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FUZZY GALORE |
Did you hear us scream when hip-hugging flared pants came back?
How about when you started wearing macrame chokers? We've been good, haven't we?
Yet now we're confronted with the full fashion Return of the 80s, and
we're kind of losing it. You'll see when it's your turn :-)..
Although you know, to be honest, the 80s had an excellent side: sweaters were sure easy to make. In fact we made our first sweaters then, and those big boxes were a breeze compared with the contemporary darts-over-here, armholes-over-there versions. And they were really easy to adapt for all sizes, including our ample-knitter friends.
So we figured we should inflict a re-enactment on you, an authentic one to boot since we're absolutely vintage :-). It's an excellent choice if you haven't made a sweater yet and were thinking of jumping in. It's also an excellent choice if you have some of those long-color-repeat yarns, since it also shows up that kind of yarn perfectly. Do you have some nice handpainted handspun perhaps? If you don't have a print like this, you might want to use 2 separate solid colors of yarn instead to emphasize the blocks, making half a sweater with each and joining them in the centers. Maximum 80s mileage would be gained with black and a bright color, such as Indian hot pink, and Iceland is another Crystal Palace yarn with the same gauge. This retro sweater is warm but very light, almost airy, and very comfortable.
Beginner. Ideal for a first sweater.
On stockinette, 12 stitches/18 rows over 4"/10cm.
Stockinette: knit every stitch of a row, purl every stitch of the next.
Garter: knit every stitch of every row.
Moss: (k1 p1)* till end of row. On the next rows, knit every purl stitch
and purl every knit one.
Crochet slip-stitch: put crochet through fabric, yarn over,
pull yarn through both fabric and previous loop.
Make 4 separate panels exactly the same. The front and back of the
finished sweater will thus also be exactly the same.
We recommend keeping an eye on the color
repeats, so that you can be sure each panel has a slightly different
color sequence, the stripes must be obviously unmatched rather than just a bit off.
However, if you need to change balls within a piece be sure to do so smoothly,
choosing ends and cutting some off one ball if necessary.
Check pieces measurements, block to match if necessary.. Use your favorite sewing technique to join the seams you want to keep invisible. I used a crochet hook, using a single slip stitch to join all the seams, but that's because I'm lazy - you might prefer a mattress stitch for instance, which is really invisible and very stretchy.
On the right side of knitted fabric, join two panels from top to bottom
with a visible seam, for the front or back center of the pullover.
Repeat for the remaining two panels. Here I used a crochet slip stitch
too, and you might want to do the same: it gives a very good popping out seam,
a bit asymmetrical to boot.
Now join these 2 sets of panels with invisible side seams. On the wrong side of fabric, join the the side seams of the sweater from the bottom up until there is half the sleeve's upper width left for the armholes.
On the wrong side of fabric, join the shoulder seams leaving 10"/25cm for the neck. It's recommended here too to use a crochet slip-stitch - it will help stabilize these crucial seams and keep your sweater in shape.
Finally, join the sleeve seams and then attach them to the body of the sweater.
Steam pullover lightly on the wrong side of the fabric.
Rosemarie Lewis learned to knit from her Mama, as well as to sew, embroider etc. So her technique is impeccably continental, her speed dizzying and her stitches even. She has however loosened up a bit. She's come back to knitting in the last few years to counteract the stresses of tech work, and can whip out a sweater in the blink of an eye.
First published: 4/20/06
All rights reserved. © Fuzzy Galore 2002-2006.
