Pattern Testing the Easy Eyelet Yoke Sweater

After mostly working with acrylic yarn for 2 months, and all those projects being knit flat, it was an absolute DREAM to be working with the mostly natural fibers of Lion Brand Chainette (affiliate link)and in the round for this sweater. And the Easy Eyelet Yoke sweater is SO pretty! You know how I can tell it’s really pretty? Some of the wip pictures I took are my 2 most liked pictures on Instagram.

So what’s a yoke sweater? It’s a top down sweater that increases evenly the whole way around rather than in specific places like a raglan. That’s how you get this classic, perfectly round picture.

If you’ve been following Chantal for a little while, you probably know that she writes patterns because she didn’t like following someone else’s. And as a witness to her working on a pattern from someone else for a yoke sweater, I can attest that not all patterns are created equally, and this is an important part of the process. And so the Easy Eyelet Yoke was eventually born. And rather unlike that other one, this pattern is very easy to follow and you are actually told where to do your increases.

Aside from being an easy to follow pattern, it’s also FAST! The only other garment I have knit in this little time were 2 other Knitatude patterns, the Life’s a Beach Crop Top and the Shit That’s Quick Sweater. This one took me only 13 days. And if work hadn’t been extremely demanding at that time as well, it would’ve been a lot shorter.

While this is a great somewhat beginner sweater pattern and perfect first yoke sweater, it has some really pretty, thoughtful details, that also aren’t difficult to create. Obviously the first is the featured eyelets around the yoke. The second, less obvious detail is the ribbing. Most of the time ribbing for any knit object is even. As in an even number of stitches knit, and purled (1 x 1, 2 x 2…you get the idea). I like this small detail, it helps insure the the eyelets can stand out in the yoke, and adds just a tiny something extra to the sleeves and bottom of the sweater without being obtrusive.

Tips for Success:

• GAUGE. I know I said the same thing in my Amethyst Grace post, but this pattern also calls for a category 4 yarn. And while I strongly recommend using Lion Brand Chainette (affiliate link), if you’re not (and there are lots of other category 4 Lion Brand options, or Knit Picks options), you’ll need to make sure your category 4 yarn is working up in a similar size to the Chainette.
• Armpits are my least favourite part of every sweater. And they are just a generic problem with handmade sweaters. So be prepared, know there could be gaps as you pick up your armpit stitches, but take solace in the fact that if you leave a decently long tail when you start your sleeves, you can use that tail to sew up those holes. You can even do a mattress-like stitch so that it’s barely noticeable that you were cinching things together.
• I made a size medium, and for the last increases I did 1 on the front side of each arm and one right in the middle of the back. But I really don’t think it matters!