Alvar pullover

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The Alvar pullover has a boxy fit and dropped shoulders. It is knitted with an all over gansey pattern that looks intricate but is just easy knit and purl stitches. The pullover  is started at the back neck and increased to the full width of the back. The increases over the gansey pattern are fully charted. Then stitches are picked up for the shoulders and worked as the front of the pullover. The front and back are joined at underarm and the body is then worked in the round. Stitches are then picked up from the body for the sleeves and the neckband. The sleeves are worked in the gansey pattern and the neckband in 1x1 ribbing. The hem and cuffs are finished with a tubular bind off, which provides a beautiful and stretchy edge that looks like the stitches roll over the edge to the other side of the ribbing. 

For the stitch patterns to show best, I recommend choosing unicolor or slightly tonal colorways. The length of the body and sleeves are easily modified to suit your own body measurements. The sleeves are supposed to be long, hitting your knuckles rather than your wrists. If you want shorter sleeves, adjust the length to your own body measurements / style. I recommend trying the sweater on every now and then while working on it to make sure you get the perfect length for your style. 

Sizes

• 1 (2, 3, 4, 5) (6, 7, 8, 9)
• Finished bust circumference: 97 (103, 114, 126, 137) (143, 154, 166, 177) cm / 38.25 (40.5, 45, 49.5, 54) (56.25, 60.75, 65.25, 69.75) inches including the intended positive ease of 20 cm / 8 inches
• Length from hem to underarm (adjustable): 30 (30, 31, 31, 33) (33, 35, 35, 35) cm / 11.75 (11.75, 12.25, 12.25, 13) (13, 13.75, 13.75, 13.75) inches
• Sleeve length from cuff to underarm (adjustable): 45 cm / 17.75 inches
• Upper arm circumference: 34.5 (37, 37, 37, 43) (48.5, 51.5, 54.5, 57) cm / 13.5 (14.5, 14.5, 14.5, 17) (19, 20.25, 21.5, 22.5) inches
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Note: Please be aware that adjusting the lengths of the garment will also affect the amount of yarn needed to finish the project.

Yarn

870 (960, 1060, 1160, 1280) (1410, 1550, 1700, 1870) m / 960 (1050, 1160, 1270, 1400) (1540, 1690, 1860, 2050) yards of DK weight yarn.

Sample: 5 (5, 5, 6, 7) (7, 8, 9, 9) skeins of Le Chat Qui Tricote Salem (60% merino, 20% yak, 20% silk; 212 meters / 232 yards per 100 g) shown in the colorway Natural.

Needles

• 3 mm / US 2.5 circular needles with a cable of 40 cm / 16 inches for the neck ribbing
• 3 mm / US 2.5 DPNs or circular needles with a cable suitable for small circumference knitting for the cuffs
• 3 mm / US 2.5 circular needles with a cable of at least 80 cm / 32 inches for the hem
• 3.5 mm / US 4 DPNs or circular needles with a cable suitable for small circumference knitting for the sleeves
• 3.5 mm / US 4 circular needles with a cable of at least 80 cm / 32 inches for the body

Gauge

21 sts and 29 rows = 10 cm / 4 inches of charted pattern on larger needles, after blocking

Notions

• 1 stitch marker
• 4 locking markers
• cable needle, if using
• waste yarn
• tapestry needle
• blocking tools