Shelley's Patterns

Free Knitting Patterns

Friday, March 03, 2006

Top-down V-neck sweater

This sweater is worked from top-down. After the raglan increases the sleeve stitches are put on holders and the body is finished. Then the sleeve stitches are picked up and the sleeves are worked down. No seams!! The only finishing is weaving in the ends of the sleeves, waist and neck. This pattern is for a size s/m and it is oversized to boot. In other words, it a BIG sweater! You can easily adjust the size by making fewer or more raglan increases. Just make sure to buy enough yarn if you're going to make it bigger.

Materials:
7 skeins super bulky hand-painted yarn (approx 455 yards)
2 skeins of mohair to coordinate for cuffs and trim
Circular needles 16" and 29" and dpns in size 15 [or size to get gauge]
6 stitch markers - 2 in one color, 4 in another
2 stitch holders, or waste yarn

Gauge:
10 stitches = 4 inches in st stitch

Body:

Until the bottom of the "V", you will be using your longer circular needle and working back and forth in st stitch (knit RS , purl WS).

Using the larger circular needle cast on for the neck as follows, making sure to place your markers which will indicate your sleeve and neck increases:
CO 1, pm A
CO 1, pm B
CO 6, pm B
CO 15, pm B
CO 6, pm B
CO 1, pm A
CO 1

Working back and forth, increase by knitting into the front and back of the stitch before and after each B marker on every right side row. At the same time, increase at the beginning and end of every 5th row until there are six stitches between the end of the needle and marker A. End with a RS row.

You will now put the sleeves on holders or waste yarn and continue working on the body in the round. This will be your beginning of the round so you should take out the other markers as you go. Knit to the first B marker, slip all of the stitches from there to the next B marker on a holder, cast on 4 stitches and join to the back, kitting to the next B marker. Slip all of the stitches from there to the last B marker on a holder, cast on 4 stitches and continue knitting. You will need one skein (65 yards) to finish each sleeve, so just keep on working until you have either finished your 5th skein or you get to about 2" from where you want to start the trim. Using your mohair and holding 2 strands, knit 4 rows even, then purl a row, knit a row, purl a row and bind off knitwise.

Sleeves:
Using the smaller circular slip all of the stitches from the holder or waste yarn onto the needle, pick up four stitches under the arm placing a marker after the second stitch. This is your beginning of the round.

Knit four rows even. Next row K1, ssk, knit to 3 stitches before the marker, K2tog, K1. 2 stitches decreased. Decrease this same way every 6th row 4 times, then every 4th row 2 times, changing to DPNs when needed. 27 stitches.
Knit two rows even, then change to mohair and holding 2 strands, knit 2 rows even.
Next row: K3 M1 (K4 M1) 5 times, K3. 33 stitches
Knit 3 rows even
Next row: K4 M1 (K5 M1) 5 times, K4. 39 stitches
Knit 3 rows even
Next row: K5 M1 (K6 M1) 5 times, K 4. 45 stitches
Purl 1 row
Knit 1 row
Purl 1 row
BO knitwise

Neck edging:

Holding two strands of mohair together, pick up stitches as follows starting at back right of neck:
15 along the back of the neck, 7 down the sleeve, 25 down to the point of the V, 24 up to the sleeve and 7 along the other sleeve. Join at the neck and, depending upon how revealing you want the neckline, work a few rows even then finish as the other edges with P 1 row, K 1 row, P 1 row and BO knitwise.