Date: Mon, 8 Jan 1996 05:53:46 -0600 From: SchuylerM@aol.com To: Multiple recipients of list Subject: KNIT Here's the Fruit Sweater Sweater to match fruit caps I relied heavily on the yoke sweater pattern in EZ's "Knitting Without Tears," page 66. If you look it up, the pattern will tell you how to calculate stitch counts for any desired size. I chose to make this a 25 inch sweater, to fit a toddler. Working in a 5 sts to the inch gauge with main color (I used Brown Sheep Co. Cotton Fleece in "Prosperous Plum") I figured the body should consist of 125 stitches. Now here's the first difference. For my prototype, I simply cast on 125 stitches and began working in the round. My sweater flares too much, like a little dress, (now there's a thought....) so I think you should either use a smaller needle at first, or start with 10% fewer stitches. I'll probably use the latter next time. So cast on 112 stitches (10% fewer than 125) and work straight up for 12 rounds. This is about where the curl will stop. Then continue for another few rounds, and then increase by the missing 13 stitches evenly around. Whatever you do, be careful not to increase to soon, or it will interrupt the curl. This should narrow the waist enough to compensate for the tendency to flare. (If some smart person can think of a better way to fix the flaring problem, please don't be shy.) Keep knitting until the body measures 7 inches (uncurled) and stop. Leave the work on the needle. Cast on 34 stitches on dp needles and work around for 12 rounds. Put 2 stitch markers on the needles, with 3 sts in between. Make sleeve increases in pairs just outside the markers, like this: K1, inc 1, slip marker, K3, slip marker, inc 1. Make four sets of increases 4 rounds apart on either side of the 3 stitch gore, until the sleeves have 42 sts around. Work straight up until the sleeve measures 8 inches. Stop. Make another sleeve. (I always make longish sleeves for little kids. They grow right into them.) JOIN ALL THREE PIECES FOR THE YOKE Place blocks of 10 stitches on strands of yarn for the underarms (one on each sleeve, with the increase gore falling in the middle) and two on the body, diametrically opposed. Knit the sleeves right onto the needle with the body, overlapping the blocks of stitches on their pieces of yarn, at the underarm points. I'm having a hard time describing this process, so look at p. 69 of EZ's "Knitting Without Tears" for how to do it right! I'll photocopy the page for anyone who's hopelessly stuck. Knit seven more rounds in the main color, decreasing by one st, so you have a total of 168 sts (obviously, you're looking to get a multiple of 8 sts for the leaves. This sweater has 21 leaves (21 x 8= 168). After the 7th round, begin the leaves JUST LIKE THE CAP: Round 1: K5 (MC) K1 (CC) K7 (MC) K1 (CC) and so on. Round 2: K4 (MC) K3 (CC) K5 (MC) K3 (CC) and so on. Round 3: K3 (MC) K5 (CC) K3 (MC) K5 (CC) and so on. Round 4: K2 (MC) K7 (CC) K1 (MC) K7 (CC) and so on. Round 5: Knit straight around in CC Round 6: K1 K2tog, K7, K2tog Keeping the decrease pattern the same as for the hat, work until each "leaf" has 3 stitches. This looked about right for a toddler-sized neck opening, (those little tykes are all head, it seems to me) so I stopped decreasing, and knit plain for another 10 rounds, and cast off. The leaves just sort of swoop into a little curl. Weave the underarms (kitchener stitch, or grafting). I guess for a larger being, you'd have to play it by ear. My sense is that the concept is so simple, anything will work. It seems to me that this could be easily modified for any size you want. I chose the sleeve and body length by copying another toddler sweater pattern. It also occurs to me that for an older child or an grownup, you might want to do some short rows across the neck back to raise it. The sleeves look a little "naked" to me without green borders, but I couldn't think of any way to work leaves onto them, and the recent discussion of fruit mittens is the perfect solution! This pattern is not copyright protected or restricted in any way. Please borrow it, pass it around, improve it, modify it and have fun. The only requirement is that the sweater be made and given with lots of love. P.S. I'd love to see pictures of "fruity" little kids! Schuyler, who really should be preparing for trial, in icy Boston, where it's to cold to do anything except snuggle up inside and knit. --- This pattern downloaded from Wool Works: the online knitting compendium http://www.woolworks.org/