Seamless Blue

by Felicia Semple

DESCRIPTION
Seamless Blue is a sweet seamless top-down sweater with a striped yoke and sleeve cuffs. Seamless Blue has one small button at the back of the neck. Short-rows are used to raise the back of the neck up. There is a sleeved and sleeveless version. The sleeves are slightly flared and drawn in at the cuff. The sleeves finish at the wrist or just above it. You begin by knitting the yoke flat, before joining to knit the main yoke, body, and sleeves in the round. Please read the pattern all the way through before you begin.

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Chest: 26/67cm Length: (back of neck to hem) 13.5/35cm Sleeve: (length from underarm) 8.5/22cm

GAUGE
22 stitches = 10 cm on the larger needles. Note: The 6 month and 12-18 month old versions use a different gauge. See notes at the end of the pattern.

YARN
Colour A: 3-ish balls of Rowan Felted Tweed approx 550m. Colour B: Small amount of another colour of Felted Tweed for yoke and cuffs. If you want to replace the yarn use something with a bit of drape. Sport weight or light DK work well. Note: I used exactly three balls of the main colour of Felted Tweed for the Size 2/3. I used just over one ball of Felted Tweed for the sleeveless 6 month old version.

NEEDLES DISCLAIMER
I am not a knitwear designer so while this pattern is hopefully fairly simple, I probably assume knitting knowledge. Therefore I would say that you need to be an advanced beginner to knit this. I hope you enjoy knitting it. I cant wait to see what you come up with! The size of circular needles you get gauge on and then another set 0.25mm smaller. I used 3.75mm and 4mm needles for the Size 2/3.

SIZE & FIT

This sweater will fit a 2-3 year old depending on the size of your child (obviously!) and your gauge. Please refer to the finished measurements below. There are notes at the end of the pattern on how to make a 6 month and a 12-18 month old version. Size 2/3 is modelled on a child with a 21/53cm chest who is 1m tall. There is about 5-6 of positive ease. This sweater has a lot of ease so if the body and sleeves are long enough it should fit a range of ages.

2010 F e l i c i a S e m p l e

YOKE
STRIPED YOKE
Cast on 80 stitches on the smaller needles using a two needle cast on in Colour A. Do not join!! Row 1: Knit 1 row. Row 2: Change to colour B and knit 1 row. Row 3: Knit until 4 stitches remain then k2tog, yo, k2. Rows 4-7: Knit four rows as follows: Change to colour A and knit 2 rows. Change to colour B and knit 2 rows. Row 8: (Increase row) Change to colour A then knit as follows; k5, kfb, *[(k2, kfb)], repeat from * till 5 stitches left then K5. (104 Stitches) Row 9: Knit 1 row. Rows 10 & 11: Change to colour B and knit 2 rows. Rows 12-19: *[Change to colour A and knit 2 rows. Change to colour B and knit 2 rows]. Repeat from * 1 time. Each of the four k2tog is done by taking one stitch off the main circular needle and another from the double pointed needle and knitting them together.

JOIN TO KNIT IN THE ROUND

Row 20: Change to Colour A. Place marker then do the four k2tog as described below (How to join to make placket). Then kfb for every stitch until you reach the marker again. (196 stitches). Remove marker. Change to bigger needles.

HOW TO JOIN TO MAKE PLACKET

When you join to knit in the round you must knit the first four stitches together with the last four stitches. This creates the placket at the back of the neck. To do this put the last four stitches currently on the circular needle on to a double pointed needle. It will end up looking like this.....

Hold the double pointed needle BEHIND the needle that has the yarn attached to it so that the yoke forms a circle. 2010 F e l i c i a S e m p l e

SHORT ROWS AND YOKE

These short rows raise the back of the neck. Placing the markers gives you 38 stitches for each of the sleeves, 62 stitches for the front and 58 stitches at the back. There is one extra marker (M#5) to mark the middle back which becomes the start of the row. You changed to the bigger needles right?? Row 21: K31, PM#1, K38, PM#2, K62, PM#3, K38, PM#4, K29, PM#5 Row 22: Knit until M#2. W&T Row 23: Purl until M#3. W&T Row 24: Knit until 14 stitches before M#2. W&T Row 25: Purl until 14 stitches before M#3. W&T Row 26: Knit until M#1. W&T Row 27: Purl until M#4. W&T Row 28: Knit row, picking up and knitting the wraps. Knit in the round until piece measures 15cm in total at centre back finishing at M5.

SPLIT FOR BODY AND SLEEVES

LONG SLEEVED VERSION
Next Row: K29 until M#1 then place next 38 stitches on waste yarn. Cast on 14 stitches for underarm and then continue to knit the 62 stitches between M#2 and M#3. Then place the next 38 stitches on waste yarn. Cast on 14 stitches for underarm and then knit the rest of the round. (148 stitches)

SLEEVELESS VERSION
Next Row: K29 until M#1. Cast off next 38 stitches loosely. Knit until M#3. Cast off next 38 stitches loosely. Finish knitting the round. Next Row: Knit 29 stitches until you get to M#1, cast on 14 stitches for underarm, knit front 62 stitches until m#3, cast on 14 stitches for left underarm then finish knitting round.

BODY
Knit in the round until body measures 33cm from the back of neck. Then change to smaller needles. Next Row: *[K9 K2tog] then repeat from * for one complete round. Knit in garter stitch for 12 rounds (so 6 ridges) and then BO loosely. Note: Please note that to achieve garter stitch in the round you knit alternate rounds of one knit round then one purl round.

LONG SLEEVES
SLEEVES
Next Row: Pick up sleeve stitches from waste yarn. Pick up and knit 7 stitches for underarm, PM, pick up and knit 7 more stitches. *[Knit 7 rounds. On eighth round knit until 2 stitches before marker. M1, k2, SM, K2 M1]. Repeat from * until sleeve measures 18cm. Knit 6 rows.

CUFFS
Next Row: p1 [p2tog until 1 stitch remains] p1. Next 12 Rows: *[Change to Colour B. Knit 2 rounds in garter stitch. Change to Colour A. Knit 2 rounds in garter stitch]. Repeat from * 2 times BO in Colour A.

FINISHING
Sew on your button, weave in ends and block gently.

2010 F e l i c i a S e m p l e

OTHER SIZING SUGGESTIONS

To knit the 6 month and 12-18 month versions knit the pattern exactly as written BUT use a different gauge and different measurements for the yoke length, the sleeves and body length. I used the same yarn (Rowan Felted Tweed) and smaller needles. Use whatever needles you need to get gauge. I used a 3.25 and 3.5mm.

ABBREVIATIONS
BO k k2tog p p2tog yo kfb M1 W&T M#1 M#2 M#3 M#4 M#5 Bind off Knit Knit two stitches together Purl Purl two stitches together Yarn over Knit front and back Increase one stitch Wrap and turn Marker at right back shoulder Marker at right front shoulder Marker at left front shoulder Marker at left back shoulder Marker at centre back

6 MONTHS
Gauge: 25/26 stitches per 10cm Finished Chest Measurement: 58cm Split Yoke: Split into sleeves and body when yoke measures 11cm from back of neck. Sleeves: Start cuff when sleeve measures 12cm from underarm. Body: Start garter stitch border when body measures 22cm from back of neck. Note: I havent tried this but I think this size would look more in proportion if there was a one less set of ridges in the yoke; that is eight garter ridges rather than ten. If you want to try this skip rows 16-19. Everything else would remain the same.

12 18 MONTHS
Gauge: 25/26 stitches per 10cm Finished Chest Measurement: 58cm Split Yoke: Split into sleeves and body when yoke measures 13cm from back of neck. Sleeves: Start cuff when sleeve measures 15cm from underarm. Body: Start garter stitch border when body measures 27cm from back of neck.

Note about usage: Please only use this pattern for personal use and not for making items for sale. Please dont reproduce or distribute this pattern without written permission from the author. 2010 F e l i c i a S e m p l e