Hello everyone, It’s the last day of August and although we have finally welcomed some rain, it was still hot this moring. However, the weather is turning to cooler mornings and the light is drawing in earlier in the evenings.
I’ve had a very busy two weeks – releasing the Kaleidoscope Jumper pattern and On Friday, I released the add on sleeve, which was requested by many followers on Instagram, so that the knitter can choose which motifs for their sleeves. The Tree and Star sleeve pattern, also comes with a full Sanquhar alphabet so that you can personalise your knitted jumper – either for an heirloom or for a gift. Here’s a little insight into both
In the previous post, you will be able to find out about size of the jumper, why the sleeve is grafted into the armpit and other tips.
Below are my most recent designs. For any one of them, you can use your 4 ply stash – particularly the Fair Isle vest and long hat/scarf.
I’m looking forward to September. I’ll be nipping to London to see my daughter and to Skipton to Yarndale as well as a couple of closer little events.
And to finalise, I’d like to say a big thanks for following me, let me know your thoughts on the add on sleeve in the comments here or nip to Instagram, where there are lots more photos.
Above is an image of the alternate sleeve to the one that is included in the Kaleidoscope Jumper pattern. It is a Bolt on pattern called – Tree and Star Sleeve. Below are reasons why I published the pattern with Tree sleeves charts only and why I am producing a 2nd bolt on sleeve pattern.
Why is the Kaleidoscope Jumper pattern one size only?
It iis one size because the motifs of 44 stitches, dictate wherre the pattern lies – to increase the size, I would have to add one more motif, change where the neck lies in the pattern and calculate additional decreases at the shoulders and it would go on and on. I t would take e 6 months to make different sizes. I am just one person without tech support. It is actually easy to increase the size by knitting the jumper in UK 3:5mm needles rather than UK 3mm
Why did I knit the sleeve in the round from cuff up then graft it into the armpit? Here’s the reason that I did the sleeves this way. Initially, I picked up the stitches around the arm hole to knit the sleeve in the round from the shoulder down to the cuff but I realised that if I knitted the tree motif, from the trunk first, as usual, the trees would be upside down, ending with the tree top at the cuff. So, I turned the motif around and swatched the tree from its top down the trunk base so that I could knit the Tree only sleeve from the armhole. But, knitting this way resulted in the stitches of the tree motif being visibly upside down starting from the shoulder, and I didn’t like that either. You can see the swatch on the right and how the stitches are visibly the wrong way. It is possible to do it this way but it will always look somehow upside down. But, if you want, you can knit the Tree sleeves from the armpit down to the cuff, with upside down motif stitches, it is your choice.
note upside down stitches
So, I knitted the sleeve in the round from the cuff up then joined it at the arm hole by grafting it expertly into the armpit hole. I needed to explain why I knitted the sleeve this way as it might seem a little weird but the result is perfect trees knitted from the cuff up and all the stitches are perfectly the right way. I thought that doing the sleeve this way is worth this extra consideration in the name of neatness and accuracy
Why does this jumper pattern only have Tree sleeve charts?
I did a poll on Instagram and my website to ask what people which sleeve they would like for the jumper pattern. Hundreds of people answered. The options were: – 1: – just Tree sleeves or 2: – just Tree and Star sleeves which are the same as the body, or 3: – Both sleeve charts. Most people said that they would knit 1: – Tree sleeves only, but some wanted both charts, just in case. When asked if those people would consider paying more for the option of both sleeves to be included in the one pattern, even though there was more work charting a 2nd sleeve, knitting it, and writing a full pattern, they mostly said no. So, I have happily knitted Tree sleeves in my Kaleidoscope jumper because most people requested this and the Trees look a wonderful companion pattern and compliment the body.
What about the Tree and Star sleeve? Where can I get it?
My test knitter has knitted the Tree and Star sleeves, which are the same motif as the body. The Tree and Star sleeve chart pattern along with the Sanquhar alphabet pattern to enable you to add your initials and year of knitting to personalise your work, will be released separately to the jumper pattern, as an add-on so that the knitter can make their own choice of sleeve. The name of the bolt-on pattern will be, Tree and Star Sleeve Pattern. The reason that this is a separate bolt-on pattern, is because of the extra work to design, create and knit it as well as write the intricate charts and pattern notes. Plus it gives the knitter the choice to just pay for the original pattern or pay extra if they want and extra design.
So, if you would like to buy the Kaleidoscope pattern, it is here
I am also knitting a swatch of how to add your initials and the year when the jumper was made, into the sleeve, just above the cuff, in the Bolt on Tree and Star Sleeve pattern that will be out this week.
Thank you to everyone who has bought the Kaleidoscope Jumper Pattern it is here, if you want to go check it out.
Let me know what you think about the options for a 2nd sleeve pattern.
If you buy my kaleidoscope pattern when I release it this weekend, please do not forward or share it with your friends or family or knitting group.
This pattern has taken 4 months of my life. I started at the beginning of May and have spent between 4-6 hours every day, either charting, designing, knitting, promoting, writing blogs, sorting yarn for test knitter, liaising a lot with test knitter, rewriting, printing, reading the pattern, updating charts,altering pattern and constant knitting and figuring out ways round things. When the pattern is released, ravelry charge about 10% and then PayPal always take 10% from the payment. So, my life has been poured into this pattern.
It and I have a value. PLEASE do not share patterns. Everyone is happy to buy lots and lots of wool, so please think of the actual design. End of Frank and honest discussion. Let me know what you think in the comments
I am releasing the pattern at the weekend, however, there may be a soft release earlier and I think if you are signed up to my Ravelry, as a ‘friend’ then you hear the moment the pattern comes out.
I would love to hear your comments, and follow me on instagram for lots of regular updates
After the release of the kaleidoscop jumper pattern, there will be the release of an add-on alternative sleeve pattern for the jumper. I am excited about that. Here is ravelry
here is information on why there will be an add-on pattern
Why does the Kaleidoscope jumper pattern only have Tree sleeve charts? I did a poll on Instagram and my website to ask what people which sleeve they would like for the jumper pattern. Hundreds of people answered. The options were: – 1: – just Tree sleeves or 2: – just Tree and Star sleeves which are the same as the body, or 3: – Both sleeve charts.
Most people said that they would knit 1: – Tree sleeves only, but some wanted both charts, just in case. When asked if those people would consider paying more for the option of both sleeves to be included in the one pattern, even though there was more work charting a 2nd sleeve, knitting it, and writing a full pattern, they mostly said no. So, I have happily knitted Tree sleeves in my Kaleidoscope jumperbecause most people requested this and the Trees look a wonderful companion pattern and compliment the body.
What about the Tree and Star sleeve? Where can I get it? My test knitter has knitted the Tree and Star sleeves, which are the same motif as the body. The Tree and Star sleeve chart pattern along with the Sanquhar alphabet pattern to enable you to add your initials and year of knitting to personalise your work, will be released separately to the jumper pattern, as an add-on so that the knitter can make their own choice of sleeve. The name of the bolt-on pattern will be, Tree and Star Sleeve Pattern. The reason that this is a separate bolt-on pattern, is because of the extra work to design, create and knit it as well as write the intricate charts and pattern notes. Plus it gives the knitter the choice to just pay for the original pattern or pay extra if they want and extra design. I have also test knitted the Tree and Star sleeve with my initials and the date above the cuff, as a swatch. But, for now, I am most pleased to present you with, by popular demand, my Kaleidoscope jumper pattern which has only a Trees sleeve pattern and instructions.
Thank you to everyone who commented on my Instagram post on July 30th when I asked what sleeve you would most like me to finish my jumper in, as I had already knitted the 1st one in Trees only, not tree and star, like the body.
There were many comments to say what sleeves you’d like to see as the second one, on my latest Kaleidoscope, jumper design. To be precise, I had 166 comments and 544 likes on that post. I also added a poll on my Instagram stories to ask the same question, and below are the results for that.
So, for the first time, I actually did a real research survey to find out what you wanted. The results were really interesting.
The overall winning suggestion was that most of you just wanted Tree sleeves only in the pattern, just as I had already knitted with the first one, but a lot of you thought that I should add the alternative ‘Tree and Star sleeve chart’, to give the knitter options but some of you said that you wouldn’t pay extra for an additional sleeve pattern design even if it took me days to chart , test knit, write the pattern and instructions. This I found quite disheartening as the Kaleidoscope pattern is my most adventurous and my most perfect and I wanted to release it with 2 sleeve options but if people don’t want to recognise the work in that extra design, I have made a compromise.
I will release the Kaleidoscope jumper pattern within 2 weeks week AND I will follow up with a ‘Bolt-on’ pattern which is a chart of the alternative ‘Tree and Star sleeve, plus a Sanquhar alphabet chart for you to be able to personalise your knit with your initials and date above your cuff. This way, I will produce a beautiful pattern with the sleeves requested by the majority in my surveys. And, I will have an additional bolt on pattern with the 2nd sleeve. The bolt on pattern has more work than a hat pattern and deserves to be recognised as a design in itself.
It’s 3 months since I started the project on 10th May. Not bad for a fast slow knit.
Please comment on what colours you’d like to see this jumper knitted on I’m excited to bring this pattern out.
Below are a few comments from Instagram. You can follow me here on instagram for more updates and lots of photos
But, I think that the best way to find out about the pattern release, is to become a ‘friend’ of mine on ravelry, then I think you get an update when the pattern is published
Oh, I knitted the second sleeve in Trees only, and I am almost ready to graft the 2nd sleeve into place, here is a video of the graft after I took the risk of grafting the sleeve into the armpit with double yarn for strength. I am most happy. The jumper has grafted shoulders, the sleeves expertly grafted into the armpit, a mitred V neck and the option of 2 different sleeve patterns plus a Sanquhar alphabet to knit your initials and the year into the design. I hope that you will knit it and make it personal to you.
My test knitter is knitting Tree and Star sleeves to match the body AND, I will also knit a Tree and Star sleeve with my initials and the year knitted into the work too. My test knit will be yellows and greens.
Let me know what you think in comments. Join me on Instagram to get more frequent updates and join as a friend in Ravelry to hear when the pattern comes out first.
Also, if you do want to, there is still the Tree and Star hat pattern to knit before the jumper, to get used to the motif, or after, to have as a twin set. I can’t wait to wear mine.
Just a few comments from my Instagram post asking which sleeve you would like to finish the design.
First of all: what a fantastic pattern! I love it! 😍😍😍 For me, I’d choose option 1, trees only. But I think I’d include both options in the pattern ❤️
Hi Tracey, I would probably knit the trees/stars option but would like to have the tree option open until I get to the sleeves in my project. And I would pay the double if that idea what it takes.
When will the jumper pattern be available? I will be in Shetland on 11-18 Aug and would love to know the amount of yarn and color codes to be able to buy yarn with me home to Denmark.
Hi Tracey! It’s a beautiful design 💙 I’m not in the position to be taking on a large project at the moment, but I’d choose Option 1. I do love symmetry. I’m not sure how many would be open to paying more for a potential 2nd sleeve option. But, if you design another sweater in the future in the same gauge, perhaps with a round/crew neck, or a cardigan
Choices! I’d probably like both sleeve designs because I’d be tempted to do one sleeve of each pattern 🧐 I like the deliberate similar but not matching!
I love the tree sleeve! As much as I’d enjoy the options I know in my heart I would still pick two tree sleeves. I’d also pay more to have the options. Could you release a second sleeve option as an add on pattern later to cover your work?
Could you sell a tree sleeve version and a tree and star only version as separate patterns, or charge a bit extra for a sleeve add-on? A tree only (including body) pattern would be great too
Trees for me as first choice ❤️❤️❤️
Trees on the second sleeve as well !
Both please Tracey
Trees only add a lovely interest.
I would love your new pattern to offer both options. Personally I think i would like the combo best but it’s a rare treat to have a choice. Keep up the good work my flower!
winner chosen. I hope that you’re all up for buying this exciting pattern
Hi! Such a gorgeous jumper! I probably would go for trees on both sleeves. The colours are amazing!! 😍😍😍
About 4 months ago, I put a call out for anyone who has knitted my Sea Urchin hat pattern or my Tree and stars hat pattern and would like to do a test knit of my latest design, then, to get in touch. A lot of people got in touch but had not knitted any of my patterns, so didn’t know my style of writing, or when they found out the project was a jumper, they pulled out.
my trusty Test knitter, Mary stepped in and I sent her a box of yarn.
test knit yarn box.
It’s costly to test knit and the yarn that I sent Mary to use or choose, would have cost me over £100. I have supported Mary with alignment and will help with the mitred V neck and graftin the sleeve into the arm hole.
So, she learns too.
I put a poll out for which sleeve should I finish my jumper with? Normally, I would do 2 different sleeves to both test knit and because I like to design that way but the overall winner for the choice of my 2nd sleeve by over 100 comments was for me to knit a 2nd sleeve in the trees design. So, Mary, will knit the test knit in tree and stars ( I think I will do a 3rd sleeve in completely different colours to test it also)
The thing that came out of the polls were that some people wanted just trees but said that I should add both charts for both sleeves and that set me to thinking about all the extra time taken to chart, swatch, test, hand knit, alter a 2nd sleeve just to give an option in a pattern. I don’t think that pattern buyers think about the time taken to write a full pattern and to add extras is doing it for love.
My pattern will have 2 different charted sleeves. It will take longer and more work. But I hope that you will all find that it is worth it Because I am absolutely loving this jumper as it grows.
Over the weekend, I added a 10% discount offer on the Tree and Star hat, if anyone wanted to Get Ahead with learning how to knit the Kaleidoscope Jumper. I forgot to add the offer to my website followers so I have just extended the offer until midnight tomorrow night.
the pattern is in the link above and there’s no discount code, the discount is taken in your basket.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on which sleeve you will be knitting, but, until then, here’s the armhole, waiting for my 2nd sleeve and here is the matching hat. I can’t wait to wear them as a twin set when I hope to visit Japan in December.
tracey doxey 