It's time for Clue 2 and this time it's all about sleeve separation and body shaping.
With the yoke complete, it’s time to move into the next stage of your Meabh Sweater. This is where your sleeves and body go their separate ways, and the signature brioche panels begin to shift and shape your fabric.
The result?
A body that flows with gentle movement, shaped without ever changing the stitch count.
What You’ll Knit This Week
In Clue 2, you will:
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Place your sleeve stitches on hold and cast on underarm stitches.
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Continue working the body in brioche stitch, in the round.
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Position four brioche panels around the body and begin shaping.
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Outward shaping is create by:
- Decreasing outside each panel.
- Increasing inside each panel.
- This keeps your stitch count the same while creating a bias that moves the panels outward.
- Work a straight section once the panels reach their widest point.
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Shift the panels inward again by reversing the shaping by decreasing inside and increasing outside.
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Finish with an even section of brioche before binding off with a stretchy, elastic bind-off.
It does look like a lot when you see it all together but remember we are taking this slowly one row at a time. You might even pick up something new when you start working on each section.
Tips & Modifications
The shaping of the body can be adjusted by changing the frequency of the increase/decrease combination on each side of the panels. By adding a few more rows between each increase/decrease round, you will make a shallower slope for the panels.
If you want to change the size of your body, you can make adjustments to the number of`stitches cast-on for the underarm area. Do be aware that this will have an impact on the sleeves. Remember that you need to keep the changes in multiples of 2 so that you can maintain your brioche pattern.
I did not want the edge of the sweater to pull in or flare when I finished it; this is why I used the stretchy bind-off, which gives extra stretch but still holds the shape. The Tubular Bind-Off would give too much stretch, and the edge would flair out. You could work a few rows of one-by-one ribbing and then work a Tubular bind-off also. It will draw the edge in a little more.
Come Chat
Don't forget to drop into Knithub to join the chat!
And if you'd like to join us for the autumn knit-along just click here.
Share Your Progress
You’re halfway there, can you believe it?
Share your progress using #StolenStitches on your favourite social channel, or check in with your fellow knitters in Knithub. If you’ve made body modifications this is a great clue to show your work.
Wishing you all the best for clue 2 of the Meabh KAL and we will see you in Knithub!
