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The Story:
Kristen’s sweater runs stripes across the chest and onto the upper sleeves; the rest is plain knitting. Here’s what Kristen has to say about her sweater:
Although I wrote the pattern for this sweater, I can't take credit for the design. The idea came from my sister, Kerri. She may not knit sweaters (yet), but she is fascinatingly creative and inspires many of my knitting projects. I handed her a ball each of the pink and brown La Gran and asked "What would you make?" And she came up with—stripes!
I hadn't designed anything with stripes and was eager to see if I could figure out how to get them to line up at the same place on sleeves, front, and back. It turned out to be easy—I just started the stripe sequence at the same point below the armholes on each piece. The rest took care of itself.
I added the rolled collar and rolled borders at the bottom of the cuffs and sweater body. The sweater came out a little shorter than I had intended, so I steamed out the roll for extra length. (The final pattern includes the extra length needed on sleeves and body for rolled edges).
The Yarn:
La Gran — 100% mohair
Mohair (the fiber) comes from Angora goats (the animal). Angora goats are small and friendly, and they’re shorn two times a year. Their fleece makes a yarn that is soft, lustrous, lightweight, and warm. Read more about mohair.
Where to buy La Gran.
The Stitches:
Stripes are easy to design. If you work with an even number of rows between color changes, the yarn for the next stripe will always be ready and waiting at the correct end of the needle. If the number of rows between stripes is small, you can carry the yarns up the side of your work. But if you make deep stripes, it’s best to cut yarns and re-join.
To join another color, you can tie a knot at the edge. But my favorite way to start a new color is to work the first stitch of the next row with both colors, the old and the new, then continue with the new. This is a quick move that secures both ends.
Learn more about how to make stripes.
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