Foliage Sweater

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The sweater is knitted from mink down in a circular pattern from the bottom up in one piece.

 

Basic Information

 

The sweater is knitted from mink down using 2 strands plus 1 additional strand (included with the yarn) in a circular pattern from the bottom up in one piece (without seams).

 

The sleeves are knitted separately until the armhole, and then added to the main piece (raglan).

 

Required skills: casting on, circular knitting, ability to read patterns, understanding what raglan and short rows are.

 

You will need:

 

– needles 4.0mm (for ribbing): 1 pair on a 40 cm cable, 1 pair on a 60-80 cm cable;

– needles 5.0mm (for knitting the main piece and sleeves): 1 pair on a 40 cm cable,

1 pair on a 60-80 cm cable;

– double-pointed needles 4.0mm (for knitting the ribbing of the sleeves);

– needle, scissors, markers, additional contrasting yarn.

Yarn:

– Mink down 350m/50g (composition: 90% mink down, 10% polyamide)

Yarn consumption: XS/S – 250 g, M/L – 290 g, L/XL – 320 g, XXL – 350 g.

Sizes:

XS/S – (Bust 84-92) garment width 47 cm, back length 53-54 cm.

M/L – (Bust 93-102) garment width 52 cm, back length 55-56 cm.

L/XL – (Bust 103-110) garment width 56 cm, back length 57-58 cm

XXL – (Bust 111 – 120) garment width 61 cm, back length 59-60 cm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sample knitted in stockinette stitch with 5.0 mm needles after washing and blocking:

 

10cm x 10cm = 18.5 sts x 24.5 rows

 

 

The main piece is knitted in stockinette stitch in the round (all stitches are knit in every row).

 

The sleeves are knitted in the round using the pattern from the chart.

More details about the pattern distribution on the sleeves will be written in the section about the sleeves.

 

  knit

purl

yarn over

decrease left (ssk)

decrease right (k2tog)

 Slip 1 stitch as knit, knit 2 together knitwise leaning right, and pass the slipped stitch over the knitted stitch (resulting in 1 stitch from 3).

 

 

 

Step 1. Beginning Work

 

On 4.0 mm needles (60-80 cm) for the chosen size, cast on the specified number of stitches plus 1 stitch (to join in the round):

 

XS/S – 168 sts

 

M/L – 184 sts

 

L/XL – 196 sts

 

XXL – 212 sts

 

Knit 6 rows in 1x1 ribbing (1 knit, 1 purl). In the 7th row, evenly increase the specified number of stitches:

 

XS/S – 6 sts (total 174 sts)

 

M/L – 8 sts (total 192 sts)

 

L/XL – 10 sts (total 206 sts)

 

XXL – 12 sts (total 224 sts)

 

Then change to 5.0 mm needles and knit straight (in the round) in stockinette stitch until the armholes. If you follow the lengths indicated in this description for the sweaters, you need to knit in stockinette stitch until the armholes:

 

XS/S – 72-73 rows

 

M/L – 74-75 rows

 

L/XL – 77-78 rows

 

XXL – 79-80 rows

 

After this, temporarily set the main piece aside and move on to knitting the sleeves.

 

Step 2. Sleeves

 

On double-pointed needles 4.0 mm for the chosen size, cast on the specified number of stitches plus 1 stitch (to join in the round):

 

XS/S – 40 sts

 

M/L – 40 sts

 

L/XL – 44 sts

 

XXL – 44 sts

 

Knit 6 rows in 1x1 ribbing (1 knit, 1 purl). In the 7th row, evenly increase the specified number of stitches:

 

XS/S – 12 sts (total 52 sts)

 

M/L – 14 sts (total 54 sts)

 

L/XL – 12 sts (total 56 sts)

 

XXL – 12 sts (total 56 sts)

 

Then switch to 5.0 mm needles. Mark the beginning of the round and knit one preparatory row (according to the pattern chart, this is the row before the first pattern row):

 

XS/S – 2 knit, 1 purl, from stitch 1 to 16 of the specified row of the chart (pattern repeat) – 3 times, 1 knit;

 

M/L – 3 knit, 1 purl, from stitch 1 to 16 of the specified row of the chart (pattern repeat) – 3 times, 2 knit;

 

L/XL – 4 knit, 1 purl, from stitch 1 to 16 of the specified row of the chart (pattern repeat) – 3 times, 3 knit;

 

XXL – 4 knit, 1 purl, from stitch 1 to 16 of the specified row of the chart (pattern repeat) – 3 times, 3 knit.

 

Then proceed to the 1st row of the pattern, knitting the stitches in the same sequence as in the preparatory row.

 

Thus, in all sizes, the pattern repeat (and 1 purl for symmetry) is repeated 3 times plus an odd number of knit stitches on the inside of the sleeve (the center one is the beginning of the round).

 

Knit the sleeves to the armholes with even increases.

 

 

 

Where to make increases. As mentioned above, in each size, we have an odd number of knit stitches next to the marker of the beginning of the round. Increases will be made on both sides of the 3 central stitches from these knits (1 stitch at the end of the round and 2 stitches at the beginning of the round).

 

How to make increases. You can make them in any way you are comfortable with: yarn overs, twisted yarn overs, knitting from the strands between stitches, knitting from the stitch of the previous row.

 

Increases in the sleeves

 

How to knit the increase stitches. Initially, all increased stitches are knitted as knits. As their number grows, we knit part of the pattern repeat on these stitches.

 

Meanwhile, the 3 central knit stitches will remain knit; we do not change them.

 

For size XS/S, you can continue to knit all stitches as knits until the armholes, as the initial number of knit stitches and the number added is small. Some of them will go into the underarm stitches, and the rest will be decreased at the very bottom of the raglan lines.

 

For the other sizes, it is better to knit part of the pattern repeat so that the pattern is visible next to the raglan lines on the sleeve side, not just stockinette stitch. When knitting only part of the pattern repeat, it is important to keep track of the number of stitches (so that the number of yarn overs and stitches knitted together matches). Therefore, I transitioned from knits to part of the pattern stitches after the number of knit stitches on each side (not counting the 3 central ones) was at least 6.

 

Frequency and number of increases.

 

Distribution of increases depending on the size:

 

XS/S – 6 times 2 stitches in every 15th row. Total 64 sts.

 

M/L – 7 times 2 stitches in every 13th row. Total 68 sts.

 

L/XL – 8 times 2 stitches in every 12th row. Total 72 sts.

 

XXL – 10 times 2 stitches in every 10th row. Total 76 sts.

 

After the last increase, continue to knit straight until the required number of rows (after the ribbing):

 

XS/S – 96 rows

 

M/L – 98 rows

 

L/XL – 100 rows

 

XXL – 103 rows

 

Before setting the sleeve aside, close the stitches for the armholes (or underarm). For this, the last row is knitted not to the end, but stopping before the underarm stitches.

 

Number of underarm stitches:

 

XS/S – 7 sts

 

M/L – 7 sts

 

L/XL – 9 sts

 

XXL – 9 sts

 

Thus, for the first two sizes, do not knit the last 3 stitches of the row, and for the other two sizes – do not knit the last 4 stitches of the row.

 

Take the contrasting yarn and close the underarm stitches in the usual way.

 

Closing underarm stitches

 

Cut the main yarn with which we knitted the sleeve, leaving a 30 cm tail for further sewing of the underarm stitches.

 

Set the first sleeve aside and knit the second sleeve in the same way.

 

After knitting both sleeves, we will join the main piece and the sleeves.

 

 

 

 

Step 3. Joining All Parts

 

Before joining, it is necessary to close the stitches for the armholes (underarms) and on the lower part of the sweater. Their number matches the number of closed stitches on the sleeves for each size. These stitches are also closed with the contrasting yarn.

 

The stitches of the left armhole, just like on the sleeves, are placed close to the marker of the beginning of the round, and we can close the stitches of the right armhole after knitting the front stitches.

 

Since the main part of the sweater is in stockinette stitch, we can close the stitches of the left armhole right at the beginning of the round (without distributing part to the end of the round as in the sleeves).

 

 Closing Armhole Stitches

 

After closing the stitches of the left armhole, attach the left sleeve. Thus, the beginning of the round will be the first stitch of the left sleeve.

 

Our round will look as follows:

 

 

The start of the round is behind the left shoulder, then we move along the pattern in a clockwise direction along the black line. The red lines mark the future seams of the armholes (these are the armhole stitches closed with contrasting yarn).

So, we attach the left sleeve. In the video, I highlighted the start of the round with a blue marker, and the three other raglan lines will be marked in pink (these are the places of joining the parts of the sweater).

Attaching the Left Sleeve

After knitting the stitches of the left sleeve, place a marker, then knit the front stitches.

Number of front stitches:

XS/S – 84 sts

M/L – 94 sts

L/XL – 100 sts

XXL – 110 sts

After knitting the front stitches, close the stitches of the right armhole with the contrasting yarn in the same way as the left. Then attach the right sleeve and proceed to the back stitches. Do not forget to mark the places of joining the parts with markers.

Number of back stitches:

XS/S – 76 sts

M/L – 84 sts

L/XL – 88 sts

XXL – 96 sts

Our round with the joining of the parts is complete.

Thus, after joining the parts, the following number of stitches will be on the needles:

XS/S – 57 sts left sleeve, 84 sts front, 57 sts right sleeve, 76 sts back = 274 sts

M/L – 61 sts left sleeve, 94 sts front, 61 sts right sleeve, 84 sts back = 300 sts

L/XL – 63 sts left sleeve, 100 sts front, 63 sts right sleeve, 88 sts back = 314 sts

XXL – 67 sts left sleeve, 110 sts front, 67 sts right sleeve, 96 sts back = 340 sts

Step 4. Raglan Lines

From the next row after joining the parts, we start to decrease along the raglan lines. For convenience, the joining points of the parts (the middle of the raglan lines) are marked with markers.

Decreases are made 1 stitch away from the middle of the raglan line (i.e., the raglan line itself will consist of 2 knit stitches) as follows: to the right of the raglan line - knit 2 together leaning left, and to the left of the raglan line - knit 2 together leaning right.

Decreases Along the Raglan Lines

Now more details about the distribution of decreases along the raglan lines.

The length of the upper part of the sweater (bodice) will be different for all sizes, therefore the number of rows and the frequency of decreases along the raglan lines will differ. Furthermore, within each size, the decreases along the raglan lines will also vary, so to avoid confusion, it is best to keep records for each raglan line.

We have 4 raglan lines, and each of these lines has two sides (see the image below). The red lines indicate the raglan lines themselves. Along each line, both sides are labeled with the names of the sides of the raglan lines.

Decreases along the sides with the same designation will be identical.

 

 

The length of the bodice consists of two parts: before the short row and the short row itself.

About the short row will be discussed later, but first, the distribution of decreases by sizes before the short row.

Size XS/S

Front: 3 times in every row, then 23 times in every 2nd row.

Back: 5 times in every 3rd row, then 17 times in every 2nd row.

Sleeve: 7 times in every 3rd row, then 14 times in every 2nd row.

Total 49 rows. The chart shows what will remain on the needles after the decreases.

 

For Size M/L

Front: 8 times in every row, then 22 times in every 2nd row.

Back: 26 times in every 2nd row.

Sleeve: 8 times in every 3rd row, then 14 times in every 2nd row.

Total 52 rows. The chart shows what will remain on the needles after the decreases.

 

For Size L/XL

Front: 6 times in every row, then 24 times in every 2nd row.

Back: 4 times in every 3rd row, then 21 times in every 2nd row.

Sleeve: 10 times in every 3rd row, then 12 times in every 2nd row.

Total 54 rows. The chart shows what will remain on the needles after the decreases.

 

 

For Size XXL

Front: 13 times in every row, then 22 times in every 2nd row.

Back: 1 time in 1 row, then 28 times in every 2nd row.

Sleeve: 11 times in every 3rd row, then 12 times in every 2nd row.

Total 57 rows. The chart shows what will remain on the needles after the decreases.

 

 

 

 

Step 5. Short Rows

What short rows represent is a technique that creates a difference in height between the front and back necklines.

When knitting short rows, we transition from circular knitting to knitting in both directions (i.e., knit and purl rows). In each row, we decrease the number of knitted stitches.

The schematic representation of knitting short rows is shown in the image. That is, we knit a row to a certain point, turn the work, and knit back to a point symmetrical to the first. Then we reach the next point, decreasing the number of knitted stitches again and turning the work.

This is done for several rows, in our case for sizes XS/S and M/L – 6 rows, and for sizes L/XL and XXL – 8 rows.

 

 

Thus, we need to mark the turning points with markers. If there are 6 short rows, then there should be 6 marked points (3 on each side symmetrically).

For 8 rows, there should be 8 points (4 on each side).

The turning points are marked in blue on the diagrams below.

The central stitches of the front are no longer knitted, i.e., we reach the marker to the right of the central front stitches and turn the work. After turning, a yarn over must be made and continue knitting in the opposite direction to the symmetrical marker to the left of the central front stitches.

In the next row, we reach the next marker, turn again, and knit back to the symmetrical marker, and so on.

In each 2nd row of the short rows, we make decreases along all raglan lines that we will cross!

So, the distribution of markers (turning points of knitting) by sizes:

 

 

 

 

 

Important – after turning the work, make a yarn over. If the turn is from the knit side to the purl side, then the yarn over is made away from you, and when turning from the purl side to the knit side, the yarn over is made towards you.

After completing the short rows, we move on to the neckline.

Step 6. Neckline

Change to 4.0 mm needles and knit the neckline with the remaining stitches.

At this point, the following number of stitches should be on the needles:

XS/S – 78 sts

M/L – 84 sts

L/XL – 92 sts

XXL – 96 sts

So, knit in 1x1 ribbing, knitting the yarn overs made during the turning together with the neighboring stitches.

After 7 rows, close the stitches.

Step 7. Armhole Seams

It remains to sew the armhole stitches.

To do this, unravel the contrasting yarn from the armhole stitches and put the stitches on double-pointed needles. Thread the end of the yarn left on the sleeves through a needle and sew the seams.

Hide the ends of the yarn and proceed to blocking.

Step 8. Wet Blocking.

Wash the sweater by hand in cool water (up to 40 degrees), using a liquid wool detergent. During the washing process, do not rub or twist. Only gentle washing, rinsing, and careful squeezing. Dry flat, turning it over periodically.