This sweater is named in honor of Harper Lee (b. 1926), Pulitzer-prize winning author of everyone’s favorite book, To Kill a Mockingbird. The 1940s and 50s were a great era for sweaters, with the rise in machine knitting and the slim-fit “sweater girl” trend. Less racy sweater-wearers opted for full knits that revealed a little less bust, with elegant, draped silhouettes.
Harper features an airy yet simple lace stitch, buttons under the arms to create “sleeves,” and a hand warmer pocket on the front. The Valley Yarns Northampton is an economical yet sturdy yarn choice for a large project like this one.
Gauge
12sts/20rws at 4” of extended k2, p2 rib. The lace stitch really extends the ribbing and the ribbing gathers the lace somewhat.
Sizes and Measurements
XS/S [M/L, XL/2X, 3X] shown in M/L
Sized to fit standard bust measurements from CYC; this sweater doesn’t have an actual “bust.” The shape is very flexible.
Measured unbuttoned and unfolded, like a big rectangle, and extended so the lace lies flat:
Front hem to back hem: 24 (28, 32, 36) inches; 61 (71, 81.25, 91.5) cm
Sleeve to sleeve: 40 (44, 48, 52) inches; 101.5 (111.75, 122, 132) cm
Materials
- Valley Yarns “Northampton” [100% wool, 247yd / 226m per 100 g skein]; Merlot Heather (color # 027); 4 [4, 5, 5] skeins.
- Recommend substitutes: Similar yardage of any worsted weight wool or wool substitute yarn.
- 2 pairs US 8 / 5mm circular needles, 24” or longer.
- Stitch markers
- Yarn needle
- Large-eye, small-gauge embroidery needle to pull yarn through holes in buttons
- 6 1-inch buttons
- 20 inches of scrap yarn to hold neck stitches
Directions
(Popknits uses knittinghelp.com's standard abbreviations)
Please see pattern's other notes.
Front Hem
CO 114 [126, 138, 150] sts (multiple of 4+2 sts)
Note: The first st of every row worked throughout this pattern is slipped, to create a selvedge. This makes the side edging easier to pick up, later.
Rows 1-6: Work in k2, p2 rib, slipping the first st of every row.
Row 7 (buttonhole row): Sl1, k2, yo, k2tog, k5, yo, k2tog, k5, yo, k2tog, k until 18 sts rem on left needle, k2tog, yo, k5, k2tog, yo, k5, k2tog, yo, k2. End of row 7.
Row 8: Sl1, purl to end of row.
Begin lace pattern.
Lace Pattern
Note: Do not count your sts after the first or second rows; the count will be wrong because of all of the YOs. After the decreases of row 3, the count will be back to normal. See the optional chart if you prefer.
Row 1: Sl1, k1, yo, *(k3, yo, k1, yo), rep * until 4 sts rem on needles, k3, yo, k1.
Row 2: Sl1, purl to end of row.
Row 3: Sl1, k2, *(sl1-k2tog-psso, k3), rep * until 5 sts rem on needles, sl1-k2tog-psso, k2.
Row 4: Sl1, purl to end of row. Repeat lace pattern until work measures 12 (14, 16, 18) inches, ending on Row 4 of lace patt.
Neck Opening
Work in lace pattern until work measures 12 (14, 16, 18) inches / 30.5 (35.5, 40.5, 45.75) cm from hem.
Row 1 (RS): Sl1, k to end of row.
Row 2 (WS): Sl1, knit to end of row placing marker in center of row.
Row 3 (RS): Sl1, k to marker, sl marker, k 18 (20, 22, 24). Using scrap yarn and yarn needle, place the following sts just worked onto scrap yarn: all sts to center marker, then the same number of sts on other side of marker, a total of 36 (40, 44, 48) sts on scrap yarn. K to end of row.
Row 4: Sl1, knit until gap. Cast on 36 (40, 44, 48) sts, k until end of row.
Row 5: Sl1, k until end of row.
Row 6: Sl1, purl until end of row.
Resume lace pattern now, working until back measures 11 (13, 15, 17) inches / 28 (33, 38, 43) cm from where lace work resumed.
Work 6 rows in k2, p2 rib, bind off. Break yarn.
Side Edge Trim
With work lying flat, and with the right side of work facing you, pick up stitches along one edge of the work. Be sure to pick up a multiple of 4 sts plus 2, for the k2, p2 ribbing.
Work 6 rows of k2, p2 rib st. Bind off in patt.
Repeat for other side.
Work Cowl Collar
With the RS of the work facing you, using the shorter set of circular needles, pick up the live sts at the neck opening from the scrap yarn, 36 (40, 44, 48) total sts picked up. Then using live yarn, pick up the same number of sts from the other side of the neck opening.
Work in round in stockinette st for 5 (6, 6, 7) inches / 12.5 (15.25, 15.25, 17.75) cm. Bind off. The fabric will create a rolled hem naturally.
Buttons for Sleeves
Measure the location of the button holes from the side-edge of the front hem. Using this measurement, sew buttons onto the inside of the back hem. “Inside” means the side of the fabric that is facing your body when you are wearing the sweater. Sew three buttons on each side, to align with button holes. I used a tapestry needle and two plies of the Northampton 4-ply yarn to sew the buttons. A regular needle and sewing thread work well too.
Work Front Pocket (optional)
CO 38 sts.
Work 5 rows in k2, p2 rib, slipping the first st of every row.
Begin decreases as foll:
Row 1 (RS): Sl 1, ssk, work in k2, p2 rib until 3 sts rem in row, k2tog, k1.
Row 2 and all WS rows: Sl 1, then k all k sts, p all p sts.
Row 3: Repeat row 1.
Work until pocket measures 4.5 inches / 11.5 cm tall.
Sew the pocket onto front of sweater directly in the center of the front, lining the rib sts up with the rib sts of the front hem. The bottom of the pocket should align with the bottom of the lace—at the point where the lace meets the ribbing. Use yarn and yarn needle to sew the bottom, then sew the top.
Chart
Click on image to see larger size on Flickr or..
Download this chart as a PDF
Schematic
Other Notes
Harper is knit flat, side-to-side from the front hem to the back hem. After a short edging in k2, p2 rib, the main body of the fabric is worked in a simple 4-stitch, 4 row lace pattern. The side edging of k2, p2 rib is picked up and added when the main fabric is finished.
Buttonholes are worked on the front hem after the k2, p2 edging is finished, 3 on each “sleeve,” six total at the front hem. Buttons are sewn onto the inside of the back hem, then passed through the holes on the front hem to create “sleeves.”
The neck is set up by placing live stitches on scrap yarn for neck opening, then picking up the same number of stitches from the other side of the neck opening, then working in the round in stockinette stitch, to create a curled edge.
About the Author
Katie Rose Pryal is one-half of The Knitty Professors, who publish their original designs and blog about knitting at http://knittyprofessors.blogspot.com. By day, Katie is a professor at a large university in the south. Knitty Professors designs are inspired by all things nerdy—math, microscopy, Membrane Theory, or Milton. Anything can lead to a knitting design, and anything often does. Katie can be emailed at krpryal@gmail.com.
Credits
Photos by Michael Pryal
Model: Katie Rose Pryal
From Flickr
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Errata
There are no reported errors in this pattern. Found something? Please Contact Us.
License
Harper by
Katie Rose Pryal is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at
http://www.popknits.com/index.php/patterns/page/harper/.
