Picovoli- How to

Pattern: Picovoli by Grumperina from the August 2005 issue of Magknits, with the obvious addition of sleeves designed by me!

Yarn and Needles: I used just a smidgen over 8 balls of Debbie Bliss Cathay colour 11, procured in the UK during the January sales for a mere 1.60 GBP a ball!! Cathay knits up beautifully and is wonderfully soft after washing, BUT it splits like a fiend and loses a lot of dye during washing. After the 5th rinse I gave up on getting the water to run clear and called the job a goodun. The sweater somehow didn't stain the white towel I laid it out to dry on so I guess maybe I'd rinsed it enough and it doesn't look particularly faded now it's dry. As for needles, I used two Knit Picks Options size 3.5mm for the sleeves and one longer circular 3.5mm for the body. Who knew I could teach myself how to knit socks on two circulars by knitting a sleeve or five?

Modifications: Speaking of the sleeves....

That there, that little slanting row of stitches belies in its simplicity the five million attempts it took me to get the sleeves right. (For anyone not with the program, Picovoli is intended to be sleeveless and despite Grumperina kindly providing her ideas as to how a sleeve could be put in, there is no actual pattern/formula out there that I could find.)

Are you sitting comfortably? Then I will begin...

HOW I ADDED SLEEVES TO PICOVOLI:

OK, so I'm not really ready to start. As a slight disclaimer: I knit the 36" pattern at a slightly tighter gauge than specified, I didn't keep stitch counts while doing this, I just went with it, it worked for me it may not work for you and finally I have fairly skinny arms. Also, one last big thing. I knit funny flat. Therefore, I've just said make a left or right leaning decrease because the yarny gymnastics I have to do to get that would probably be a lot different than you normal folks out there. Pick a K2TOG or a SSK, whatever takes you in the direction you want to go. That said, this is what I did:

To form the top of the arm hole in Picovoli, stitches are kept live on spare yarn (if you are picot-ing) or cast off (for a straight edge), stitches are then cast on to form the bottom and the knitting continues in the round forming a slit through which your arms will fit. Keep your stitches live! Basically, the pattern outlined below leads to a curving of the fabric without increasing the number of stitches on the needle. This makes for a narrow arm hole preventing the dreaded bat wings. There will always be 18st between the marker and the beginning or end of the row. The directions are for a 3/4 length sleeve.

Row 1: K1 and increase in the same stitch (I do this by picking up the stitch below the stitch just worked). K15 st and do a right-leaning decrease. Place a marker. Knit to 19st before the end of the row and wrap the next st (the 19th before the end) knit-wise. Turn. (18st remain unworked on this row). This is where the short rows start.

Row 2: Purl back to 1st before the marker, wrap the next st purl wise and turn. (18 stitches remain unworked.)

Row 3: Knit to the wrapped st, pick up the wrap and knit it together with the st that was wrapped, place marker. Do a left-leaning decrease, knit to 1st before the end on the row, increase (by lifting up the stitch below the last stitch), K1.

Row 4: Purl back to wrapped st (st before the marker), pick up and purl together the wrap with the st. Slip marker and purl to end. (This is where the short rows end)

Row 6: K1, increase in same stitch , K to 2 st before marker, do right-leaning decrease, slip marker and K to second marker. Slip second marker and do a left left-leaning decrease. K to 1st before end, increase, K1.

Row 7: Purl.

Repeat rows 1-7 five times, or as many times as needed to create enough fabric to close the arm hole.

Join in the round and knit 40 rounds. K1, K2TOG, K to last 3 st, SSK, K1. Knit 20 rounds. K1, K2TOG, K to last 3 st, SSK, K1. Knit 15 rounds. K1, K2TOG, K to last 3 st, SSK, K1. Knit 8 rounds. Make the eyelet round (K2TOG, YO etc, may have to do a K3TOG YO for the last three stitches), K 2 rounds and sew down live stitches to the inside to make the picot. Mattress stitch the diagonal fabric of the sleeve to the straight cast off edge in the under-arm.

Then stand on your sofa looking smug.