Kephren Pritchett

Tag: top-down

  • Lucky Gansey

    Lucky Gansey

    Have you seen the new Crossings book from Knit Picks? It’s a collection of 12 sweaters and wraps all showcasing classic cables. My contribution to the book is the Lucky Gansey, an all-over cabled fisherman style sweater worked from the top down.

    Lucky Gansey shoulder shaping

     

    The sweater starts with a cable at the back neck which spans the saddle shoulders and continues down the sleeves. Shoulder shaping is worked into the saddles to keep the drop shoulders from becoming too voluminous or droopy.

     

    A side view of the sweater showing the underarm gusset

     

    The sweater is worked flat to the underarms, then the gusset stitches are cast on and the body is worked in the round to the hem. Underarm gussets are a classic element of fisher Ganseys, allowing sweaters to be form fitting without being restrictive.

     

    The cables at the front

     

    The Lucky Gansey gets its name from the cables I chose. The cables adorning the front and back of the sweater are knitted representations of horseshoes, wishbones, X’s and O’s, and honeycomb, all symbols of good luck.

     

     

    The pattern calls for Knit picks Wool of the Andes, an affordable, worsted weight, 100% wool yarn that is available in an expansive range of colors. The fisher Gansey shape was historically worn by men, and with a size range from 34″ to 55.25″ around the chest, this sweater could easily be made to fit a man or woman.

    Are you a cable knitter? Do you have your eye on one of the designs in this book? Tell me about it in the comments!

    Thank you for knitting!

     

  • Compass Points Pullover

    Compass Points Pullover

    The Compass Points Pullover was published in the Fall/Winter 2018 issue of knit.wear magazine. It’s a bulky cabled sweater featuring raglan shoulder shaping, a thick and cozy funnel neck, and a long tapered waist. Cascade’s Boliviana Bulky yarn makes the knitting speed by, so you’ll be dressed in a new, warm, winter sweater in no time at all!

    The pullover is worked from the top down beginning at the neck. After a few tries incorporating neck shaping into the cable patterns and raglan shaping, I decided to save the neck shaping for last, so all of the neck stitches are cast on at once and the body is worked in the round to the hem. The raglan increases are worked before and after a column of Stockinette stitch, which continues down the sides of the sweater and highlights the waist shaping.

    When the body of the sweater is finished sleeve stitches are picked up and worked in the round to the ribbed cuffs. The cable pattern starts at the neck and continues down the sleeve to blend seamlessly into the cuff ribbing.

    The funnel neck is picked up last and short rows are used to raise the back neck. I had originally planned to make the funnel neck shorter and a single thickness, but when it was finished it was just too floppy and didn’t look the way I wanted it to, so I made the neck band twice as long, folded it over, and sewed it to the inside. Perfect! The funnel neck is thick and cozy without hugging your neck in an annoying way.

    The Fall/Winter issue of knit.wear magazine is available now in print and digital formats.

    Thank you for knitting!

  • The Bristol Raglan and Holiday Sale!

    The Bristol Raglan and Holiday Sale!

    I’ve just added the Bristol Raglan to my Ravelry pattern store. This pattern was first published in the Spring 2017 issue of Interweave Knits magazine. I’ve revised the pattern to include written directions along with the cable charts, and I’ve changed the directions slightly to make it easier to follow the raglan shaping directions and cable patterns at the same time. This pattern and all of my other independently published patterns are 30% off the regular price now through November 27, 2018. You can see all the patterns on sale here. No code needed, just add the patterns to your cart and the discount will be applied automatically at checkout.

    The Bristol Raglan is a top-down seamless pullover, worked mostly in the round. The neck is cast on first, and worked flat to create a lower front neck line, then the piece is joined and worked in the round to the underarms. Simple cables adorn each raglan seam line, and stop just before the underarm separation.

    After the body and sleeves are separated, the body of the pullover is worked in stripes to the split hem. The front and back are separated, and the back hem is worked longer than the front. A little cable detail keeps the hem neat where it splits at the sides, and a purled phony seam on each side hides the jog from the color changes.

    Three-quarter length sleeves are worked in the round from the held sleeve stitches and a provisional cast on at the underarm, but working from the top down means you can easily change the length.The pattern is available in five sizes, from 37″ to 50 1/2″ bust sizes, and it’s worked in a worsted weight yarn. You can see all the details on the pattern page.

    Thank you for knitting!