Tag: arco iris

Finishing Up the Arco Iris Sweater Pattern

All notes on knitting the Arco Iris sweater have been completed. The sweater is very nice, love the yarn, and end product, but had a few struggles along the way with this pattern.

Over the past couple of days I’ve been knitting like mad to finish up the body of the Arco Iris sweater pattern by Joji Locatelli.

Instead of dreading that k1, p1round and round hem, this hem has an interesting cable and rib alternating pattern. It’s a nice way to finish up after long rows of plain old knitting. And it looks pretty cute too!

I was already familiar with this ribbing because I jumped ahead and knit the v-neck before finishing the body.

I knit sweater size 4 (with mods), using main needle size 6, hem needle size 4.

knitting
sweater knitting
Arco Iris sweater knitting

My selfies are not great, but I’d say that photo #3 is the way to wear this top. It’s sort of a blouson effect.

Notes about the body and ribbing

I followed the advice of one test knitter who added 12 extra stitches under the arms. This widened the bust and body area (I did not reduce those stitches until near the bottom) which seemed to be a good idea once I tried it on.

I would not have reduced at all except that I needed an exact number of stitches (a 18 stitch repeat) for that hem. *Hint: Place markers between the 18 stitch repeat just in case you lose your place.

Knitting The Sleeves

I have two balls of yarn left to knit the 3/4 sleeves of this sweater. This is when a scale can come in handy. I don’t know yet if I will alternate skeins, but knowing the amount of yarn (by weighing) will be helpful if it seems I might run short.

Notes on Knitting the Sleeves

While knitting the first sleeve of the Arco Iris sweater, I made some mods and will share them here.

I felt that I had to be mindful of yarn use so I only knit to six inches before beginning the ribbing. I would have liked to go about another inch and have the cuff fall just below my elbow, but didn’t dare. It turns out I probably could have done that and had enough yarn.

3/4 sleeve knit with cable cuff
Cable and rib sleeve cuff

I also began with more stitches at the arm pick up. I picked up 8 extra stitches and that gave me 74 total stitches when I began knitting down the sleeve (as opposed to 66 per directions). I reduced stitches on every 5th row, until I got to 63 total. I did alternate balls of yarn.

sleeve underarm

Also, I did not reduce as many stitches as called for while knitting down the sleeve. AND the decrease directions seemed wrong to me. The pattern says to do the SSK first and the K2TOG at the end of the round.

If you follow the designer’s suggestion, this is what it will look like (photo below). I think every sweater I’ve knit has the decreases listed the opposite way. By following the directions, my knitting left a weird bump because on each side the decreases faced outward. On the last decrease I did it the right way with the k2tog first, and the SSK last – and it looks much better!

*Note: Check those decrease directions, you may want to change them.

decreases incorrectly done
Decreases are wrong, I believe.
Comparing both underarm decreases- Left, my way, Right, pattern directions

The ribbing is done much like the body hem and neck, except the repeat is only 9 stitches and not 18. The reason is that the cables will all face the same way on each sleeve cuff. So you must begin the cuff with a stitch count that is a multiple of nine. For the sweater size 4, which I was knitting, the cuff should have 54 stitches. I had 63. I’m glad I did not reduce to 54 because my cuff is perfect.

*FYI: My actual elbow measurement- where the cuff ended up – measures 10 inches around. This cuff feels perfect at 63 stitches, and I’m glad it is not any tighter.

sleeve knit
Arco Iris

Buy the Arco Iris Pattern Here

Pictures of the top once I finished knitting. Washing and blocking to come. The style is not really made for my body type, but I do like the finished sweater. The fabric is quite heavy, so it won’t get worn at all until maybe next December.

Arco Iris sweater done
Arco Iris sweater project
hand knit arco iris pullover

More stories from the blog…

Knitting The Neck Ribbing of the “Arco Iris” Sweater

Knitting the ribbing around the v-neck for the Arco Iris sweater pattern.

This v-neck sweater, the “Arco Iris”, has a pretty ribbed and cable border around the neck to match the sleeve cuffs and body ribbing.

Once I got the sleeves put on hold, and began knitting the body, I decided to take on that v-neck ribbing. I had a quiet day to myself, and decided not to knit round and round, but take on the challenge of the neckline.

Picking up Neckline Stitches

This pattern tells you exactly how many stitches to pick up for each section of the neckline. I had no trouble picking up stitches for the back of the neck. Each loop was easy to see. But going down, and then up, the V got tricky.

I have decided that I absolutely hate doing this. I came close to throwing the knitting across the room.

For this sweater the stitch count must be exact. The cables and ribbing are done in multiples of 9 / 18. I ripped out my pick ups more than I will admit, and finally gave up and did the best I could.

I ended up 5 stitches short and added those stitches back in (using backwards loop cast ons) when I did the first row around. So my advice to you is to maybe keep this in mind so you don’t go insane.

cats and knitting

Skittle the Cat had to jump up into my lap at exactly the WRONG TIME. I had dropped a stitch and was trying to fix my problem while the cat insisted that I pet her. All I could do was laugh at the unlikelihood of that. Finally she settled in on my lap and was happy for me to continue knitting.

The first couple of rows of directions on the neck are the set up pattern for the cables and rib. Once that is done, the pattern gets very easy.

Once I finished the neckline, I put my body stitches onto waste yarn so I could try the sweater on and see how it looks. I actually like it a lot. My cables are off, but once I did one wrong, I had to continue to do it the same (left leaning / right leaning) way. Most people will never notice my mistake.

Cable ribbing on Arco Iris neckline
Arco Iris sweater knitting
Neck cables and ribbing

When you are told to do a “cable crossing every 4th round”, do the cable as you did in the beginning. The “lefts” will always be left. Each cable will be done the same way – with yarn held either to the back or front. If you are not familiar with cables, this could be confusing.

As I knit, the circle for the neck opening kept getting smaller, and I was getting worried, but it ended up perfect. That front part of the V is a decrease, so the circumference gets smaller on every round. I ended up using a 16” circular needle but began with a 24 inch.

Don’t make the bind-off too loose. You won’t want the neckline gaping open. Also, don’t make it too tight!

This pattern is not one of the easiest to follow. I’ve knit quite a few sweaters over the past couple of years. Some were lacking in directions, one in particular I simply hated, and many have been fun and easy to knit. Occasionally there will be a small mistake in a pattern, which is understandable. Common sense may be all that is needed to keep knitting.

I respect the time and effort that knitwear designers have put into creating their patterns. I suppose a designer may assume the knitter will figure it out. But I like to be told specifically what to do when knitting. Usually all it takes it one more sentence to explain.

What About the Test Knitters?

What is a test knitter? Someone who knits the project just as it is written. They look for problems and make sure the pattern is ready for everyone to knit. Usually designers will search for knitters who will make the pattern in a variety of sizes to be sure the pattern works for everyone. The testers are in touch with the designer and communicate any and all problems with the pattern to make it read to sell.

One test knitter included no notes at all. I guess they don’t have to. (I recently finished a Jenn Steingass sweater and she had a ton of test knitters, who did include helpful notes, and that pattern was very easy to follow.)

Test knitter Toriyu had helpful information which I am actually following, but she is the only one with useful notes.

The other test knitters had skimpy notes such as “made the sleeves longer”. Not a single one of them found problems with the purl increases… apparently. Or if they did, they may have told the designer, who knows? All I can say is that I found a few parts of the directions difficult to understand. And I probably would have gone ahead and done the purl increases incorrectly without realizing.

I’m going to leave notes on my Ravelry page incase anyone has my same problems.

There have been 76 projects knit (according to Ravelry numbers as of the date of this writing), or begun, by knitters such as myself, on this sweater. The pattern came out in December 2022, which means it is a new pattern (this is January) and lots of knitters plan to knit it. In the end this should be a beautiful new addition to the wardrobe.

Onward I knit. I’m thinking the most complicated part is behind me.

v-neck sweater Arco Iris
Finished the v-neck before the body and sleeves.

Casting On and Beginning The “Arco Iris” Sweater Pattern

Knitting the Arco Iris sweater pattern by Joji Locatelli using Miss Babs Kunlun yarn in color Moss green.

I couldn’t pass up the Miss Babs yarn sale and grabbed some of my favorite “Kunlun” yarn. My intention was to knit the new Joji Locatelli pattern called “Arco Iris”.

The sweater is a v-neck with 3/4 sleeves and pretty, textured ribbing (pattern link below). It calls for a DK yarn so this merino, cashmere and silk blend should work nicely.

I purchased four skeins of color “Moss”. This was not my first color choice but the Miss Babs sale is popular, so I took what I could find that offered enough skeins (4) for my project. Green is good. It is one of my favorite colors to wear.

Kunlun yarn in Moss green
Kunlun yarn in “Moss”
Swatch drying
Swatch blocked and drying
gauge swatch and cast on yarn for knitting
Swatch

My swatch has been knit, washed, blocked and dried. My row count is off slightly as I have about 31 rows in 4 inches and it should be 29. But stitch count is exact, so I’m sticking with the size 6 needle. I will just watch the length. Some articles about swatching say that row problems can sometimes be fixed by changing needle types. I’m waiting for some new wooden Lykke needles to arrive.

Casting on January 12th with two skeins wound and ready to alternate. This is my first Joji pattern.

Find the Arco Iris pattern at Ravelry

knitting raglan sweater

Once the 24 inch Lykke needles arrived I switched from the 16 inch metal, which was getting very crowded. The following day the 32 inch arrived and I’m now using that. View Lykke needles on Amazon – this is an affiliate link to the needles I purchased.

I need to say how beautiful this yarn is to work with. Look at those wonderful stitches, all lined up and perfect looking. I don’t know if I’ve ever knit with yarn that is so defined. I’m knitting two rows at a time from alternating skeins to keep the shading good.

So far the pattern is very easy to follow, with lots of stitch counts noted to keep me on track. The increases are easy to remember. There is a lot of purling – every other row – which I personally don’t mind.

Pattern Problem at End of Increases

Now that I have reached Section 3 the body and sleeves are divided and that all went well – until I decided to Tink back to add stitches – see Mods section below. This was not a pattern problem, just my choice.

The first confusion arose in Section 3 in the Note. We are told to continue neck increases “every 4th following row”. Apparently that “following” means the rows to come – from here on out. I would word that differently to be clearer. That means we knit the divider row as Row 1, Purl row is 2 and so on. That has us increasing on a purl row which is not what we have been doing.

The designer lists how to make those purl row increases, but it seems the directions for them are wrong. A fellow knitter left a comment on the pattern page that the the m1pl and m1pr definitions in the “abbreviations” section were incorrect. I checked that out by watching this Purl Soho video about how to do both increases. I have to agree that the designers directions for these increases are incorrect.

It also took me a bit to figure this all out. A couple of simple sentences could have made all this much clearer for me. Then again, maybe I am the only one who didn’t get it. It’s possible.

Mods

One test knitter (Toriyu) mentioned casting on extra stitches for the body when dividing the sleeves – even though her size did not include this. My size 4 directions also say to cast on Zero. So I tinked back to the separation row and cast on six stitches under each arm for a total of 12 extra stitches. I did this because I don’t want the body to be tight. The test knitter then decreased those extra stitches as she knit down the body.

To Be Continued

My next Arco Iris post is about knitting the v-neck ribbing with the cables. I decided to knit the neckline before I finished up the body. You can read that here.

Happy knitting!

Fontana’s face

More From the Blog

Knit a Simple Hat and Scarf in Bulky Malabrigo Rasta Yarn

Pictures of my hat and scarf made using Malabrigo yarn in Rasta bulky “arco iris” color way.

I had been wanting to knit something using a bulky yarn. I came across the “Rasta” yarn somewhere and decided to jump in and buy it. What I would decide to make came later.
Although I wasn’t too sure about the colors, I certainly love the feel of the Rasta bulky yarn by Malabrigo. I decided to knit a simple hat and scarf.

Bulky Rasta yarn hat and scarf
Bulky hat and scarf
Screen Shot 2018-05-06 at 11.30.22 AM
Two balls of “Arco Iris” Malabrigo yarn, bulky

The hat and scarf in my photo was knit using only 2 skeins, but for a longer scarf, I suggest one more.
The only issue I had with this yarn is the color. I received 2 skeins of the same color name, “Arco Iris”, and as you can see in my photo, the colors are quite different.  One skein I liked, and the other was darker. I know this can happen with hand-dyed yarn. I used the “pretty skein” for the hat, and the darker one for the scarf, along with the hat yarn leftovers.
Have faith, this color yarn looks better once it’s turned into an item and the soft, plush feel is a joy to work with. If you can shop locally and see the yarn, I suggest doing that. I have to order online.

knitting divider

How to Knit This Simple Hat

Yarn used: For the hat, I used less than one skein of Malabrigo’s Rasta yarn in “Arco Iris”.

For this hat I used size 13 – 16 inch circular needles and size 13 DPN’s.
Cast on 48 + 1 , then slip the last stitch to the left needle and knit the first 2 stitches together to join in the round – make sure there is no twisting of stitches. This gives you a total of 48 on the needles. Or simply cast on 48 and go from there.

The pattern is simply knit one, purl one around to desired height, then do decreases at the top.

How to Decrease at Top of Hat

Knit around until hat measures about 7 inches – more or less for size needed.

Decrease rows:
1. *k1, p1 (twice), k2tog*, do that 8 times.
2. Knit around
3. *k3, k2tog* around
4. Knit around
5. *k2, k2tog* around
6. k2tog around
Cut yarn long enough and pull through remaining loops and weave in to finish off.

Finished circumference approx. 19 inches, height is 9.5 inches.

It could have a pompom on top if you like that look.

chunky knit hat in rasta
Hat completed, with yarn left over. Use less than one full skein.

How to Make the Scarf

I used US size 9 straight needles. End measurements, 7 inches wide by 40 inches long – used all remaining yarn.  I used one full skein, and the leftover ball from the hat.  (See photo above.)  This is a short scarf, so I suggest using 2 full skeins, or more, if you make it wider and want something longer.

Cast on using the Cable Cast on, which is like a basic cast on, but put the needle under both both strands of yarn. I have a page with videos of various cast-on methods, if you need help.
Cast on 14, or any even number.

Repeats are between the *stars*.

K2, *p1, k1* to last 2 stitches, p2
Next row and all rows: With yarn in back, slip 1 purl wise to begin the row. Each row ends with a purl and begins with a slip purl wise . Doing this makes a neater edge.
*K1b (knit one below), p1*, to the last stitch, p1.

Continue until the yarn runs out and bind off (before you run out, obviously!).

Be sure to hand wash any items made with this yarn.

Screen Shot 2018-05-16 at 2.28.45 PM
Rasta yarn knits up into plush wearables.

I am now working on a similar (but longer) scarf in white Rasta yarn.

Scarf and hat in bulky yarn

Washable Bulky Yarn

When I began knitting with the Rasta yarn I fell in love with the squishy feel and the color changes. Unfortunately this yarn must be hand-washed which can be tricky when the item is large – like a long scarf. The tough part is letting it dry. It must be laid out somewhere for a couple of days because of the bulkiness.

Bulky Rasta scarf white
Knitting a white Rasta scarf

I finished the white scarf shown above (same pattern as the other scarf on this page) and gave it to my son’s girlfriend for Christmas, but I included a note that she had to hand-wash. I felt guilty about giving her something that would be a bit challenging to care for.

Between now and then I have found yarn that is similar to the Rasta but can be machine washed.

  • “Franca” by Manos del Uruguay is 100% superwash merino wool. I have a skein which I have not used yet, but I love Manos yarn. It is similar in look and feel of the Rasta by Malibrigo. You can find Franca yarn at Purl Soho in pretty colors, or search for a sale. I bought mine cheaper at Etsy but there were only 3 color choices.
  • “Fire” by Wool Addicts is a yarn that is new to me, but is now on the top of my list of favorite bulky yarns. I’m using it in dark gray to make the Winter Morning ear-warmer. It is a Superwash yarn made in Italy and it is so soft and lovely.

Once I use the yarns listed here and wash them, I will post an update.

Basics For Machine-Washing Hand-Knit Items

By machine-washed, I mean put into a zippered laundry bag made of mesh and tossed into the washing machine. Tossing an item in with the regular load of laundry could stretch it out. I suppose socks and hats might do okay, but personally I would always use a mesh bag. And most knits must still be dried flat. I’ve seen very few nice yarns that can safely go into the dryer.

Yarn is usually pretty dirty, and sometimes the color will bleed quite a lot in a first wash. This happened to me while washing the Fine Sand sweater. Usually Miss Bab’s yarn does not bleed color, but the “Tarte” I used certainly did. I was glad I hand-washed it the first time. So, I suggest either hand-washing the item the first time, or wash it separately in the machine, with wool-wash. Most people who know a lot about yarn suggest using a cleaner made especially for washing wool. I’m going to look into the best ways to wash hand-knits and write about it one day…!

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