables on the sleeves you start them now. Use any cables you like - you can find a good selection here .

Try the piece on to see if you are increasing enough.

Continue until the yoke is deep enough to meet under the arms.

Now it is time to split up the arms and the body. You can see how it is done here.

If you are not sure you have enough yarn for a long sweater, knit the sleeves first. Then you can use all the rest on the body.

The sleeve decreases depend on how much you increased on the yoke.
I knit for about 12 cm without decreases, then I decreased (on each side of a center marker) six times with six rows between increases. After that I knit straight down and finished with a moss stitch edge.
That is of course completely optional.

Again the key is to try the piece on and find out how many decreases are needed and at what interval.

When you knit the body you place the cables where you want them (if you want them) and knit straight down.

Try on to see how long you want the sweater to be. I finished with a moss stitch edge so the sweater would not roll but you can use any edge you like.

Now it is time for the hood.

You pick up the stitches from the provisional cast on and knit one round increasing approximately 13 stitches, evenly spaced. (The same goes here as before – finer yarn more stitches – thicker less) Knit back and forth placing a cable along the front if you want to. Continue until the hood is long enough. Graft the top of the hood together, close the holes under the arms and hide all ends.