Windrose

If you have been following my blog or social media you may know that I love to experiment with with short rows to create shapes and motifs. A while ago, I published my Water Lily pattern - a semicircular potholder with a flower shape.

After finishing it, I started to think about changing in a way to make it a full circle. The most difficult bit was a find out how to start it in order to be able to easily graft it in the end - and it took me a few attempts to get it right. 

So here it is: a pattern for a potholder or doily in a flower shape. I called it windrose, because the petals look a bit like the points of a compass. It starts with a provisional CO, is knitted in short row parts and finished with grafting in garter stitch. 

This project uses yarn in two colours, short rows and is really fiddly in the beginning - so it is definitely NOT a beginner pattern.

The pattern  PDF is available at

• Ravelry 
• Loveknitting
• Payhip

The pattern PDF is 10 pages long and contains

• written row-by-row instructions for knitting this piece – including 19 illustration photos (total of 4 pages)
• short photo tutorials for the following techniques
• provisional CO with a crochet hook and how to undo it
• grafting in garter stitch
• short rows with wrap and turn and picking up the wraps 
• weaving in yarn while carrying it (backwards and forwards)
• crochet CO (at the edge of a knitted piece)

Knitting in DK weight, the piece measures about 30 cm in diameter (yes, it's a small cake on the picture above).  I also knitted the pieces in other yarn weights: The ones in fingering weight yarn, measure about 26 cm in diameter and the ones knitted in thread weight measure 23 cm in diameter.

To knit this you need the following materials

• about 90 – 100 metres of DK Cotton yarn in two colors
• MC - Main Color 32gr (about 55-60 metres)
• CC - Contour Color 14 (about 35-40 metres)
• 3mm knitting needles – I used dpns (just because they are short)
• a crochet hook of a similar size (I used a 3.5mm hook)
• scrap yarn for the provisional CO
• a tapestry needle – for grafting and to weave in ends

With my favorite Greek orange cake (link to the recipe in German)

Semiramis Summer Top

Currently, my knitting motivation is quite low. I don't know whether this is due to a general Covid19 weariness or to other reasons, but I haven't done much lately. Plus, there are about six or seven finished objects for which I haven't written the pattern - or for which there is a half-written pattern that I should finalize or proof-read ... but I just cannot bring myself to do it.

So, about a month ago I thought that I might just knit a simple top and not having to worry about writing a pattern. I always wanted to knit a lace top with thick yarn, so that's what I did  - using quite bulky cotton yarn, that was in my stash. (Actually, it was yarn from a project that I never finished - see this blogpost.)

I searched for interesting lace patterns on the internet and found some beautiful ones at Gannetdesign's blog String Geekery. For this top I used the stitch pattern called Semiramis.

I used about 9,5 skeins of Lang Yarns Cotone (i.e. about 660 metres of yarn) and 6.0mm knitting needles. Basically, I knitted four rectangles (back & front: 50cm by 65cm, and two sleeves: 42 cm by 20cm) and sewed them together. 

The actual knitted worked really well, even though knitting with 6mm needles always seems strange to me - I prefer knitting with 4-ply yarns and the appropriate needles. The sewing part took a bit longer ... :) However, I am rather pleased with the result - even though it is a bit bulky, it's a quite summery top.

Tulips

In my part of the world, spring has just started - so just in time for it, here's a suitable little knitting pattern ... knitted tulips.

I like to experiment with short rows to achieve organic shapes (see e.g. my Pumpkin Potholders or Pear Potholders patterns). And I really like the idea of knitting flower shapes (Daisy, Seven Petals Potholders). So a tulip shape was a natural thing to try. However, it proved to be far more difficult than I  had expected ... It took me a while to a) figure out which shape I wanted and b) how to achieve it. Nine tries to be precise (see my Ravelry project page for the "failed" attempts), but now I am happy with their looks. 

These pieces make lovely presents, e.g. to accompany a home made cake. But you can also use them as potholders, coasters or general table decoration. 

This work by Knitting and so on is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.






Materials

• about 20 to 25 grams of Worsted weight cotton yarn in two colors - called CC (contour color) and MC (main color): 7 gr CC, 18 gr MC - of course you can use other yarn weights as well
• 3 mm knitting needles - in case you use other yarn weights, use needles that are slightly smaller than the yarn calls for; that way you get a tighter fabric
• (possibly) a stitch marker
• a tapestry needle to weave in ends

Techniques

• Short rows with wrap and turn (w+t) - as shown in this YouTube video by Very Pink Knits. Since this washcloth is knit in garter stitch, you don't have to pick up your wraps - except in two rows, i.e. the rows where the wrapping color is different from the color of the wrapped stitch. These rows are indicated in the pattern. Here's a YouTube video that shows how to pick up your wraps (also by Very Pink Knits).
• Knitted Cast-On: See this Youtube-video by Very Pink Knits.
  A tutorial for the knitted cast-on that uses one of my older patterns as an example (Water Lily) has been written by Christina Garza-Brown and can be found here at knitfarious.com
• Weaving in yarn while knitting - carrying it towards the end of the row: This technique (and the next) are used to avoid a long float that runs parallel to your knitting - and to avoid cutting your yarn. When starting with the contour color yarn (lilac in the photos) before knitting a stitch you put the main coloryarn (white in the photos) over the contour color yarn (see illustration 1 below), then you knit the stitch. Before knitting the next stitch you twist the yarns again (see illustration 2). If you repeat these steps you can carry the yarn over a chosen number of stitches- so that it looks neat on WS (see illustration 3 below).
  A similar technique (to weave in ends) is shown in this YouTube video by So, I make stuff. 

• Weaving in yarn while knitting - towards the beginning of a row: This technique is similar to the one explained before and it serves the same purpose. You draw a long loop of the "new" yarn to the point where you want to knit it (picture 1). This gives you a really long float. Knit the first stitch. Before knitting the second stitch, catch the float by put the left hand needle under the float (picture 2) and then knit the stitch with your working yarn as usual. If you catch the float every second stitch, the WS will look as shown in picture 3. (This is a bit like catching floats in stranded knitting as shown in this YouTube video by Knit Purl Hunter.)

In case the last two techniques are too fiddly, you can alternatively cut the yarn of the main color after each petal and weave in the ends.


Size
Knitted in worsted weight yarn, one tulip measures about 20 cm in height and 14 cm in width (at its widest point).



Construction
These tulip are constructed in petals of short rows and contour lines in a contrast color. It is knitted sideways and consists of three petals, one right petal, a small middle one, and a left petal.

After each petal - when knitting the contour lines, you carry the MC yarn forward a bit and you bind off 9 stitches. Then you cast them on again. After doing this, you should carry the main color yarn first back to the beginning of the row.
The picture below shows how the WS of this piece looks. You can see the carried yarn at the tips of the petals.

It may be helpful to place a stitch marker after the 10th stitch. This means when binding off, you don't have to count but the 9 stitches to BO, but only have to BO up to the stitch before the marker.
I knitted the first some without a stitch marker and sometimes left track of how many stitches I had already bound off. So I used a stitch marker which worked well with regards to counting. But while knitting the petals the stitch marker got in the way, so I took it out again.

Instructions

CO48 in CC
Setup Row: k all

When knitting the petals, you slip the first two stitches (they are knitted only in CC to achieve a contour).

Right Petal

in MC
Ridge 1: (RS) sl2 k44, w+t,
    (WS) k42, w+t,
Ridge 2: (RS) k21, ssk, k7, w+t,
    (WS) k9, w+t,
Ridge 3: (RS) k4, ssk, k5, w+t,
    (WS) k12, w+t,
Ridge 4: (RS) k9, ssk, k3, w+t,
    (WS) k15, w+t,
Ridge 5: (RS) k6, ssk k9, w+t,
    (WS) k18, w+t,
Ridge 6: (RS) k20, ssk, w+t,
    (WS) k33, w+t,
Ridge 7: (RS) k27, ssk, k5, w+t,
    (WS) k24, w+t,
Ridge 8: (RS) k13, ssk, k1, w+t,
     (WS) k18, w+t,
Ridge 9: (RS) k16, w+t,
    (WS) k11, w+t,
Ridge 10: (RS) k1, ssk, k5, kfb, k8 ssk, w+t,
    (WS) k21, w+t,
Ridge 11: (RS) k6, kfb, k9, w+t,
    (WS) k12, w+t,
Ridge 12: (RS) k10, kfb, k6, ssk, w+t,
    (WS) k17, w+t,
Ridge 13: (RS) k12, w+t,
    (WS) k10, w+t,
Ridge 14: (RS) k2, kfb, k8, ssk, w+t,
    (WS) k23, w+t,
Ridge 15: (RS) k8, kfb, k9, w+t,
    (WS) k24, w+t,
Ridge 16: (RS) k17, kfb, k4, w+t,
    (WS) k10, w+t,
Ridge 17: (RS) k17, ssk, k1, w+t,
    (WS) k38, sl2

Contour

in CC
Row 1: (RS) sl1, k to end (carrying MC over 11 sts), 
Row 2: (WS) k to last st, sl1
Row 3: (RS) BO9, w+t, 
Row 4: (WS) k1, kCO9
Row 5: (RS) sl1wyib, ktbl, k7, ktbl, k1, w+t, 
Row 6: (WS) k to end

Middle Petal

in MC
Ridge 1: (RS) sl2, k16 (while carrying MC from the 11th stitch back to the 2nd stitch), w+t,
    (WS) k9, w+t,
Ridge 2: (RS) k4, w+t,
    (WS) k6, w+t,
Ridge 3: (RS) k8, w+t,
    (WS) k10, w+t,
Ridge 4: (RS) k12, w+t,
    (WS) k14, w+t,
Ridge 5: (RS) k12, w+t,
    (WS) k10, w+t,
Ridge 6: (RS) k8, w+t,
    (WS) k6, w+t,
Ridge 7: (RS) k5, w+t,
    (WS) k3, w+t,
Ridge 8: (RS) k9, w+t,
    (WS) k16, sl2

Contour

in CC
Row 1: (RS) sl1, k18 (carrying MC over 11 sts), 
Row 2: (WS) k to last st, sl1
Row 3: (RS) BO9, w+t, 
Row 4: (WS) k1, kCO9
Row 5: (RS) sl1wyib, ktbl, k7, ktbl, k1, w+t, 
Row 6: (WS) k to end

Left Petal

in MC
Ridge 1: (RS) sl2, k38 (while carrying MC from the 11th stitch back to the 2nd stitch), w+t,
    (WS) k21, w+t,
Ridge 2: (RS) k2, w+t,
    (WS) k4, w+t,
Ridge 3: (RS) k6, w+t,
    (WS) k8, w+t,
Ridge 4: (RS) k10, w+t,
    (WS) k11, w+t,
Ridge 5: (RS) k13, kfb, k3, w+t,
    (WS) k24, w+t,
Ridge 6: (RS) k26, w+t,
    (WS) k11, w+t,
Ridge 7: (RS) k1, kfb, k11, w+t,
    (WS) k16, w+t,
Ridge 8: (RS) k18, w+t,
    (WS) k33, w+t,
Ridge 9: (RS) k31, w+t,
    (WS) k17, w+t,
Ridge 10: (RS) k14, w+t,
    (WS) k11, w+t,
Ridge 11: (RS) k7, kfb, k2, w+t,
    (WS) k15, w+t,
Ridge 12: (RS) k5, kfb, k14, w+t,
    (WS) k36, w+t,
Ridge 13: (RS) k23, kfb, k2, w+t,
    (WS) k8, w+t,
Ridge 14: (RS) k21, w+t,
    (WS) k42, sl2

Contour

CC
Row 1: (RS) sl1 k to end, 
Row2: (WS) sl1 k to last, sl1
BO all

Cut yarns, weave in ends.
If there is still a small distance between the left and right petal, use the CC tail to sew it closed. 

Zaunkönig

I love brioche knitting because it creates a wonderfully fluffy fabric. In two colors it can  also get gorgeous geometric patterns. I especially love the stitch used here because it creates a gorgeous lattice or fence effect. And that effect is where the name comes from – Zaunkönig (the German name of the eurasian wren) literally means king of the fence. Here, it has been used to create a mixture of a cowl and a poncho.

The color combination is far out of my comfort zone - and was coincidental. I had ordered a lovely royal blue lace weight yarn from Wollmeise and needed something as a contrast color. Because of Covid, I only went once into one local yarn store (and that was in high summer when incidents were low and everybody worked with open doors and windows) and had to decide there and then with "only" the yarn that was there to choose from. I guess without that "pressure" I wouldn't have bought the Wasabi green. Now - that I've knitted this piece (and started another project with the same yarns - see Ravelry project page here) - I absolutely love the color combination and I am quite happy that I was "forced" (by myself if at all) to buy this yarn. 

The pattern PDF is available on

• Ravelry
• Loveknitting 
• Payhip

It is 8 pages long and contains:

• row-by-row knitting instructions for this piece in one size (height 43 cm, circumference top 58 cm, circumference bottom edge 116 cm, you can change the circumference by chanigng the number of stitches to cast on, but if you follow the pattern the piece will we twice as wide at the bottom than at the top)
• charts
• photo tutorials of the brioche stitches that you need to knit this cowl
• brkX - the brioche stitch that gives the lattice effect
• brk2inc - a brioche increase by 2 stitches (in a brk-row)
• brp2inc - a brioche increase by 2 stitches (in a brp-row)

To knit this, you need the following materials

• a total of about 800 metres of Lace weight yarn in two colours
  I used two solid colors 
• the dark blue is Wollmeise Lace (colourway "Kornblume")
• the bright green is Holst Garn Titicaca (colourway "Wasabi")
• 3mm circular knitting needles

Slightly Slanted Fingerless Gloves

I like fingerless gloves – and I like knitting  them a bit different from the standard loom-style construction. This usually leads to special patterns that are particularly attractive when used with  some self-striping yarn. Plus it may lead to mitts, where you only have to weave in  two ends per mitt – one of my personal obsessions :)  

This is the case with these fingerless gloves. They are knitted in one piece – starting with a garter stitch ribbing knitted sideways and continued with a main part that is knitted (slightly) on the bias. The upper ribbing is also in garter stitch to level the bias, and finally the thumb part is added. These gloves are (nearly) knitted in knit stitch only –  the only exception are a few increases and decreases for the thumb gusset and k1p1-ribbing at the thumb.

You can buy the pattern PDF via

• Ravelry
• Loveknitting 
• Payhip

The pattern PDF is 10 pages long and contains

• a schematic how the mitts are constructed
• written row-by-row instructions for knitting these fingerless gloves in one size  – including 9 in-process photos of the gloves in different stages
• explanations how to adapt the pattern to other sizes
• short photo tutorials of the following techniques: 
• provisional cast-on and how to undo it, 
• three-needle bind-off, 
• picking up and knitting stitches from the slanted edge of your knitting, 
• picking up stitches from gaps (e.g. necessary after changes in direction)

Size

The mitts are 19 cm high and have a circumference of 17 cm at the wrist edge and of 16 cm at the fingers

To knit this pattern the following techniques are used

• provisional CO and undoing it
• three needle BO
• picking up stitches from the edge of a knitted piece
• picking up stitches from a gap (e.g. when doing a thumb gusset)

For all these techniques/skills, the pattern PDF contains photo tutorials. 

Materials

The following materials are necessary to knit these fingerless gloves:

• about 35 grams of fingering weight yarn, I used 
• Lang Yarn Twin Soxx, colorway 909 (title photo) - here's a link to the yarn's Ravelry page
• Lana Grossa Meilenweit Konfetti, colorway 2508 (other photos) - link to the yarn's Ravelry page 
• 3mm needles, for fingerless gloves such as these, I tend to switch between dpns and circulars, but it's possible to use either of them
• one surplus knitting needle (in a similar size, preferably also 3mm) 
• a stitch holder for the thumb stitches (scrap yarn works well, too)
• 5 stitch markers - one of them removable
• scrap yarn and a crochet hook (about 3mm) for the provisional COs
• a tapestry needle to weave in ends

Crossings Shawl

I've always wanted to created a half-circle(-ish) shawl in brioche, but it took me a while to think of a pattern with the appropriate number of increases. 

In general,  Two-colour brioche is a marvellous technique. It creates a lovely, squishy texture that is comforable to wear and it can be used to create quite intricate geometric patterns. 

This shawl is started with only a few stitches at the top center and knitted (and increased) outward. That way the size is easily adaptable - and the pattern can also be used for a different yarn weight.

The pattern PDF is available on

• Ravelry
• Loveknitting 

The pattern PDF is 8 pages long and contains:

• row-by-row pattern instructions
• photo tutorials for the brioche increases and decreases you need for this piece:
• brk2inc – a brioche increase
• brkX – brioche stitch that creates the lattice effect

If you want to knit this pattern you should know how to knit flat two-colour brioche.

To knit this shawl you need the following materials: 

• a total of 360 grams (or 1550 metres) of fingering weight yarn – in two (semi-)solid colours:
  I used Zwerger Opal Uni Solid – in the following colourways  
• DY: 5192 dunkelbraun (dark brown) 
• LY: 9932 himmelblau (light blue)
• You can use a different yarn weight – the only thing that you have to adapt is the needle size (slightly bigger than the yarn calls for)
• 3.75 mm knitting needles – preferably long circulars 
• 4 stitch markers
• a tapestry needle for weaving in ends

This gave me a shawls that measures about 62 cm in depth  and about 170 cm in width (measured from tip to tip).

WS of Crossings Shawl

Sideways Cardigan

Usually I don't buy bigger amounts of the same yarn unless I have a specific project in mind. However, a few years ago I made an exception when there was a sale at Vilfil (my favorite yarn store in Zurich) and among the items for sale was Noro Furin. At the time I bought a whole pack (10 skeins) - and it was in my stash for quite a long time, because I didn't have a good idea how to use it.
Last year in April, I decided to use it to knit a cardigan - sideways and in one piece because I don't like cutting my yarn or and I like to minimize the finishing work (e.g. sewing pieces together). Plus, with variegated yarn, I don't like the abrupt color changes that can occur when putting on the arms.
In the end it took me to August 2019 to finish knitting it - and to the following January to finally sew up the arms and to attach the buttons. ...  And now it's taken me nearly a year to write down the instructions.  So, here's a tutorial on how to do something similar.

As with my other sweater patterns (e.g. Summer Garter Stitch Top and Waterfall Tunic) this is NOT a stitch-by-stitch pattern with stitch and row counts for various sizes but rather a tutorial on how to do something similar.
You will have to swatch and calculate for yourself. So this cardigan is completely configurable to your wishes and your shape. I will however give you my numbers and calculations as an example (written in purple).

The basic idea for stitch pattern (changing the skein and alternating between garter and stockinette stitch) is stolen from Lanesplitter Skirt by Tina Whitmore - because it is such great way to show off the color changes of the variegated yarn that I used.

This work by Kniting and so on is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. 

Materials

• yarn, I used about 470 grams of Aran Weight yarn (Noro Furin, colorway 4 - here's a link to the yarn's Ravelry page), 
• straight or circular knitting needles, I used 4.5mm needles - mine were 100 cm long.
• removable stitch markers (safety pins or scrap yarn work fine as well)
• 3 buttons, and sewing needle and thread to sew them on

Techniques

• Short rows with wrap and turn (w+t) - as shown in this YouTube video by Very Pink Knits. (Yes, other short row methods works as well.)
• Knitted Cast-On: See this Youtube-video by Very Pink Knits.
• Cable Cast-On: See this Youtube-video by Very Pink Knits.
• Pick up and knit: Picking up stitches from the side edge of your work as shown in this YouTube video by B.Hooked Crochet & Knitting

Construction, Measurements, and Calculations

The cardigan is knitted sideways and in one piece. It starts with the left sleeve is knitted up to the shoulder. Then (with knitted COs on both sides) the piece is widened to create the front and back piece of the cardigan). At each end short rows are used to shape the piece (i.e. to make sure it is wide enough to fit around your waist). When you've reached the width of your shoulder, you bind off the stitches on the front part and start to knit a "back-only" part. This starts with a few decreases at the top to get a round neckline at the neck edge. 

Once you've reached the middle (or centerline), you basically knit everything backwards, i.e. a mirror image of the first half. This means that just before you've reached the intended neckwidith, you  increases at the neck edge, then you do a knitted CO to start the front right part. Then you continue to knit the front and back (right part) at the same time. After a bind off at both sides you knit the right sleeve as a mirror image to the left one.

In the end, you pick up stitches along the inner edge of the front parts and the neckline (green line in figure 1) to knit a collar with button holes.

Figure 1: Construction

You need to take the following measurements:

A = arm circumference at wrist
B = arm circumference at shoulder
C = from shoulder to hip (total length of garment)
D = from under arm to hip (or C-B/2)
E = depth of neckline on the back of the garment

F = arm length
G = width of shoulder seam
H = half of the width of neckline
I = width of one side of the cardigan at your hip (for me H=I/2)
J = width at hip (should be roughly half of your hip circumference)

Figure 2: Measurements

Knit a swatch and calculate the stitch and row numbers according to your measurements!
Alternatively, with a rough idea of your gauge, you can start with the arm piece and use this as your swatch - however, this swatch piece has then not been blocked and/or washed and might be less exact than you'd like it to be ... and maybe you'll need to frog it after knitting half a sleeve (i.e. you've just knitted a bigger swatch ;-(.
So, better just knit a swatch and block it.

Here are my calculations for stitch numbers and ridges - rounded. My swatch measured 18 sts for 10 cm in width and 30 rows (in pattern) for 10 cm in height.

A = 22 cm = 40 sts
B = 42 cm = 72 sts
C = 60 cm = 108 sts
D = 60 cm - 21 cm = 39 cm - or 108 sts - 36 sts = 72 sts
E =  1,5 cm =  3 sts
 
F = 45 cm = 135 rows
G = 10 cm = 30 rows
H = 10 cm = 30 rows
I = 25 cm = 75 rows
J = 50 cm = 150 rows

Before you start ...

• The 2nd half of one piece (right side) is the exact mirror of the 1st part (left side). So it's essential to take notes while you're knitting, in order to be able to knit the same rows in the opposite order (i.e. decreases where you increased, BO where you CO'd etc.)
• Since I am not "busty" I didn't make allowance for bust shaping. This can be done by starting the front side short rows higher up in the rows or by inserting short rows at bust height that act as bust darts (as I did in the No Assembly Required Top).

Instructions

Throughout the pattern you alternate skeins of variegated yarn (skeins S1 and S2).

The basic stitch pattern for the sleeves (without the calculated increases) is:

• two rows in stockinette stitch in S1, 
• two rows in garter stitch (i.e. one garter ridge) in S2, 
• four rows in stockinette stitch in S1, 
• two rows in garter stitch (i.e. one garter ridge) in S2.

Or spelled out: 

Row 1 (RS, S1): sl1, k to end
Row 2 (WS, S1): sl1, p to end    // stockinette part, S1
Row 3 (RS), S2): sl1, k to end
Row 4 (WS, S2): sl1, k to end    // garter ridge, S2
Row 5 (RS, S1): sl1, k to end
Row 6 (WS, S1): sl1, p to end
Row 7 (RS, S1): sl1, k to end
Row 8 (WS, S1): sl1, p to end    // stockinette part, S1
Row 9 (RS), S2): sl1, k to end
Row 10 (WS, S2): sl1, k to end    // garter ridge, S2

The stitch pattern for the body is similar

• two rows in stockinette stitch in S1 - with some (calculated) short rows at the beginning and end of the row
• two rows in garter stitch (i.e. one garter ridge) in S2

So, when you finish a part, make sure that you continue in pattern, i.e. if you've finished the first sleeve on a garter ridge (in S2), start the main body in stockinette (S1) - my examples below might differ from that.

Left Sleeve

CO A stitches with S1
Instead of ribbing, knit several rigdes of garter stitch, alternating the skeins after each ridge.
I did a CO of 46 stitches and knit 4 ridges in garter stitch.

You now have to calculate the increases you have to do in order to reach B stitches at the shoulder.

I wanted to reach 72 stitches at the shoulder, i.e. I had to increase by 13 ((72-46)/2 =  26/2 = 13) on each side (beginning and end of row) - and I had 128 rows to reach that (D=136 rows, minus 8 rows already knitted for the "instead-of-ribbing"). So I decided had to do increases every 10th row (i.e. that would give 130 rows, but this difference (1cm) was OK for me).

Start knitting the stitch pattern above and increase (as calculated at the beginning and end of the rows)

As calculated I knitted the pattern and increased at the beginning and end of every 10th row, i.e. after 130 I had 13x2 = 26 sts more than the CO, i.e. 46+26 = 72 sts.

To help me count the rows of the body part and to measure, I marked the last row of the sleeve with a removable stitch marker.


Body (Back Piece and Two Front Pieces)

Left Half 

Knit the next row, at the end of the row, with a knitted cast-on, CO D stitches for the front.

Then turn, knit back and CO D stitches for the back.

I wanted to add 39 cm to the lenght (added to the sleeve width - back and front), so I CO'd 72 sts on each side.

Since you're knitting sideways and the shoulders are narrower than the piece around the hips, you now have to calculate the amount of short rows to knit at the front and the back. Plus, you have to decide where you want your short rows to end.

The short rows for the front piece are calculated by the ratio of G to I (i.e. shoulder width to width at the hip of one half).
And the short rows for the back piece by the ratio of G+H to J/2 (i.e. shoulder width plus half of the neckline width to half of the width at the hip.

This means, that you have more short rows on the front than on the back.

For the front I had G = 10 cm and I=25 cm, i.e. for each shoulder ridge, I had to knit 2,5 ridges on the lower edge, i.e. a ratio of 1:2,5 or 2:5. 

For the back it was G+H=10+10= 20 cm and J/2 = 50/2 = 25 cm. So I had the ratio of 2:2,5 or 4:5.

I wanted to keep the pattern of 1 garter ridge and stockinette rows inbetween.

So, taking into account the short rows calculated above, I ended up with this pattern, but I varied the points where I did the w+t's a bit.

Row 1 (RS, S2): sl1, k to end
Row 2 (WS, S2): sl1, k to end  // garter stitch ridge
Row 3 (RS), S1): sl1, k to end
Row 4 (WS, S1): sl1, p65, w+t

Row 5 (RS, S1): k to end

Row 6 (WS, S1): sl1, p40, w+t

Row 7 (RS, S1): k to end

Row 8 (WS, S1): sl1, p15, w+t

Row 9 (RS, S1): k to end   

Row 10 (WS, S1): sl1, p to end  // stockinette part with short rows in front

Repeat rows 1 to 10 once, after you've the last row for the 2nd time, continue with 

Row 21 (RS, S1): sl1, k35, w+t

Row 22 (WS, S1): p to end   // stockinette part plus short rows in the back

I knitted these rows 4 times, i.e. until the shoulder was wide enough.

Knit the calculated pattern until you've reach the shoulder width. 

Now you have to BO the stitches on the front part, i.e. knit to the end of an RS row and BO C stitches.

In my case I had to BO 108 sts. So I knitted an RS row, and started the WS with binding off 108 sts.

 

Now that you've reached the neck of the piece and have done a BO of the front stitches, you need to knit only the part of the rows, that is on the back of the cardigan. 

For me that meant skipping the rows that were called row 4 to row 9 in the body pattern above, i.e. the following: 

Row 1 (RS, S2): sl1, k to end
Row 2 (WS, S2): sl1, k to end   // garter stitch ridge
Row 3 (RS), S1): sl1, k to end

Row 4 (WS, S1): sl1, p to end   // stockinette rows

Repeat rows 1 to 4 once more. After you've the last row for the 2nd time, continue with 

Row 9 (RS, S1): sl1, k35, w+t

Row 10 (WS, S1): p to end   // stockinette part plus short rows in the back 

However, if you want to have a slight curve in the back of the neckline, you have to do some decreases at the end of the first RS rows to shape a curve in your neck. 

I wanted a curve that was 1,5 cm deep, so over the first 6 rows, I decreased one stitch every other row, i.e. I knitted up to the last three stitches of a RS row and ended with "ssk, k1".

Knit your calculated pattern until you've reached exactly the centerline of your piece.

I ended on a stockinette row in S2. For a nice symmetry (and to stay "in pattern") I knitted one garter stitch ridge in S1.

Right Half

After reaching the middle of your piece, you basically have to knit a mirror image of the 1st half, i.e. 

• you increase where you decreased before, 
• you to a BO where you did a CO before (and vice versa), 
• you knit the same short rows as before - just in reverse order.

So first you knit the back part only.

For me this meant the following for rows 1 to 10 of the back-only part.

Row 1 (RS, S1): sl1, k to end

Row 2 (WS, S1):, p to end   

Row 3 (RS, S1): sl1, k35, w+t

Row 4 (RS, S1): p to end      // stockinette part plus short rows in the back 

Row 5 (RS, S2): sl1, k to end

Row 6 (WS, S2): sl1, k to end   // garter stitch ridge

Row 7 (RS, S1): sl1, k to end

Row 8 (WS, S1): sl1, p to end   // stockinette rows

Row 9 (RS, S2): sl1, k to end

Row 10 (WS, S2): sl1, k to end      // garter stitch ridge

Plus, just before you finish the back-only part, you need to include some increases at the upper edge (to mirror the decreases you did during the right half.

For me that meant that - starting from the 6th row before I had to do the BO, I increased one stitch every other row, i.e. I knitted up to the last two stitches of a RS row and ended with "kfb, k1".

Then you need to CO the front stitches again, i.e. knit an RS row and then do a knitted CO of the calculated number of stitches.

I knitted an RS row, then continued by casting on 108 stitches 

Knit the same pattern you knitted for the left half in reverse order until you've reached the shoulder width.

For me that meant knitting the following sequence

Row 1 (RS, S1): k to end

Row 2 (WS, S1): sl1, p15, w+t

Row 3 (RS, S1): k to end

Row 4 (WS, S1): sl1, p40, w+t

Row 5 (RS, S1): k to end

Row 6 (WS, S1): sl1, p65, w+t

Row 7 (RS, S1): k to end

Row 8 (WS, S1): sl1, p to end

Row 9 (RS, S1): sl1, k35, w+t

Row 10 (WS, S1): p to end     // stockinette "ridge" with short rows front and back

Row 11 (RS, S2): sl1, k to end
Row 12 (WS, S2): sl1, k to end    // garter ridge

Row 13 (RS, S1): k to end

Row 14 (WS, S1): sl1, p15, w+t

Row 15 (RS, S1): k to end

Row 16 (WS, S1): sl1, p40, w+t

Row 17 (RS, S1): k to end

Row 18 (WS, S1): sl1, p65, w+t

Row 19 (RS, S1): k to end

Row 20 (WS, S1): sl1, p to end    // stockinette "ridge" with short rows only in front 

Row 21 (RS, S2): sl1, k to end
Row 22 (WS, S2): sl1, k to end    // garter ridge

Once you've reached the shoulder width of the right shoulder, knit to the end of the row, turn and BO D stitches (front), and knit to end. Then BO D stitches (back). The number of stitches that you have left now should be exactly the number you had when you finished the first sleeve.

For me that meant:

Row 1: sl1, k to end

Row 2: BO72, k to end

Row 3: BO72

Right Sleeve

The right sleeve is the left sleeve knitted backwards, i.e. knitting the stitch pattern in reverse order and doing decreases where you did increases before.

Knit in pattern (with the decreases) until your right sleeve has the same length than the left.

I knitted the sleeve stitch pattern in reverse order ...

Row 1 (RS), S2): sl1, k to end
Row 2 (WS, S2): sl1, k to end   // garter ridge

Row 3 (RS, S1): sl1, k to end
Row 4 (WS, S1): sl1, p to end
Row 5 (RS, S1): sl1, k to end
Row 6 (WS, S1): sl1, p to end  // stockinette part

Row 7 (RS), S2): sl1, k to end
Row 8 (WS, S2): sl1, k to end   // garter ridge

Row 9 (RS, S1): sl1, k to end
Row 10 (WS, S1): sl1, p to end   // stockinette part

... while I did decreases at the beginning and end of every 10th row.

Then finish with the same "ribbing" you did on your left sleeve and bind off (loosely).

In my case that meant knitting 4 ridges of garter stitch alternating the skeins.


Collar

Pick up stitches all along the inner edge on the left front, the neck and the right edge in front (see green line in figure 1 above).

Knit (back and forth) 3 ridges of garter stitch.

Calculate the size of your button holes and decide where you want to put the buttons, i.e. decide on the distance between two buttons and calculate the appropriate number of stitches.

Knit up to the 1st button hole, BO the number of stitches for 1 button, k to the next button hole, BO the number of stitches for 1 button

 

The buttons I bought had a diameter of 2,5cm, so I decided that I'd make my button holes 4 sts wide and I decided that I'd place them within the lowest 20 cm, i.e 40 sts, 

So I knitted the "botton hole ridge" as follows:

sl1, k7, BO4, k10, BO4, k10 BO4, k to end; 

sl1, k up to first BO, CO4, k10, CO4, k10, CO4, k to end

Knit 3 more ridges of garter stitch, BO during the last row.

Finishing

I prefer to block the finished piece (sewn up) rather than the flattened out version. Both methods have their advantages and disadvantages.

Sew the side underarm seams together and the buttons on. Weave in ends.

Sew on buttons and block the piece.