This is a versatile garment that can be used as a shawl, a shrug, or a bedjacket.
Materials:
Yarn: I used about five skeins of a mohair blend (Neveda Musette, probably
discontinued, but perhaps still in some stashes and BEAUTIFUL for this!)
One could use a yarn with more defined stitches and it would be at least
as beautiful.
1pr Size 7 US needles
Gauge:
5sts/inch on size 7 needles over plain stocking stitch
Row gauge unimportant. Go by inches and the wearer's measurements.
The following is a diagram of the shape of the piece of fabric that
you will be knitting, the filled in dots are buttons, with corresponding
buttonholes on the other sides of the sleeves:
On the left is a swatch of the stitch pattern used.
Pattern for experienced knitters (Step by step instructions below)
Beginning at one cuff, cast on 33 stitches.
(Purl one, twist 3 - your choice of left or right) throughout the row to the end, ending with purl 1.
All increases will be made within the twist or within the purl section - eight at a time.
After a cuff of about three inches (working your twists on every right side row) we'll begin the lace in the purl section.
Insert one yarnover next to a purl stitch, then in the next row another purl (but it will be a knit because it is on the back) next to the yarnover, so there is purl, yarnover, purl.
Then the next row, insert yarnover and k2tog after that (because you will be on the back side of the purls) (you will be knitting the previous yarnover with the side stitch. You now have in the purl section a purl on each side, and between them an alternating or zigzag eyelet. The reverse side should be k, yo, k2tog every reverse row, so the eyelets zigzag on each row.
After another inch or so, add a fourth stitch to the cables, putting two in back (or front if you have been twisting that direction), Add it in the by pulling up a stitch from the row below in the middle of the twist.
After another inch or so, add another stitch to the cables, again by
pulling a stitch up from the row below in the middle of your twist, and
at the same time make the cable every fourth row
instead of every second.
Again after an inch or several, depending how fast you need to increase to get a comfortable width around the elbow portion, add one more purl to each side of the purls, so that you have p2, yo, p2tog p1, or on the back rows, k2, yo, k2tog k1.
After a few inches, add a sixth stitch to the cables, again, pulling up from the middle during a twist.
When you have reached the length of the sleeve you want, p2tog in the
middle of the purl sections and do not knit or purl, but let the yo drop
each row (it will only drop to the M1 row below).
these parts will then be p2, yo, p2 and you will drop the YO off the
needle on the next row without knitting it.
At the same time add a seventh stitch to the cable, - you should now have a piece with a width about the length of the back.
After the width of the shoulder-to-neck is knitted from this point,
divide the cables 3 on one side, and five on the other - continue for about
eight inches or a comfortable neckline length
and rejoin the pieces, again knitting the width of the shoulder and
then reversing the increases for the other sleeve until you are back to
a cuff of twist two, purl ones.
Making Up:
Unlike a regular shrug, do not sew the sleeves. Instead, single crochet
(something like G-F-H size hook), stitch for stitch, along the selvage
stitches on each side, allowing for four buttons on each sleeve, three
from the cuff to the elbow and one halfway up the upper arm, making button
holes, by substituting (chain 1) for the single crochet in that stitch.
This should allow 5/8 buttons to pass - if not, change your crochet hook size
or the button size. IMPORTANT! Place the buttons and button holes so that the
wearer can EITHER button the
buttons up the sleeves, OR wrap the garment around their back and shoulders
and button down the front as for a vest! As for the neckline opening - if you
want to wear this as a bedjacket -
place it over the wearer's head with the five cable side in front for modesty
(the three cables behind is plenty to keep the neck warm above the pillow, and
makes the garment easy to take on and off if the wearer is unable to move easily),
and button the sleeves as sleeves. To wear this as a shrug, of course, put everything
behind the neck and button up the sleeves. If use as a bedjacket is not contemplated,
sew up the neck opening with a whip stitch to make it look better as a shawl
or shrug - the whip stitching can be easily removed if you find a need to wear
it in bed.
Abbreviations:
TW3L = Twist 3 left; knit into the back of the third stitch on the
left hand needle (do not drop st off the needle), K2, drop the third stitch
off the left hand needle.
C4L = Cable 4 left; put the next 2 sts onto a cable needle and hold
in front of the work. K2, then K2 from the cable needle
C5L = Cable 5 left; put the next 3sts onto a cable needle and hold
in front of the work. K2, then K3 from the cable needle
C6L = Cable 6 left; put the next 3 sts onto a cable needle and hold
in front of the work. K3, then K2 from the cable needle
C7L = Cable 7 left; put the next 4 sts onto a cable needle and hold
in front of the work. K3, then K4 from the cable needle
M1 = Make 1
Inc = increase 1 st by knitting into the back, then front, of the next
st before dropping it off the needle
K = Knit
P = Purl
YO = Yarn Over
K2tog = Knit 2 together
P2tog = Purl 2 together
CN = cable needle
Pattern
Measurements you will need:
Wrist to elbow =
Wrist to shoulder =
Shoulder to side of neck (subtract half of the ease that you will be
adding to the neck width) =
Width of neck plus ease (don't forget, you'll have to put this over
your head!) =
Beginning at the cuff, cast on 33sts using 4.5mm needles (US and old UK7)
Row 1: (P1, TW3L) repeat to last st, P1
Row 2: (K1, P3) repeat to last st, K1
Repeat these two rows until work measures 3 inches, or your chosen cuff
depth.
All increases will be made within the twist or within the purl section
- eight at a time.
We'll now begin the increases for the sleeve and begin the zig-zag lace that will frame the cables.
Row 1: (P1, YO, TW3L) rep to last st, P1
Row 2: K1, (P3, K2, YO) repeat to last 5 sts, P3, K1, YO, K1
Row 3: (P1, YO, P2tog, TW3L) rep to last st, P1
Row 4: K1, P3, (K1, YO, K2tog, P3) rep to last 3 sts, K2tog, YO, K1
You will now have a zig-zag lace forming between the twists. (Last 2 rows form the pattern)
Repeat the last 2 rows for approximately 1 inch
Next increase row: (P1, YO, P2tog, slip next 2 sts onto a cable needle and hold at the front of the work, K1, M1, K2sts from cable needle) repeat to last st, P1
Pattern rows:
Row 1: (WS) K1, P4, (K1, YO, K2tog, P4) rep to last 3sts, K1, YO, K2tog
Row 2: (RS) (P1, YO, P2tog, C4L) repeat to last st, P1
Repeat last 2 rows for 1 inch, ending with a wrong side row.
Next increase row: (P1, YO, P2tog, slip next 2 sts onto a cable needle and hold at the front of the work, M1, K2, K2sts from cable needle) repeat to last st, P1
Pattern rows:
Row 1: (WS) K1, P5, (K1, YO, K2tog, P5) rep to last 3sts, K2tog, YO,
K1
Row 2: (RS) (P1, YO, P2tog, K5) repeat to last st, P1
Row 3: Work the same as row 1
Row 4: (P1, YO, P2tog, C5L) repeat to last st, P1
Repeat last 4 rows for approximately 1 inch, ending with row 3
Next increase row: Inc, P1, YO, P2tog, M1, C5L, (M1, P1, YO, P2tog, M1, C5L) rep to last st, P1
Pattern rows:
Row 1: (WS) K1, P5, (K2, YO, K1, K2tog, P5) rep to last 5sts, K2, YO,
K1, K2tog
Row 2: (RS) (P2, YO, P1, P2tog, K5) repeat to last st, P1
Row 3: Work the same as row 1
Row 4: (P2, YO, P1, P2tog, C5L) repeat to last st, P1
Repeat the last 4 rows for approximately 3 inches, ending on row 3
Next increase row: (P2, YO, P1, P2tog, slip next 3 sts onto a cable needle and hold at the front of the work, M1, K2, K3sts from cable needle) rep to last st, P1
Pattern rows:
Row 1: (WS) K1, P6, (K2, YO, K1, K2tog, P6) rep to last 5sts, K2, YO,
K1, K2tog
Row 2: (RS) (P2, YO, P1, P2tog, K6) repeat to last st, P1
Row 3: Work the same as row 1
Row 4: (P2, YO, P1, P2tog, C6L) repeat to last st, P1
Repeat the last 4 rows until your sleeve is the total desired length.
Final increase row:
(P2, YO, P2, slip next 3 sts onto a cable needle and hold at the front
of the work, M1, K3, K3sts from cable needle) rep to last st, P1
Pattern rows:
Row 1: (WS) K1, P7, (K2, drop YO of previous row, YO, K2, P7) rep to
last 5sts, K2, drop YO of previous row, K2
Row 2: (RS) (P2, drop YO of previous row, YO, P2, K7) repeat to last
st, P1
Row 3: Work the same as row 1
Row 4: (P2, drop YO of previous row, YO, P2, C7L) repeat to last st,
P1
Repeat the last 4 rows until you reach the neck opening (this will be the shoulder to neck measurement you worked out at the beginning)
Separate for neck
Keeping the stitch pattern correct, work as follows:
Work 5 pattern repeats, put the remaining 3 pattern repeats on a stitch
holder.
Continue working in pattern for the neck width that you worked out
at the beginning.
Work the remaining stitches to match.
Next, continue working across all stitches in pattern until you have knit from the neck edge to the next shoulder.
Work the second sleeve to match the first, this time working from the top down.
Making Up:
Unlike a regular shrug, do not sew the sleeves. Instead, single crochet
(something like G-F-H size hook), stitch for stitch, along the selvage
stitches on each side, allowing for four buttons on each sleeve, three
from the cuff to the elbow and one halfway up the upper arm, making button
holes, by substituting (chain 1) for the single crochet in that stitch.
This should allow 5/8 buttons to pass - if not, change your crochet
hook size or the button size. IMPORTANT! Place the buttons and button holes
so that the wearer can EITHER button the
buttons up the sleeves, OR wrap the garment around their back and shoulders
and button down the front as for a vest! As for the neckline opening -
if you want to wear this as a bedjacket -
place it over the wearer's head with the five cable side in front for
modesty (the three cables behind is plenty to keep the neck warm above
the pillow, and makes the garment easy to take on and off if the wearer
is unable to move easily), and button the sleeves as sleeves. To wear this
as a shrug, of course, put everything behind the neck and button up the
sleeves. If use as a bedjacket is not contemplated, sew up the neck opening
with a whip stitch to make it look better as a shawl or shrug - the whip
stitching can be easily removed if you find a need to wear it in bed.