Apoplystra takes its inspiration from patterns formed when layers of rock are folded and contorted by movement over time. A notable example of this is called the Apoplystra Fold, found on the island of Crete.

Find out more about this design over on Youtube.

CONSTRUCTION
This garment is worked top-down, mostly in the round, with a modified raglan construction. The back of neck and sleeve stitches are cast on first and worked flat whilst beginning the modified raglan shaping and front of neck shaping. Once joined in the round, stranded colourwork is worked whilst the raglan shaping continues. Once yoke depth is reached, the yoke stitches are separated into body and sleeves, each of which are worked in the round, continuing the stranded colourwork pattern. Stitches for the neckband are picked up and worked in half-twisted ribbing to match the waistband and cuffs. The lower body and sleeves are worked in plain stockinette and finished with half-twisted ribbing.

Within the colourwork, roughly one quarter of the rounds required you to work with three colours at the same time. This is a great project if this technique is new to you, as there are no floats to catch and no particular colour that needs to be dominant within the colourwork pattern.

SIZING GUIDE
This garment is graded into sizes 1 (2, 3, 4, 5) (6, 7, 8, 9, 10). Recommended positive ease is 3+” / 7.5+ cm at the chest circumference.
Finished Garment Chest Circumference:
33.25 (37, 40.5, 44.25, 48) (51.75, 55.5, 59, 62.75, 68.25)“
83 (92.5, 101.5, 111, 120) (129, 138.5, 147.5, 157, 171) cm.

SAMPLE
The wearer is 5’10” / 178 cm with a 37” / 92.5 cm chest circumference. The sample’s yoke has been worked in size 5, but with 18 stitches (rather than 24) cast on at each underarm, creating a finished garment chest circumference of 46.25” / 115.5 cm and giving the wearer 9.25” / 23 cm of positive ease at the chest. To allow for the wearer’s height, an extra 1” / 2.5 cm of ribbing has been added to the waistband and 2” / 5 cm has been added to the cuffs. The sleeve circumference has been worked as for size 4.

GAUGE
Using 3.25 mm / US size 3 needles, or needle size required to meet gauge, 26 stitches over 32 rounds in both stockinette stitch and colourwork, blocked, creates a 4x4” / 10x10 cm square.

YARN
This design requires three fingering-weight yarns.

The sample has been worked using Fiber Optic Yarn’s Kashmir base (80% Superwash Merino / 10% Cashmere / 10% Nylon; 384 m / 420 yds per 114 g) in colourways Walnut for Colour 1 (green-brown) and Coffee for Colour 3 (brown-black).
Colour 2 is Fru Valborg’s Merino Sock base (75% Superwash Merino / 25% Nylon; 425 / 464 yds per 100 g) in colourway Limpet (cream).

YARDAGE (includes ~10% excess)
Colour 1:
604 (650, 738, 790, 896) (987, 1048, 1140, 1185, 1288) metres
660 (711, 807, 864, 980) (1080, 1146, 1247, 1296, 1410) yards
179 (193, 219, 234, 266) (293, 311, 338, 352, 382) grams

Colour 2:
316 (343, 391, 418, 445) (484, 510, 559, 586, 639) metres
345 (375, 428, 458, 487) (529, 558, 612, 641, 699) yards
74 (81, 92, 98, 105) (114, 120, 132, 138, 150) grams

Colour 3:
257 (279, 318, 340, 362) (393, 415, 454, 476, 519) metres
281 (305, 348, 372, 396) (430, 454, 497, 521, 568) yards
76 (83, 94, 101, 107) (117, 123, 135, 141, 154) grams

TOOLS & NOTIONS
2.75 mm / US size 2 circular needles (to work neckband, cuffs and waistband; varying cable lengths would be helpful)
3.25 mm / US size 3 circular needles (to work yoke, body and sleeves; varying cable lengths would be helpful)
8 markers for raglan shaping
1 contrasting marker for BOR
scrap yarn
tapestry needle to weave in ends

SKILLS REQUIRED
-long tail cast on
-joining and working in the round
-working half-twisted ribbing
-working make one left / right increases
-German short row shaping
-reading colourwork charts
-working stranded colourwork with two or three colours
-long tail cast on with two colours
-working a repeating pattern of decreases
-decreasing using K2tog and SSK
-standard bind off