Gansey Style Sweater with Front Placket Opening at Neck and reduced Polperro Northcott yoke
This is my pattern for a sweater based on the traditional gansey shape adjusted for what I know I like to wear. I have not bothered with the underarm gussets as I will not be hauling in fishing nets and the shoulders are not a full dropped shoulder line. Also, to get the sweater out of the 1 cone I had bought, it is not as tightly knitted as true ganseys. There are small slits in the side seam and the back flap is longer than the front. The silver buttons are ones I made at a 2015 Shetland Wool Week workshop with Mike Finnie of Red Houss. Please note, this pattern has only been test knitted once for the small size. The other sizes have been worked out by apportionment including the yarn quantities. That is why it is a free download. Size: To fit 86, 90, 96cms chest Actual measurements after blocking: Chest: 90, 96,102cms Length at centre back from base of neck band: 56, 59, 62cms Sleeve seam length: 45cms (adjustable whilst working) Yarn: Maker and Name: Yarn weight: Quantity: Frangipani 5 ply (www.guernseywool.co.uk) 5 ply Guernsey 1 cone of 5o0g for first and second sizes. 1 and a half cones totaling 750 g for third size. Yarn measurement: 1,097m (approx.) in 500g cone. Darknavy 100% British wool spun in Yorkshire Colour: Fibre content: Needles: 1 x 3.75mm 60cm circular 1 x 3.25mm 60cm circular Pair 3.25mm straight needles Pair 3.75mm straight needles Buttons: 4 x 19mm round buttons Tension: 22 sts and 32 rows to 10cm over stocking stitch on 3.75mm needles.
INSTRUCTIONS
Reduced Polperro Northcott Pattern (True Polperro Northcott is a much longer stitch with rows 4 and 5 repeated 12 times to make it a 28 row pattern) Rows 1 to 3 Knit all stitches Row 4 K2, \*P2, K2, repeat from \* to end Row 5 Knit all stitches Repeat rows 4 and 5 four more times. Rows 14 and 15 Knit all stitches Row 16 Purl all stitches
Abbreviations
K knit P purl sts stitches
BACK FLAP:
Cast on 100 (106, 112) sts on 3.75 straight needles. Work 25 (29, 33) rows knit, slipping the first stitch on every row. Knit the next row onto the 3.75 circular needle, break yarn and leave whilst working the Front Flap.
FRONT FLAP:
Cast on as for Back Flap. Work 15 (19, 23) rows knit, slipping the first stitch on every row. Knit the next row onto the 3.75 circular needle to follow on from the Back Flap.
BODY:
Place a marker before first stitch so that it is easy to see where the rounds start and join into a circle working the back sts first. Knit 2 rounds. First pattern round: - \*P1, K2, P2, K to 5 sts before joint of extensions, P2, K2, P1 to reach joint. Repeat from \* to end of round. Repeat this first pattern round until 95 (105, 115) pattern rounds have been completed. The work will now be split into front and back to complete the upper parts of the garment from the armhole to shoulder.
UPPER BACK:
Working with 3.75 straight needles, cast off 9 (10,11) sts at start of row, work to 5 sts before joint, P2, K2, P1. Turn and work back across the back stitches, casting off 9 (10, 11) sts at start of row and knitting to end of row (82 (86, 90) sts). Knit next row and then work instructions for Polperro Northcott pattern starting at row 4 and repeating the pattern across the row. Repeat rows 1 to 16 until 80 (90,100) rows or 19 (22, 25) cms have been completed from the start of the armhole. Shoulders: Keeping continuity of pattern, either: - To graft the shoulders, work across 28 (29, 30) sts and put them onto a holder, work across remainder of row, turn for next row, work 28 (29, 30) sts and put them onto a holder, put centre 26(28, 30) sts onto a holder for the neck. To seam the shoulders, cast off 28 (29, 30) sts, work across the remainder of the row, turn for next row, cast off 28 (29, 30) sts, put the centre 26 (28, 30) sts onto a holder for the neck.
UPPER FRONT:
Work as for Upper Back to start of the Polpero Northcott pattern. Work row 4 from the pattern and repeat across the row.. Split for neck opening on row 5 of pattern. Work 38 (40, 42) sts, cast off centre 6 sts and work to end of row. Continue on this set of sts to complete left side of neck keeping continuity of pattern. Work until 3 pattern repeats have been completed. Put 5 (6, 7) sts at neck edge onto a holder. Dec 1 st at neck edge on next 5 (5, 5) alt rows (28 (29, 30) sts). Work shoulder to match back. Complete right side of neck opening to match left side.
SLEEVES:
Using 3.25 straight needles, cast on 56 (62, 68) sts. Row 1: K2, P2 to end of row. Work row 1 for a total of 24 rows. Change to 3.75 straight needles and work in stocking stitch. Increase at both ends of 3rd and every following 6th row until 14 increases have been worked (84 (90, 96) sts). Increase at both ends of following 8th row then following 1oth row twice (90 (96, 102) sts) Work 26 more rows in stocking stitch or to required sleeve length. Work a complete pattern repeat of the 16 rows of Polperro Northcott. Repeat rows 1 and 2 of pattern. Keeping continuity of the pattern:- Cast off 9 (10, 11) sts at start of next 2 rows Cast off 5 (5,5) sts at start of next 10 rows. Cast off last 22 (26, 30)sts on next row.
NECKBAND:
Join shoulder seams by your chosen method (grafting or casting off and sewing up). Starting at the centre front and with the front of the work facing, transfer the 5(6, 7) sts at neck edge from the holder onto the 3.25 circular needle and then pick up 25 (27, 29) sts from the rest of that side of the front neck. Transfer the sts from the holder at the back neck and pick up 25 (27, 29) sts from the other side of the front neck. Transfer the 5 (6, 7) sts from holder on that side of the centre front. (86 (90, 94) sts) Work double rib around this neckband with the purl side of the 2 end stitches at both ends, showing on the front of the work. (Starting P2, K2 from the right side). Work 10 rows. Cast off loosely.
BUTTON BAND:
Using the 3.25mm straight needles, pick up 39 sts down the left front side of the placket opening, including the neckband. Work double rib across these stitches with the top 2 stitches on the right side showing the knit side. Work 11 rows and cast off loosely in double rib on the 12th row.
BUTTONHOLE BAND:
Pick up the stitches as for the button band and work 4 rows in double rib as for the button band. Row5: Keeping the double rib pattern, work 4 sts, \*cast off 2 sts, work a further 7 sts so that there are 8 sts after the buttonhole\*. Repeat from \* to \* 2 more times. Cast off 2 sts, work to end of row' Row6: Keeping the double rib pattern, work 3 sts, \*cast on 2 sts, work 8sts\*. Repeat from \* to \* 2 more times. Cast on 2 sts, work to end of row.
FINISHING:
Stitch the sleeve seams to 3 cms from the underarm. Sew the 2 unstitched pieces of the underarm seam to the body underarm where the stitches were cast off. Sew the rest of the sleeve head into the body armhole. Catch the bottom of the 2 front placket pieces to the bottom of the opening. Securely finish off all ends and stitch on the buttons to correspond with the buttonholes.
