Sky Blue Sky

I never did take a finished picture of this, it has been sitting around for ages.  But it is finally cool enough to wear and a week or so ago I had a house guest and drafted her to camera duty. 

A while ago someone asked for the pattern. This is not so much a pattern as a practice.   It's an Un-Pattern, knit to fit as follows:

Buy yarn on ridiculous sale at Webs.  Purchase copy of Knitting from the Top Down (if only for the page of suggested paired increases) (or go find it on your bookshelf and blow two years of dust off). Make gauge swatch.  Loop tape measure around desired neckline.  Cast on as the math tells you.  Divide into back sleeves and front, making the back a bit narrower than the front to allow for secondary sex characteristics.  Pick a style of paired increases - in this case, to pick up the loop on the stitch below on either side of the marker, for a very tiny yo effect.

Try on frequently.

Knit downward until armhole depth is reached. Put sleeves on waste yarn.  Continue past midpoint of breast.  Be too lazy to go back for short rows.  Begin decreasing under each breast to form front dart instead.   (Note after you see the pictures that you maybe might have wanted the raglan increases closer together in the front and that maybe you might have wanted to begin the bust darts slightly lower.) (Shrug.)

Try on frequently. 

Stop decreasing when comfortable with waist/ribcage fit.  Go straight for a while. When reach top of hips, begin increasing out on same line as bust dart and also at similar places above ass in back.  Unless your ass is more discreet than mine, in which case, carry on without increases.

I think the rate of increase was every third row in front, every other row in back, but this is a bulky yarn.  And I wouldn't swear to it. When you reach the approximate place (minus a bit) the sweater ought to stop, switch to seed stitch for a couple of inches.  Bind off alternating knit and purls in line with the seed stitch. Pick up arm stitches, knit down.  Double decrease about every two rows 4 or 5 times until sleeves is desired circumference.  Knit straight to midpoint of hand, add seed stitch etc as for body.  (I wanted very long sleeves)(though I may have gone too far). Do similar on other side.

Try on frequently.

Pick up around neckline, knitting same number of rounds as cuffs in seed stitch, double decreasing IN KNIT on corners (basically knit 3 tog with the center stitch on top) every other row or whatever seems good.

Ta da.

Contemplate the fact that this "knit to fit" garment has, in fact, almost 6 inches of negative ease.  Reassess understanding of clothing fit based on this data for a month or too.  Simultaneously discover that the state of sexual frenzy induced by guy you were seeing at the time has resulted in a rather too body conscious fit through the torso.  Think fondly of his primary attribute and resentfully of everything else. 

Leave sweater on arm of chaise with one single end (neckline) unwoven for several months in depression.

Try on again.

Decide you like it anyway, despite the snug fit.  Make note to remember that maybe 3 inches of negative ease might be a wiser choice next time.

Sew in last end.

Perfect.

Comments

[Donnie Brosco]

Sweet Sweater

[Gina]

Ta da indeed! That if fantastic, and I love the softness of the blue. Not babyish at all. It is very much the sky.

[heather]

look at you all saucepot! it looks fabulous on you - love it.

[julia fc]

Dancing to something good, are you?
just sayin'.

[Jessica]

Yep. Definitely the best pattern I've ever read. ;) It looks great too! :)

[Cassandra]

Great sweater! Wear it with pride (and forget about the guy).

[Wanda]

I love the fit of this sweater. Six inches of negative ease sounds like a lot, but really this sweater looks hawt on you! I'm glad you wove in that last end. How sexy is this sweater! Wear it in good health.

[Phil Boncer]

Looks great on you / you look great in it.

PhilB

[anne]

i LOVE it. i love on YOU.
i like the way the raglans are wide apart in front . . . i am always trying to get that look and i usually fail. i keep blaming my weeny shoulders and neck, but maybe it's really my brain at fault.

hmmm, much to contemplate there.

anyway, it looks great on you.

[Jess]

That's gorgeous! I am completely confused by fit issues like this, too - I made a sweater with zero ease that is nowhere near as snug as it seems it should be. Regardless of how much negative ease you've left, it looks fabulous on you.

And your post title has given me a very welcome earworm. I love that song & album.

[Lynn]

Perfect indeed (except maybe those sleeves). And what's wrong with the fit? It looks fine to me.

[k]

Great shoulders, to carry off the raglan. I'll have to go back to weights, I guess.
Although I admit to being stuck on primary attribute.

[benedetta]

very perfect, very lovely!

[Amy]

I love it. I'm glad to see that someone else gets really excited about having long sleeves that are actually long enough.

[Cassie]

Nice.

[Mel]

Well, I'll just add my voice to the chorus. Especially with that black skirt. Absolutely fantabulous.

[Cheryl]

I think it looks great on you! I had some of that yarn in my basket last time I was at Webs, same color and everytihng. Then I put it back on the shelf. I loved it though!

[elisa]

Oh my god, dude - that sweater on you is HOT. Rawr.

[kmkat]

Wow. Just wow. What a great sweater!

[cari]

Hey! I remember that sweater when it was just a wee shoulder warmer! It looks great, darlin'. 6 inches of negative ease is working well for you.

[Anne]

It does look fantastic. (And I like the costume change in the middle. :)

Think of it as your secret weapon.

[Lizbon]

I am quite enamored of the fit on this one. Also, mmmmmmmmm......primary attribute.......mmmmmmmm.

[elizabeth]

Agh! it's supposed to read:

waist_shaping.html

at the end of the previous link.

[Sharon]

I think it looks really flattering. I love everything about it! Looks soft and cozy!

[elizabeth]

I think it looks great! Here's a really good article I found about waist shaping using four points of increases/decreases, instead of the usual side shaping. It's about crochet but the principles are the same.

http://www.crochetme.com/Feb_Mar_2005/reads_waist_shaping.html