This is the first time I’ve used a pattern by the very popular designer, Caitlin Hunter. I loved this the minute I saw it. It’s time consuming, but also a fun and easy project.

The pullover is knit from the bottom up in the round to the underarms, at which point you start knitting front and back separately and flat. I did 11 repeats of the lace chart before separating. I made this a little shorter than most of my pullovers.

My chosen yarn is tweedy and nubby, so does not show the lace pattern off as much as a solid color would. However, I still like the rustic look of it. Once blocked, the lace pattern shows up quite well - especially if worn over a darker sweater as I plan to do in the colder months. It’s a cotton blend yarn meant to be used for weaving rather than knitting. In spite of this, I love how it looks knitted. It’s extremely strong and has zero stretch, so suitable for a garment with lots of positive ease such as this one. I’m very pleased with how it turned out. Fit is great.

Needles used:

Size 2 Addi - Neckband and sleeve cuff ribbing ribbing

Size 2.5 US Susan Bates (2 circulars) - Everything else

I did 14 repeats of the Knot Stitch Chart for each sleeve, followed by 4 rounds of 1 x 1 ribbing.

What I did differently:

• I did not achieve the pattern’s row gauge (stated above). My row gauge was a bit longer. Therefore, I did not do as many vertical repeats of the charts. Each of my chart repeats measures about 1.25” vertically.

• I used Kitchener’s Stitch for joining front to back at shoulders rather than a 3-needle bind off. I have broad shoulders, so I wanted more stretch in this area. Also, Kitchener’s Stitch is flatter and looks seamless.

• I’m not sure if the pattern has an error or I just made a slight mistake. I had the correct number of stitches on my needle for the RIGHT FRONT chart. However, I was lacking one stitch at the beginning of the first chart row where the neckline shaping starts. Therefore, I had to eliminate the SSK on the second row to continue in pattern for the neckline curve. I had the extra stitch at the opposite end of the chart which I ignored and just knit it or purled as I had been doing. This did not make any difference in the outcome of the neckline or garment.

• I knit the neckband before the sleeves which is something I almost always do. The neckband can affect how the sweater hangs and therefore, how long the sleeves should be.

• I made my sleeve openings only 15” in circumference (same as for the smallest size) because I have thin arms. I picked up 84 sts for the sleeves rather than the 83 specified in the pattern for size 1. This allowed me to use the “knot stitch” all around uninterrupted. It also gave me an even number of stitches for the ribbing so that I did not need to decrease 1 stitch (in preparation) as in the pattern instructions.

Knot Stitch Video Tutorial

Circular Tubular Cast On for 1 x 1 Ribbing

I bound off my neckband and sleeve cuffs like this.
1st step starts 2 minutes into the video.

SSP Video Tutorial
(Not needed in this pattern, so I’m not sure why it was included in the pattern. Maybe it’s used for the larger sizes?)