BALLET WRAP SWEATER by Michelle Ciccariello Experience Level: Intermediate to Experienced. Size and Yarn Requirements: elann.com Peruvian Sierra Aran: 10 balls for adult, 6 balls for child. Pictured above in color 0707 Paprika, with a finished bust of 40", and a finished length of 18". Sizing for lace garments is very fluid, and can be changed to suit at the blocking stage, keeping in mind that blocking will add more length than width. Size can also be changed as described in the knit-to-fit instructions below. If you knit-to-fit, simply increase or decrease your yarn requirements, according to the percentage you adjust the finished bust. e.g. if you were to make the bust 44" wide, rather than 40", you would calculate that 44" is 10% wider than 40" (44 divided by 40 = 1.1), so you would need 10% more yarn – i.e. 11 balls, rather than 10. Other Materials: 5.5mm (US 9) circular needles, or size needed to obtain gauge 5.5mm (US 9) circular needles for sleeves (or set of dpns) - 4 ring markers, color A, to mark increase points. - Multiple ring markers, color B, to mark repeats of lace pattern. - Stitch holders (or narrow ribbon). Gauge: 13 sts and 16 rows = 4" on 5.5 mm (US 9) needles. LACE STITCHES USED This garment begins with Cell Stitch, then switches to Horseshoe Pattern when the underarm is reached. Eyelet Rib is used to to finish the bottom edges; the neck and front bands are knit in Double Seed Stitch, and the ties in k1p1 rib. Cell Stitch (mltpl 3) R1 (and all other WS): Purl for rows, knit for rounds R2: k2tog, yo, k1 R4: yo, k1, k2tog (Based on Barbara Walker, A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns, p.246). Horseshoe Pattern (mltpl 10) R1 & 3: K R2: yo, k3, SK2P, k3, yo, k1 R4: k1, yo, k2, SK2P, k2, yo, k1, p1 R5 & 7: k9, p1 R6: k2, yo, k1, SK2P, k1, yo, k2, k1 R8: k3, yo, SK2P, yo, k3, p1 Double Seed Stitch (mltpl 4) R1&2: k2, p2 R3&4: p2, k2 Eyelet Rib (mltpl 5) R1 (RS): p2, k3 R2 & 4 (WS): k2, p3 R3: p2, k2tog, yo, k1 This Ballet Wrap Sweater is worked from the top-down. You will be knitting two sleeves and a back, plus two completely overlapping fronts. Cast On: You will be casting on 2 sleeves and a back. You’ll mark the back with 2 stitch markers. The stitches on either side of the back will become the sleeves. You’ll also place a stitch marker one or two stitches in from each end. These designate the end of each sleeve and allow a 1-or-2-stitch edge on each side from which to grow the sweater fronts. For child: CO 17 sts; place ring markers after 1, 4, 13, and 16 sts. For sizes S-M-L for women: CO 37 sts and place ring markers after 1, 8, 29, and 36 sts. From Neck Down to Underarms (Knit to Fit): - All RS Rows: K-f&b before & after each marker. - Every 4th row, inc 1 at the beginning and end of row. - All WS Rows: Purl or reverse-knit across, as required by lace pattern. - Knit the first 2-3 rows in plain stockinette, then begin lace stitch patterns wherever you have enough sts in any given section for a repeat of the pattern. Any sts that are left over will be worked in stockinette until you have built up enough increased sts to add another repeat of the lace pattern. - Continue knitting, watching the raglan increase lines grow towards the underarms (to determine correct length, measure the vertical distance from the neck to the underarm of the wearer, then add one inch for ease (this is usually 4-8 inches for kids and 10-12 inches for adults). Garment, as pictured, measures 8.5" from neck to underarm. - Continue knitting until stitches across back section (between your center two increase markers) equal half of total needed for chest measurement. (Keep in mind that the lace will stretch when blocked, so stretch it when you measure.) Garment, as pictured, measures 20" across the back section from underarm to underarm, for a finished chest measurement of 40". - Move the back’s stitches to a stitch holder or a length of narrow ribbon, and then move the front stitches on each end to a separate stitch holder or length of narrow ribbon. - You are going to finish the sleeves before returning to the back, because it is easiest to knit the sleeves when there is nothing else in the way. Sleeves: - Move sleeve-backs (underarm to back of shoulder) to one circular needle, and sleeve-fronts (underarm to front of shoulder) to a second circular needle (or use dpns and knit each sleeve separately). - Using a different ball of yarn for each sleeve, knit around once, casting on 2 sts at the underarm-side of each sleeve-half - Knit around in pattern for a few inches, then begin decreasing 1 st ea side of underarm every 4th rnd. - Stop at three-quarter (or longer, as desired) length, and work a few inches in Eyelet Rib stitch before binding off loosely. Sleeves pictured measure 13.5" from underarm to lower edge. Back and Fronts: - Pick up and knit front sts from one side, underarm sts (the 4 extra sts you cast on for sleeve), back sts, the other underarm’s stitches (the 4 extra cast-on sts), then the sts from the other front. You should have no underarm holes: ALL underarm sts should be on the needle with everything else, and the underarm sections should fit smoothly into your lace pattern. If more stitches are needed at each underarm, pick up and knit extra stitches at each underarm, or if fewer stitches are needed, knit some of the old queue sts on either side of the underarm together. - Knit back and forth, in cell stitch, and every 4th row, inc 1 at the beginning and end of row. - At 1 or 2 inches below underarm, change lace stitch to Horseshoe pattern. Keep the increases at the beginning and end of every 4th row. Use markers, if desired, to separate each 10-stitch repeat of the Horseshoe Pattern (this helps you catch any errors within 10 sts or less, as opposed to finding a discrepancy at the end of an entire row). - When each front is, itself, equal in stitch count to the entire back, stop the increases, and work a few inches in Eyelet Rib stitch before binding off loosely. Garment, as pictured measures 18" from neck to lower edge, including edging. Shoulder-Neck Edging and Ties: - Pick up all sts from one side to the other, beginning at the bottom ribbing and moving up the front at a rate of pick up 2, skip 1, pickup all sts across back of neck, then continue down the other side of the front, resuming a rate of pick up 2, skip 1, and ending at the opposite bottom ribbing. - Work back and forth in Double Seed Stitch until edging band is 1 inch or more, as desired. - Work the first 8 sts of one more row, and place these stitches on a stitch holder (they will be picked up and knit to form one of the ties, later). - Bind off, in pattern, until you reach the last 8 sts. - Continue knitting these last ribbing stitches, using a K1, P1 rib. You are making one of the ties. When you are done, you will pick up the stitches on the other side and do the same thing. (If you prefer, you can bind off these stitches with the rest and just sew on ribbon or cord for ties, but knitted ties are traditional and organic to the garment, so they look very nice, and they don’t take very long.) - You will want to knit the tie that extends from the garment’s right front to a length of about 12 inches, where it will tie at the left side. - You’ll knit the tie that extends from the garment’s left front to a length that extends all the way across the back of the sweater, plus another 12 inches, because this is the tie that wraps around behind the body before meeting up again at the left side to tie in a bow. - When you have finished the ties, you are all done! DESIGNER'S NOTES Notes on Gauge: This sample was knit in elann.com Peruvian Sierra Aran, but is easily adaptable to other yarns. The neck is not fully constructed with the cast-on stitches; it is constructed as you knit, as are the chest size and length, so any gauge will work. Simply choose a gauge that gives you the amount of drape, fluff, or density you want with the yarn you are using. Notes on Choosing Alternate Lace Stitch Patterns: The structure of a wrap cardigan gives you plenty of room to experiment. If you are substituting a lace stitch which requires an odd number of stitches, use an odd cast-on; if it requires an even-number, choose an even cast-on. This keeps the number of sts in each sleeve or back section odd or even, allowing the stitch pattern’s motif to land in the center, which matters in some decorative stitches. For average sized woman, for an even number of stitches: CO 34 sts and place ring markers after 2, 8, 26, and 32 sts (for child: CO 24 sts; place markers after 2, 6, 18, and 22 sts). For average sized woman, and an odd number of stitches: CO 37 sts and place ring markers after 1, 8, 29, and 36 sts (for child: CO 17 sts; place markers after 1, 4, 13, and 16 sts.) Notes on Resizing: Cast on on amounts above can be altered as much as you like; the vital thing is to keep the ratio the same. Sleeve-to-back ratio needs to stay at 1-to-3. If you add a few more sts to the back section, but not to the sleeves, the chest measurement will end up a little bigger; if you add a st or two extra to the sleeve sections, but not the back, the sleeves will come out more full. If you want to change the proportions on purpose, use this as a guideline. If you just want to change the total cast on amount, stick to the 3-to-1 ratio. Each sleeve should be 1/8 of the total, the back 3/8 of the total, and the fronts will eventually grow to join and equal the back for the remaining 3/8 of the total. Abbreviations: Approx - approximately, beg - begin(ning), BO - bind off, CC - contrast color, cm - centimeter, cn - cable needle, CO - cast on, cont - continue(ing), dbl - double, dec - decrease, EOR - every other row, ER - every row, es - edge stitch, in - inch, inc - increase, k - knit, k1-p1 - knit 1 and purl 1 into a double yarn-over on the previous row, K1toE-tbl - knit 1 to edge, through back loops, k2tog - knit 2 together, k2tog-tbl - knit 2 together, through the back loops, k3tog-tbl - knit 3 together, through the back loops, kf&b - knit into the front loop and then the back loop of the same stitch, L - left, m - meters, MC - main color, meas - measures, mltpl - multiple of, mm - millimeters, P - purl, patt - pattern, pm - place marker, psso - pass slipped stitch over, rem - remain, rep - repeat, Rev - reverse, R - right, rnd - round, RS(R) - right side (row), sc - single crochet, SK2P - slip 1 knitwise – k2tog - pass slipped stitch over, S2KP - slip 2 knitwise - knit 1 - pass the 2 slipped stitches over, sl - slip, spi - stitches per inch, SSK - slip, slip, knit - slip next two stitches knitwise, one at a time, to right-hand needle. Insert tip of left-hand needle into fronts of these stitches, from left to right. Knit them together. One stitch has been decreased, st st - stockinette (or stocking) stitch, st(s) - stitch(es), tbl - through back loop, tog - together, WS(R) - wrong side (row), wyib - with yarn in back, wyif - with yarn in front, yb - yarn back, yd - yard, yo - yarn over (yf for British & Canadian knitters). Please note this pattern is copyrighted material and the entire contents of this pattern are copyrighted as a collective work under the copyright laws of Canada and the United States. You may print a copy of this pattern for your own personal use and enjoyment, but editing, publishing, transmitting, e-mailing, posting it to a list service or database, or otherwise commercially exploiting this pattern is strictly forbidden. Copyright Michelle Ciccariello