On the first of summer in 2023, I casted off a sweater. This post includes the details of the pattern, materials, and lessons learned from my Buttonside Sweater.
Yarn: Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Worsted in color, Evergreen
Pattern: Buttonside Sweater by Jennifer Dassau
Needles: US 2 (2.75 mm) and US 3 (3.25 mm) ChiaoGoo interchangeable circular needles
What I Enjoyed:
- Short rows that created a curved hem
- Knitting saddle shoulders
- No seaming
- Knitting and wearing the garter-with-bits-of-stockinette-stitch button bands up the sides of the sweater
What Bothered Me:
- Changing sleeve decrease rate
- Adjusting the neckband
This is the first sweater I’ve knit for myself that actually fits. It’s not perfect, but it stays on my shoulders, covers and warms my body, and I’m not embarrassed to wear it out in public.
Materials
Pattern
I wanted to deep dive into knitting short rows.
When I discovered Knitting Short Rows: Techniques for Great Shapes & Angles by Jennifer Dassau, I quickly purchased this book. It contains information on 5 different techniques of short rows, how to work them (with drawings) and when best to use each. Also, 17 different knitting patterns, all incorporating short row techniques, are included.
I should note that I desire to knit several patterns in this book. This is not the case with every pattern book on my shelf.
Yarn
My desire was to knit an 100% wool sweater for myself.
When looking to cast on, I had a lower yarn budget and desired a very durable material.
Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Worsted fit the bill, and I felt comfortable the resulting sweater knit with it would last. In the past, my other projects knit with this yarn had endured.
The dark forest green was beautiful to me, and possible stains would be concealed.
Notions
Hobby lobby was where I picked up the buttons.
Interestingly, these buttons match the buttons on an Irish, wool sweater a kind friend gave me as an early teen. I permanently borrowed a few buttons from that Irish sweater for my Dad’s Sawyer.
I must be partial to these buttons.
Needles
My sweater was knit with my old faithful needles, ChiaoGoo interchangeables.
The entire sweater was knit using US 2 (2.75 mm) expect the neckband which used US 3 (3.25 mm). Keep reading to learn the reason for this needle adjustment.
Modifications
Worsted Instead of DK
I’ve read The Knitter’s Book of Yarn by Clara Parkes and had enough projects knit in my past to know the importance of picking a yarn that suits the pattern.
I treaded on thin ice as I insisted the Buttonside sweater was knit with my worsted yarn instead of a DK weight. With my worsted yarn and US 2 (2.75 mm), I achieved a fabric that met the pattern’s gauge after blocking yet produced a slightly denser fabric.
I decided I could use a thicker sweater, less likely to snag on a fence and warm as a winter coat for doing farm animal chores.
Changing the Decrease Rate on the Sleeves
When knitting the sleeve, I lost track of what round I was knitting and how many rounds till the next decreases.
I should have had my pen or row counter to keep track.
To resolve, I counted how many rounds I had knit since my last decrease. The problem was I counted 1 round too short.
I continued this pattern of decreasing a round early for the remainder of the first sleeve.
Once I realized my mistake as I neared the cuff, I compensated for the shorter sleeve length by knitting 22 rounds after my final decrease before working the cuff. The 22 rounds added the extra length I needed to the sleeve.
To keep both sleeves identical, I followed my new sleeve decrease pattern for the second sleeve.
Besides the headache of figuring out what happened and how to keep the sleeves identical, the final results still fit and appear fine.
They are a little shorter, but my hands are often in water or being used so having slightly shorter sleeves is quite practical for me.
Neckband
I knit the neckband as instructed in the pattern.
Excitedly, I hurried to slip it over my head and try on the “finished” sweater.
I couldn’t fit my head through the neck opening!
As disappointed as I was, I resolved this issue by pulling out a few rounds (about 3) of the garter stitch neckband and used a US 3 (3.25 mm) needle to bind off.
It fits nicely over my head and around my neck now. No gaping neck with this sweater!
Other Notes
Blocking
Once again, this handknit showed me the power of blocking.
My Buttonside was too small until it had soaked water into the fibers, and I stretched it as it dried.
Fit
Overall, this sweater is on the smaller side for me. There’s little room for me to expand in it.
Even though I achieved gauge, I think the thicker yarn with my constantly tighter tension resulted in a much snugger fit.
I’m still going to enjoy wearing it though! I did last night as it was unseasonably cool.
The curved hem is a sweet detail. The buttons down both sides make it feel fancy. I’m already thinking about knitting it again.
It was not a challenging pattern to knit which allowed me to focus on the incredible things short rows can do.
Conclusion
I feel good about binding off a sweater on the first day of summer.
To know there’s a warm garment to wear when the temperatures drop is a blessing.
I’m already planning the next sweater knitting project. It feels right to always have a sweater in progress.
Have a blessed day, friends! I will be back with more to share soon.
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