• Easy Options

Easy Options

Readers of Creative Knitting often request a pattern that can be made with optional features. For those readers, this is your lucky day! Our free pattern in this newsletter was designed by Katharine Hunt. Her pattern, Easy Options, gives you more choices than normal. You may knit the sleeveless version to the high-hip length favored by many knitters. Another choice is the sleeved option, which can be made either long or gathered to a three-quarter version. The pattern stitch is achieved with two sizes of needles, so it's very easy to accomplish! The yarn is worsted weight, making it easy to substitute if you cannot find the listed yarn. We hope you'll enjoy this pattern, written for sizes up to 2X.

Design by Katharine Hunt

Project Specifications

Skill Level: Intermediate
Sizes: Woman's small (medium, large, extra-large, 2X-large) Instructions are given for smallest size, with larger sizes in parentheses. When only 1 number is given, it applies to all sizes.
Finished Measurements
Chest: 37 (41, 45, 49 1/2, 53 1/2) inches
Length (short version): 18 (19, 20, 21, 22) inches
Length (long version): 20 (21, 22, 23, 24) inches

Materials

• Worsted weight yarn (71 yds/50g per ball): short sleeveless option 5 (6, 6, 7, 7) balls pinks #2; long gathered-sleeve option 10 (10, 11, 11, 12) balls blues #3
• Size 9 (5.5mm) needles or size needed to obtain gauge
• Size 10 (6mm) needles
• 1 size 15 (10mm) needle (for pat st only)
• Stitch markers
• Gathered-sleeve version only: Approx 9 yds of coordinating cotton DK for twisted cords, or approx 60 inches of purchased ribbon

*Sample project was completed with Bamboo Garden (51 percent bamboo/47 percent cotton/2 percent nylon) from Plymouth Yarn Co.

Gauge

15 sts and 28 rows = 4 inches/10cm in garter st with size 9 needles
To save time, take time to check gauge.

Special Abbreviation

W/T (Wrap/Turn): Knit up to st to be wrapped, wyif, sl st; wyib, turn, sl st; wyib, knit to end. With this textured yarn, it is not necessary to hide wraps on next row.

Pattern Stitch

Rows 1–8: With size 9 needle, knit across.
Row 9: With jumbo (size 15) needle, knit across.
Rows 10–12: With size 9 needle, knit across.
Rows 13 and 14: Rep Rows 9 and 10.
Rep Rows 1–14 for pat.

Back

With size 10 needles, loosely cast on 69 (77, 85, 93, 101) sts.
Work even in pat, changing to size 9 needles after Row 4, until 5 (5, 5, 6, 6) reps of pat are completed. From this point, work in garter st throughout.
Work even until back measures 10 3/4 (11 1/4, 11 3/4, 12 1/4, 12 3/4) inches for short version, or 12 3/4 (13 1/4, 13 3/4, 14 1/4, 14 3/4) inches for long version, ending with a WS row.
Dec row: K11 (12, 13, 11, 12), [k2tog, k13 (15, 17, 12, 13)] 3 (3, 3, 5, 5) times, end k2tog, k11 (12, 13, 10, 12). (65, 73, 81, 87, 95 sts)

Shape armholes
At beg of next 2 rows, bind off 5 (7, 9, 10, 12) sts, then dec 1 st at each edge [every RS row] 4 times. (47, 51, 55, 59, 63 sts)
Continue to work even until armhole measures 5 3/4 (6 1/4, 6 3/4, 7 1/4, 7 3/4) inches, ending with a WS row. Mark center 23 (25, 27, 29, 31) sts for back neck.

Shape right shoulder
Note: Work on right shoulder sts only, leaving rem sts on needle unworked.
Row 1 (RS): Knit to first back neck marker, W/T.
Row 2: Knit back to armhole edge.
Rep in this manner 4 times, each time knitting 1 st less before doing W/T. (8, 9, 10, 11, 12 active shoulder sts)
At this point, armhole should measure 7 (7 1/2, 8, 8 1/2, 9) inches.
With larger needle, bind 8 (9, 10, 11, 12) shoulder sts.

Shape left shoulder
Next row: With RS facing, sl all center sts up to 2nd marker onto smaller free needle. Join new ball at neck edge and knit to end of row (left armhole edge). Turn.
Beg on WS rows, work short row shaping as for right shoulder.
Last WS row: With larger needle, loosely bind off all rem sts, from left shoulder around to right shoulder.

Front

Work as for back until armhole shaping is completed.
Continue to work even until armhole measures 2 3/4 (3 1/4, 3 3/4, 4 1/4, 4 1/2) inches, ending with a WS row. Mark center 17 (19, 21, 23, 25) sts for front neck.

Shape left neck edge
Row 1 (RS): Knit to first marker, W/T.
Row 2: Knit back to armhole edge.
Rep in this manner, each time knitting 1 st less before doing W/T until 8 (9, 10, 11, 12) active shoulder sts rem.

Shape right neck edge
Next row: With RS facing, knit 8 (9, 10, 11, 12) left shoulder sts. Cut yarn. Sl center sts up to 2nd marker onto RH needle. Join new ball and knit to end of row. Turn.
Beg on WS rows, work short row shaping as for left side.

Right shoulder
Continue to work in garter st on 8 (9, 10, 11, 12) right shoulder sts only, until armhole measures 7 (7 1/2, 8, 8 1/2, 9) inches, ending with a WS row. With larger needle, bind off loosely on RS. Turn.

Left shoulder
WS: Join new ball at neck edge, and using size 10 needle, loosely bind off all center neck sts up to 8 (9, 10, 11, 12) left shoulder sts.
Change to size 9 needle and knit to end. Continue to work in garter st until left armhole measures same as right, ending with a WS row. With larger needle, bind off loosely on RS.

Sleeves

(Shown on long version)
With size 10 needles, cast on 43 (43, 45, 45, 47) sts and work in pat st as for front, changing to size 9 needles after Row 4.
Working 1 st in from edges, [inc 1 st at beg and end of each Pat Row 5] 5 times. (53, 53, 55, 55, 57 sts)
Continue to work in garter st from this point, inc every 6th row until there are 53 (57, 61, 65, 69) sts, and sleeve measures 13 (13 1/2, 13 1/2, 14, 14 1/2) inches from beg. Mark each end st with a marker.
Continue to work in garter st for an additional 1 1/2 (2, 2 1/2, 2 3/4, 3 1/4) inches, ending with a WS row, then dec 1 st at each edge on following 4 RS rows. (45, 49, 53, 57, 61 sts)
With size 10 needle, bind off on WS.

Assembly

Note: Shoulder and shoulder/sleeve seams may be sewn with a coordinating color of cotton DK, if preferred (use 3 strands of a 5-ply cotton). Side and sleeve seams should be joined with working yarn, making long sts to blend in beside long pat sts.

Sleeveless version
Sew shoulder seams. Sew side seams.

Gathered-sleeve version
Sew shoulder seams. Sew in sleeves, easing sleeve caps into armhole shaping, and aligning markers with beg of armhole shaping.
Sew side seams. Sew sleeve seams.

Sleeve gathering
Beg with 2 strands of cotton DK, each about 78 inches long, make 2 twisted cords, approx 29 inches long finished, or use purchased ribbon. Tie 1 end to a door handle or hook. Twist strand counterclockwise until yarn kinks up on itself when relaxed. Hold yarn at middle of twisted strand, remove end from door handle or hook and allow yarn to twist onto itself.
Insert twisted cord or ribbon by weaving it in and out through long st openings as shown in Fig. 1; tack ends in place. Pull up to gather sleeve. Tie in a bow, letting ends hang.

Copyright© July 2008 Creative Knitting magazine. All rights reserved.