Born in 1932, Sylvia Plath was both a prolific
author and sweater wearer. She attended
Smith college, where she also later taught poetry.
She is best known for her autobiographical
novel The Bell Jar, and her poetry collection
Ariel. This sweater was inspired by Plath’s classic
1950s style. Plath features a deceptively
simple ladder stitch rib pattern, an easy and
quick two row repeat. The sweater is knit top
down in the round. The bottom edge of the
cardigan features a curved edge that you create by decreasing strategically at each end. After completing the
body and sleeves, you will pick up stitches first along the placket and bottom hem, and then along the collar.

Sizing

The pattern is available in 8 sizes from XS-XXXL!

The finished measurements are:

Bust: 28(30,34,38,42,46,50,54) inches (2 inches of negative ease)

In keeping with the 1950s “sweater girl” look, Plath is a fitted sweater. The main body stitch is a ladder rib that stretches, so choose your size based on how you’d like the sweater to fit. For example, if your actual bust measurement is 32”, you could either knit the small (30” size) for a snug fit, or the 34” size for a looser fit. Because the sweater is knit top down, you can easily adjust the sizing to fit you perfectly. Just try on the sweater as you go, adding increases or decreases as necessary.

For reference, the sweater shown is a size M (34”). You can see from the close up how the rib pattern stretches. (Keep in mind that my bust measurement is, shall we say, more than 2” larger than the finished measurement. If I were knitting this purely for myself, and not for pattern purposes, I’d make some more increases across the front).

For more information about the pattern, see my blog: http://fibersmarts.blogspot.com/2008/05/plath-cropped-car...