I finished another project! This is the Allday Sweater by Lily Kate France and I love it so much I might need to make a second one in another colour! And maybe even a third… This was a really speedy garment project for me. It took me a little over a month from start to finish, but I also did a lot of work on my Parallelogram Wrap in the same period, so I think it would have been nearer a fortnight if I had been more monogamous…

The sweater is designed to be worn with plenty of ease, and features wide sleeves with a really clever pleat detail at the cuffs.

Now I have to admit that I wasn’t certain that I was a statement sleeve kind of person – I tend to favour quite simple designs – but I’m blown away by how much I love these! They fit very comfortably under my coat, and the pleated cuffs are just so elegant! I wore the sweater to ice skating yesterday and felt like a ballerina. I’m not sure I actually looked like a ballerina as we skate just once a year and I’m not very good! But it was fun.

In her design, Lily used Rowan Kid Classic, which is a very light and airy yarn, and I was interested to see how different the sweater would be in our slightly more “toothy” blend of highland wool and alpaca. It’s marvellous! The sleeves have a bit more structure than in the super-drapey Kid Classic, but the overall effect is warm and cosy.

What else can I tell you about this lovely knit? Well, it uses short rows to shape the back neck, as well as to give a lower hem at the rear. The short rows work really well with the moss stitch, and you don’t have to resolve the wrap and turn stitches, which is always good! And I also really love the note of elegance that the dipped hem gives.

I chose festive red (Strawberry) for my Allday Sweater, but I’m thinking that it would look great in any of our nine shades of Something to Knit With Aran… I think that Pool is probably next on my list. Or maybe Lawn? I can’t resist a green jumper!

We have a couple of video tutorials that might help you on your way with an Allday Sweater, first up is the video on short rows in garter stitch. Although the short row sections are both worked in moss stitch, the principle is very much the same.

And then we also have a video on working pleats in your knitting. The sleeves of the Allday Sweater don’t require any special set up to create the fold lines, but the joining rows are worked as shown here.

Will you join me as a new convert to big sleeves? I absolutely love mine! You can find out more about our kits in the online shop here: Allday Sweater Kits

Or if you have some aran yarn in your stash already just waiting for this project, then you can get the single pattern from Lily Kate France’s Ravelry Store here: Allday Sweater

Does anyone fancy joining me to whip up another Allday Sweater? It’s a fun knit and you can kickstart January with a new sweater and maybe even a new skill?

Here’s all the technical information about the pattern:

This sweater is worked seamlessly from the top down, with short rows to raise the back neck as well as raglan shaping to form the yoke. After separating the sleeves, the body is worked without shaping until short rows are again used to lower the back hem. Both the yoke and hem feature several inches of moss stitch [US seed stitch]. Yarn is then re-joined at the sleeves, which are worked in the round and feature increases to produce a Bishop sleeve shape. After introducing panels of moss stitch at the cuff, pleats are worked to gather the cuff.

Sizes
1 (2, 3, 4, 5) [6, 7, 8, 9]
To fit bust (cm): 71–76 (81–86, 91–97, 102–107, 112–117) [122–127, 132–137, 142–147, 152–157]
To fit bust (in): 28–30 (32–34, 36–38, 40–42, 44–46) [48–50, 52–54, 56–58, 60–62]
Finished bust (cm): 97 (109, 119, 127, 137) [150, 160, 168, 178]
Finished bust (in): 38 (43, 47, 50, 54) [59, 63, 66, 70]

Number of 50g skeins of yarn included in the kit: 13 (14, 14, 15, 16) [17, 18, 18, 19]

Happy knitting!