Pattern Description from Interweave Knits, Fall 2005:

For this generous raglan sweater, Ann Budd has knitted a bulky hand dyed yarn in brioche stitch to give a vertical element to the inherent horizontal stripes. the sweater body and sleeves are worked in the round from the lower edges to the armholes, then joined and continues as a single piece to the loose, open neck. Ann shapes the armholes along raglan lines by worked double decreases that maintain the integrity of the rib pattern. When the piece comes off the needles, the only seams to sew are at the underarms. If you’ve never worked brioche stitch in the round, practice the technique with Kelly Bridges’s Brioche Helmet Hat.

Finished Size: 35¼ (38½, 41½, 44¾, 48)“ (89.5 98, 105.5, 113.5, 122 cm) bust/chest circumference.

Yarn: Black Forest Naturwolle (100% wool; 110 yd 110 m/100 g): #60 potpourri, 7 (8, 9, 10, 11) skeins. Yarn distributed by Muench Yarns.

Needles: Size 11 (8 mm): 24” (60-cm) circular (cir) and set of 4 or 5 double-pointed (dpn). Adjust needle size if necessary to obtain the correct gauge.

Notions: Markers (m); open-ring or removable markers; stitch holders; tapestry needle.

Gauge Note: to check your round gauge in brioche stitch, measure straight up along a single column of knit sts on the RS, and count each st in the column as 2 rnds.

Notes:

• When counting stitches, count each slipped stitch and its companion yarnover as one stitch, In other words, do not count the yarnovers as stitches in themselves.

• Each yarnover appears to “straddle” its companion stitch, which should make it easy to identify them as a pair to be worked together on the next round. If you are having difficulty knitting or purling a yarnover and stitch together, make sure that you are trying to work the yarnover together with the correct stitch. Spreading the stitches out along the needle can help align the yarnovers with their respective mates.

• Because the slipped stitch-yarnover pairs alternate position from round to round, when one round ends with a slipped stitch-yarnover pair, the following round will begin with a slipped stitch-yarnover pair. The result is that there will be two slipped stitch-yarnover pairs next to each other at the end-of-round marker. Be sure to bring the yarn all the way around the needle and to the front of the work for the first yarnover so that each slipped stitch will have its own separate yarnover.

• Make sure that you don’t accidentally drop any yarnovers that occur at the end of a needle.

• When working p2tog or ssp decreases for the joining round, you will be working together 4 actual loops on the needle: 2 stitches with their 2 companion yarnovers.

• When working k3tog or sssk decreases for the raglan shaping, you will be working together 5 actual loops on the needle: 2 knit stitches with their 2 companion yarnovers, and the purl stitch between them.

• If there are not enough sleeve stitches for your size remaining between the marked raglan stitchs to work the k3tog and sssk decreases as written, work a centered 4-stitch decrease (see Stitch Guide) where the raglan lines converge in the center of each sleeve instead of the two 2-stitch decreases.