St. James
by Tonya Wagner
Difficulty: Advanced Beginner.
St. James is a boatneck shirt knit top-down in the round, making it excellent for advanced beginners. The seed stitch tie and simple shaping make this sweater fun to knit without making it too complicated.
One of my biggest style influences is forties and fifties “secretary fashion.” I was delighted to see blouses with ties on the Proenza Schouler runway, which fit perfectly into my fifties aesthetic. I fell in love with this detail and knew that I somehow would incorporate it into a knit garment. My idea was reinforced when I saw the ties pop up in the Dolce and Gabbana Fall collection and in various fashion magazines.
My design is a more accessible version of what you see on the runways. The tie collar draws the eye up to your face and the neckline shows off the collarbone. St. James can be dressed up or down. I can still feel stylish as I run errands with my one-year-old son and effortlessly transition to a night out with my husband by trading casual pants for a pencil skirt. Pair St. James with straight-leg jeans and you can fit in just about anywhere – wear ballet flats for day and heels at night.
St. James is named for St. James Court, home of an excellent art fair that takes place annually in Louisville.
[Photographer: Wesley Fairman / Model: Tonya Wagner]
SIZE
FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Chest: 30 [34, 38, 42, 46, 50, 54] inches
Length: 23 [23, 23.5, 25.25, 25.5, 26.25, 26.25] inches
St. James is a close fitting garment; women in the fifties weren’t afraid to show off their figures, we shouldn’t be either! St. James was designed with one inch of positive ease. (The model has a 37 inch chest and is wearing size medium.) This sweater has a body-hugging hourglass shape which can be easily modified to fit you by doing more or less increases / decreases in the shaping section.
The fit of this garment mimics the fit of ready-made garments found in stores. For example, if you wear a size medium at Gap you should knit the size medium.
MATERIALSCascade 220 Heathers [100% Peruvian Highland Merino Wool; 220 yd per 100 g skein]; color number 2444; 3 [3, 3, 4, 4, 4, 5] skeins.
Cascade 220 is perfect for a fall sweater. Because Cascade 220 is such an affordable yarn, you can make this sweater in all of the season’s hot colors! You could easily make this sweater for warmer weather in a yarn such as Rowan Summer Tweed or South West Trading Company Twize.
1 US Size 8/5 mm 24-inch circular needle
1 US Size 7/4.5 mm 32-inch circular needle
4 stitch markers (1 needs to be in a contrasting color or style)
Scrap yarn
Tapestry needle
GAUGE
18 sts X 24 rows = 4" in stockinette stitch
Both stitch and row gauge are important to the fit of this sweater – make sure to swatch!
ccm – contrasting color marker
kfb – knit into the front and back of the stitch (one stitch increased)
skp – slip one, knit one, pass slipped stitch over (one stitch decreased)
Seed stitch worked over rows with an even number of stitches, or in rounds
Row/Rnd 1: *K1, p1; rep from * to end.
Row/Rnd 2: *P1, k1; rep from * to end.
Seed stitch worked over rows with an odd number of stitches
All rows: *k1, p1; rep from * to last st, end k1.
PATTERNWith larger ndls, CO 74 [98, 120, 120, 144, 158, 182] sts. Row 1: k28 [37, 45, 45, 54, 59, 68], pm, k9 [12, 15, 15, 18, 20, 23], pm, k28 [37, 45, 45, 54, 59, 68], pm, k9 [12, 15, 15, 18, 20, 23]. Place ccm and join for working in the rnd, being careful not to twist.
Yoke
Rnd 1: knit. Rnd 2 (Inc rnd): kfb, *k to 1 st before m, kfb, sl m, kfb rep from * to last st, end kfb. (8 sts inc’d) Rep rnds 1 and 2, 19 [19, 19, 24, 24, 25, 25] times more. (234 [258, 280, 320, 344, 360, 390] sts).
Divide Sleeves, Front, and Back
Next rnd: k68 [77, 85, 95, 104, 111, 120] sts (Front), remove m, sl 49 [52, 55, 65, 68, 72, 75] sts to scrap yarn for Right Sleeve, sl m, k68 [77, 85, 95, 104, 111, 120] sts (Back), remove m, sl 49 [52, 55, 65, 68, 72, 75] sts to scrap yarn for Left Sleeve. Sizes medium, 2x, and 3x only:*knit to m, CO – (-, 1, -, -, 2, 2); rep from * once. All Sizes:(68 [77, 86, 95, 104, 113, 122] sts each for Front and Back). Work even in stockinette for 4 rnds without shaping.
Shape Body
Next rnd (Dec rnd): *K2tog, knit to 2 sts before m, skp; rep from * once. (4 sts dec’d) Work even in stockinette for 3 rnds. Rep these 4 rnds, 8 more times. (100 [118, 136, 154, 172, 190, 208] sts rem). Work even in stockinette for 5 rnds without shaping. Next rnd (Inc rnd): *M1, knit to m, M1; rep from * once. (4 sts inc’d) Work even in stockinette for 3 rnds. Rep these 4 rnds, twice more. Rep Inc rnd. Work even in stockinette for 5 rnds. Rep these 6 rnds 4 more times. (132 [150, 168, 186, 204, 222, 240] sts). Change to smaller ndls, knit 1 rnd.
Lower Band
Work Rnd 1 of Seed st patt. Work even in patt for 1.5 [1.75, 2, 2.25, 2.5, 2.75, 2.75] inches. BO all sts pwise.
Right Sleeve
With smaller ndls, CO 2 sts, k49 [52, 55, 65, 68, 72, 75] from scrap yarn, CO 2. (53 [56, 59, 69, 72, 76, 79] sts). Next row (WS): purl. Work Row 1 of Seed st patt. Work even in patt for .5 inch, end after WS row. BO all sts pwise.
Left Sleeve
Work as for Right Sleeve.
Collar
With smaller ndls, CO 75 sts, beg at left edge of Front Neck, pick up and knit 74 [98, 120, 120, 144, 158, 182] around Neck, CO 75 sts. (224 [248, 270, 270, 294, 308, 332 sts]). Beg with Row 2 of Seed st patt, work back and forth in rows in patt until Collar meas 1 inch. BO all sts in patt.
FINISHING
Weave in ends. Sew underarm seams. Block and wear!
ABOUT THE DESIGNER
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Tonya divides her time between knitting and chasing her one-year-old son, Leo. Her favorite time to knit is while listening to her husband, a professional musician, play guitar. Tonya works part time in her LYS, The Knit Nook. You can learn more about Tonya and download patterns here.
Contact Tonya. |