by Candace Joggerst

The pottery created by the artists from the Nine Northern Pueblos in New Mexico is some of the finest in the world. Indigenous potters (like many knitters) span the space from craft to high art, drawing upon centuries-old traditions and techniques to push their craft in exciting, modern directions. The Fair Isle-style pattern on the yoke of Sky Isle was inspired by a pottery style created by artists and craftspeople from Acoma Pueblo in New Mexico. Many Acoma pots are painted in black-and-white patterns that expand and contract to follow the shape of the vessel. I have tried to recreate this effect by designing a two-color pattern in which the yoke shaping is accomplished with increasingly smaller designs that echo the shape of the largest motif.

Sky Isle is a bottom-up, seamless cardigan worked in the round in a lovely, durable Donegal tweed, a woolen yarn that gives a weathered appearance to the sweater. The body and sleeves are worked separately, then joined to form the yoke. Once the neckband has been completed and bound off, the sweater is steeked and cut up the midline and the steeked portions are secured to the sweater body. Stitches are picked up on either side of the steek to form the button band, which joins the collar at a mitered angle.

SIZE
XS [S, M, L, 1X, 2X, 3X]
(shown in size M with 1 inch of ease)

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Chest: 29.5[33.5, 37.5, 41.5, 45.5, 49.5, 53.5] inches
Length: 23[23.5, 24, 25.25, 26.5, 27, 27.5] inches

MATERIALS
Yarn
[MC] Tahki Stacy Charles Donegal Tweed [100% wool; 183 yd/167m per 100g skein]; color: #872 Slate Heather; 5[5, 6, 6, 7, 7, 8] skeins
[CC] Tahki Stacy Charles Donegal Tweed [100% wool; 183 yd/167m per 100g skein]; color: #848 Cream; 1[1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 2] skeins

Recommended needle size
[always use a needle size that gives you the gauge listed below -- every knitter's gauge is unique]
1 set US #8/5mm double-point needles
16-inch and 27-inch US #8/5mm circular needle

Notions
yarn needle
Stitch markers
stitch holders
6 1-inch buttons (buy buttons after project is complete to ensure they'll fit)
small amount of matching lace or sport-weight yarn (for sewing down steeked edges)
sewing machine

GAUGE

PATTERN NOTES
[Knitty's list of standard abbreviations and techniques can be found here.]

K1, p1 rib:
Rnd 1: *P1, k1; rep from * around.
Rep rnd 1 for patt.

Information about steeking can be found here

DIRECTIONS
SLEEVES (Make 2)
With double-point needles and MC, cast on 24[26, 30, 32, 36, 40, 44] sts and join to work in the rnd, being careful not to twist sts on needle. Pm for beg of rnd.

Work in k1, p1 rib for 1.25 inches, ending 1 st before marker.

Rnd 1 (Inc Rnd): M1, k1, slip marker, k1, m1, knit to 1 st before marker. 2 sts inc

Rnds 2-5: Work even in St st. Rep Rnds 1-5 a total of 10[10, 10, 10, 11, 13, 14] times: sleeve increased to 44[46, 50, 52, 58, 66, 72] sts. Change to 16” circular needle when/if desired.

Work even until sleeve measures 22 [22.5, 22.5, 23, 23, 23.5, 23.5] inches, or desired length.

Next Rnd: Knit to 5[5, 6, 7, 7, 8, 8] sts before marker, place next 10[10, 12, 14, 14, 16, 16] sts on holder. 34[36, 38, 38, 44, 50, 56] sts

BODY
With longer circular needle and MC, cast on 118[134, 150, 166, 182, 198, 214] sts and join to work in the rnd, being careful not to twist sts on needle. Pm for beg of rnd (center marker).

Rnd 1: *K1, p1; rep from * twice more, pm (steek marker). The markers will denote the right and left sides of the center steek. Work to center marker.

Cont working in k1, p1 rib until garment measures 1.25 inches. Work to center marker. Change to St st and work even until piece measures 3 inches from beg.

Work even until piece measures 7 inches, or from desired length to just above the waist, slipping markers.

Rnd 1 (Inc Rnd): *Knit to first shaping marker, m1, slip marker, k1, m1; rep from * 3 more times, knit to center marker. 8 sts inc

Rnds 2-7: Work even, slipping markers. Rep these 7 rnds 0[1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2] more times. 118[134, 150, 166, 182, 198, 214] sts

Remove waist shaping markers, keeping center marker and steek marker in place.

Work even until piece measures 14[14, 14, 14.75, 15.5, 15.5, 15.5] inches or desired length from underarm to hem, ending at steek marker.

Set-up Rnd: K24[28, 31, 34, 38, 41, 45] sts, pm, k10[10, 12, 14, 14, 16, 16] sts, pm, k50[58, 64, 70, 78, 84, 92] sts, pm, k10[10, 12, 14, 14, 16, 16] sts, pm, k24[28, 31, 34, 38, 41, 45] sts, pm, knit to steek marker.

Joining Rnd: Knit to first joining marker, remove marker, place 10[10, 12, 14, 14, 16, 16] underarm sts on holder, remove marker. Place live sts from sleeve on body needle. Join MC, cont working to next marker, remove marker, place underarm sts on holder as before. Place live sts from other sleeve on body needle. Join MC and cont working to center marker. 166[186, 202, 214, 242, 266, 294] sts

Beg working Chart B, starting on Row 2 and stitch 11[12, 16, 11, 10, 10, 16].
Work Rows 2-11 of Chart B, working steek sts as before.

Beg working Chart C, starting on Row 2 and stitch 7[8, 10, 7, 6, 6, 10].
Work Rows 2-13 of Chart C, working steek sts as before.

Collar:
Slip the 2 sts before the steek marker to a spare needle and hold behind work, creating a fold; knit each of these 2 sts tog with the corresponding st on the opposite side of the steek marker. Turn, k1, m1, knit to 2 sts before center marker and rep, creating a fold on the opposite side of the steek sts. Turn, bind off 2 center steek sts and drop from needle.

Next Row [WS]: Turn, k1, m1, knit to end of collar.
Rep last row until there are 5 ridges of garter st visible from the RS.
Bind off loosely.

FINISHING
Sew Up Center Steek:
Using a sewing machine with zig-zag set to the width of 1 knit st and a short (0.5 mm or so) length, sew a seam though the center of the 2nd and 4th steek sts. Cut up the center of the sweater. You may wish to practice this on your gauge swatch first to ensure that your stitching will prevent the garment from unraveling. Use the lighter-weight yarn and yarn needle to secure the cut steeks to the WS.

Buttonhole Band:
With MC, pick up and knit 2 sts for every 3 rows along right front and end of collar.
Work in garter st until 2 ridges are visible from the RS.
Mark location of 6 buttonholes, evenly spaced.
On next row, *knit to 1 st before marker, bind off 2 sts; rep from * for rem markers, knit to end. On following row, knit, casting on 2 sts over each gap. Work even in garter st until 5 ridges are visible from the RS. Bind off loosely.

Buttonband:
Pick up sts as for buttonhole band, work even in garter st until 5 ridges are visible from the RS.
Bind off loosely.

Place held underarm sts on needles. Join using 3-needle bind off or Kitchener st.
Weave in ends. Sew buttons opposite buttonholes. Block.

Candace Joggerst is a PhD scientist working in computational astrophysics who lives on a mesa (an island-in-the-sky, of sorts) in Northern New Mexico. She has found that satisfying the urge to create real, complicated objects with knitting is far more portable and space- (not to mention finger-) saving than building furniture in a woodshop. Candace has been knitting for 20+ years, but only designing wearable garments for the past 2 years.

Her designs can be found on Ravelry under IslandInTheSky.