Thursday, February 5, 2015

Mitered Diamond Jacket Pattern







This garter stitch jacket is done in modules, with very little sewing required. Almost any combination of yarns is possible, but for this pattern I will endeavor to make it simple while at the same time encouraging experimentation.
To begin, choose two worsted, aran or dk  weight yarns that will compliment each other. The two need not be of the same weight or fiber. For most sizes 500-700 yards of each yarn is needed.
Using needles sized 7, 8 or 9, begin by making the first triangle. The long edge will determine the size of the finished garment, so this may be a swatch that gets adjusted by needle size or stitch count.


Note: always slip the first stitch of each row, to ensure easier picking up of stitches. I have written the start of each row as k1, but after joining the second yarn initially, it is best to slip that first stitch rather than knitting it.
Note: Two rows equal one ridge.

Make the first triangle, center back, at the hem. Cast on 71 sts.
(For most sizes (36-42") 71st is enough, as there is plenty of ease, but for larger hips use 75.)
Row 1. Use main color.  Row one is the cast on row.
Row 2. K
Row 3. (right side) Using contrasting color, k1, k2tog, knit to center three stitches, sl 1, k2tog, psso, k to last three stitches, k2 tog, k1.
Row 4. K
Row 5, with main color, repeat rows three and four
Continue decreases at each side and center until five stitches remain, bind off.
Measure the long edge of this triangle and that will determine the width of the back times two. In other words, if it measures 12", then the back width will be 24" and the finished jacket will be 48".




#1 is the triangle at the bottom center of the body. The bound off stitches are facing the bottom.

The diamonds ( #2,4,5,6,and 8) are made with 71 sts,
Diamond #2:
Row 1. With contrast yarn, pick up 36 stitches along the edge of triangle #1, and cast on 35 more stitches. 71 stitches.
Row 2. K.
Row 3. With main color, knit to center three stitches, sl 1, k2tog, psso, k to end of row.
Continue to decrease on the right side until only three stitches remain. K 3 together, but do not break yarn.

Triangle #3:
Row 1. Pick up 36 stitches along the edge of diamond #2.
Row 2. K
Row 3. With contrasting yarn, knit to the last three stitches,  k1, k2tog, k.
Repeat rows 2 and 3 until 2 stitches remain. K2tog, pull yarn through last loop and break yarn.

Diamond #4:
Cast on 36 stitches and pick up 35 along the edge of triangle #1. Make this diamond the same way as Diamond #2.

Diamond #5:
Pick up 71 stitches between Diamonds #4 and #2. Again make the diamond the same way as previous diamonds.

Diamond #6:
Pick up 71 stitches between Diamond #5 and Triangle #3. Make diamond the same way as previous diamonds.

Triangle #7:
Pick up 36 stitches along the edge of Diamond #4.
Row 2. K
Row 3. k1, k2tog, k to end of row.
Continue until 2 stitches remain, k2tog, do not break yarn.

Diamond #8:
Pick up 71 sts. along the edges of triangle #7 and diamond #5. Make diamond the same way as previous diamonds.

Triangle #9: This triangle is made similarly to triangle #1.
Pick up 71 stitches along the edges of diamonds #8 and #6.
Row 2. K
Row 3. k1, k2tog, knit to center three stitches, sl 1, k2tog, psso, k to last three stitches, k2 tog, k1.
Row 4. K
Row 5, with main color, repeat rows three and four
Continue decreases at each side and center until five stitches remain, bind off.
The back is finished!
Now for the fronts. Both are made exactly the same.

Diamond #1
Row 1: Cast on 71 stitches
Row 2. K
Row 3. K to center 3 stitches, sl 1, k2tog, psso, k to end of row.
Continue to decrease on the right side until only three stitches remain. K 3 together, but do not break yarn.
Triangle #2
Row 1. Pick up 36 stitches along the edge of diamond #1.
Row 2. K
Row 3. With contrasting yarn, knit to the last three stitches,  k1, k2tog, k.
Repeat rows 2 and 3 until 2 stitches remain. K2tog, pull yarn through last loop and break yarn.

Triangle #3:
Pick up 36 stitches along the edge of Diamond #1.
Row 2. K
Row 3. k1, k2tog, k to end of row.
Continue until 2 stitches remain, k2tog, do not break yarn.

Diamond #4:
Pick up 71 stitches between triangles #2 and #1. Again make the diamond the same way as previous diamonds. One front is done. Now make a second one just like the first.










Center front triangles:
These can be knit now or at the very end. They are picked up along the inside edge of the center fronts.
Row 1. Pick up 36 stitches along the edge of the right side
Row 2. k
Row 3. k1, k2tog, k until the last three stitched, k2tog, k1.
Continue until 2 sts remain, k2tog, pull yarn through, break yarn. Repeat for the left side.


The Neckline is next:
Decide which is the left front and which is the right front. It really doesn't matter, but if you can match colors or stripes, it might look nicer. Or not.

Row 1. Along the neckline edge pick up 36 stitches.
Row 2. k
Row 3. k1, k2tog, k to the last three stitches, k2tog, k1.
Continue decreases on the two edges, front side only, until 21 stitches remain (or 7 ridges), ending with an uneven ridge. This means that the row back to the beginning is not completed. Place stitches on waste yarn or stitch holder. Break yarn.
Repeat on the other front neckline side.






The two fronts are pinned up shoulder point to shoulder point. Then the inside knitting pictured there is the beginning of the neckline which will become the base of the collar.
Sew the fronts to the back as pictured.

Begin the collar by picking up the live stitches on the inside of the left front stitch holder. This is counter intuitive, but necessary, as we will be soon changing direction of the right side to the wrong side so that the collar will fold over and show the right side. 
Are you following me? This is the only tricky part. 

Pick up stitches along the back neck from the right side of the back so the loops look neatest. Try to pick up a stitch for each row, but don't fuss as we will be doing ribbing and that will gather up the neckline and make it fit properly. After the stitches of the back neck have been picked up, knit the remaining live stitches from the second stitch holder. Breathe!

Under collar:
Begin knitting with a rib stitch, k1,p1, alternating yarns as previously. Knit in ribbing for about two rows and then make a buttonhole on the right front side. 
Buttonhole: k1,p1, yo, k or p 2 together. The important thing is to keep in the ribbing stitch. On the return row, k the yarn over and then return to garter stitch for the upper collar. This will be a small buttonhole, 
Upper collar:
Begin garter so that the right side is your first row of all knit stitches. Alternately one could purl a whole row so that there is a defined fold line of the collar. Do whatever you feel looks the best. Knit in garter, alternating yarns for two or more inches or 12-15 ridges. Again, do whatever you feel looks the best. Bind off. Cut yarn. 

Next the shoulder triangles:





With the collar finished. and the fronts sewn to the back, the shoulder triangles are ready to be knit. Pick up 71 stitches along the edge of the front and back diamonds and knit as Triangle #1. Repeat for the opposite shoulder.
Next the sleeves. For easiest knitting, these directions are written to knit the sleeves flat. Of course you can knit them in the round, if you are confident and experienced.

Sleeve:
 Pick up 65 stitches along the edge of the front, shoulder and back. To make this easier, count about 5-7 ridges along the
side triangle, and begin to pick up stitches there. Find the center of the shoulder triangle and count half the stitches, and remove or add to make the correct number. 
Knit 6 ridges and decrease at each edge as follows:
K1, k2tog, k to last three stitched, k2tog, k1.
Decrease every six ridges until desired length is achieved, usually about 45 stitches remain. Try on the jacket for sleeve length.
If a gathered cuff is desired, begin cuff two inches before desired finished length. Decrease stitches by k2tog every 6 stitches. Then finish in k1,p1 ribbing. Bind off and repeat for second sleeve.
Sew side seams and sleeve seams.
Ta da! You are finished. 
To see more color ideas see my Ravelry page, or my Pinterest page.
You are welcome to use this pattern, for your own use or to sell. And I welcome questions. Email me.

33 comments:

  1. This is awesome! I can't wait to try it. Must dig in stash for the perfect yarns..fabulous! Thank you!

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  2. Many thanks for sharing this pattern - have been admiring your knitting and quilting for a very long time and am definitely going to try this :-)

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  3. I made my base triangle, and am now contemplating the first diamond. Which cast on do you recommend for this project? I think cable cast on,crochet cast on or knitted cast on might work, or even long tail using both yarns together?And I guess I start at the tip of the triangle...This is so much fun!

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  4. thank you soo much for sharing it !!

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  5. Thank you, thank you, Melody! I've been waiting for this. The next time I can give myself permission to start a new project, this is going to be it!

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  6. I have found that the backwards loop cast on works very well for the beginning triangle #1, since the loose stitches are so easy to pick up.
    Here's a video demo.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojOU7Bco4dM

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  7. Thanks much, Melody! Looking forward to trying this.

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  8. Thank you so much,Melody, for letting us use this pattern. I have been wanting to have a go myself at knitting a "Melody" jacket ,but could not do it without a pattern for guidance. I have been a silent follower of your blogs for a long time and love all that you make. Thanks again for being so generous. Elaine in cold Cirencester,UK

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  9. I am not a knitter, but I appreciate your generosity of spirit!

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  10. This really is the best and most wearable sweater ever. I wear mine constantly and almost year round.

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  11. I can't wait to make this! Thank you so much

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  12. Been admiring these since you started showing them - it will be wonderful to have one now! Many thanks, Melody - always a joy to read your blog!

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  13. You are so generous to post the how-to for your wonderful sweater jacket. I've been lusting after one of these for quite some time. Thank you so much Melody.

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  14. Gorrrrjuss! Thanx for posting this (I sure hope it won't be locked down in the future, the way your miterrific poncho is at your fibermania blog {sniff}}.

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  15. I was wondering how you handle your yarn while changing the colors. I'm fairly new to knitting and trying to figure out how not to have all those little strings hanging down when I change between my main and contrast yarns. I love all your work!

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  16. You say the size of the first triangle long edge determines the size of the garment. I've read thru but maybe (probably) missed how to figure this. I'm OK with gauge if I know what size would be about what. have my yarn, have my needles, just printed the pattern and looking forward to 4 days of knitting in the car - heavenly. But I do want to make a sweater that fits me.

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  17. Large clothing factory specializing in the production of various fashion jacket for women.It’s at the store online@20880.com.

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  18. Have made this out of odds and ends. Cosy and warm, good fit and I love it. Thank you.

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  19. Hi, Just found this lovely sweater pattern. While reading through it, I found this:

    Buttonhole: k1,p1, yo, k or p 2 together. The important thing is to keep in the ribbing stitch.
    inches. On the return row, k the yarn over and then return to garter stitch for the upper collar. This will be a small buttonhole,

    I'm wondering what text is missing here...?inches?

    I REALLY would like to make this sweater

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  20. Thank you so much for this great pattern. I found it helped me a lot to mark which side was the front: I did this just by threading through a scrap of contrasting yarn so that the two ends were at the front. And then, as I completed each diamond/triangle, I also attached a scrap of paper to those threads, and wrote the numbers on these, which helped me to keep track of where I was. Again, many thanks.

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  21. Hi. Lovely pattern: thanks very much. I wasn't so keen on the neck and so I made some changes. In the under collar section I decreased on every row where it meets the front, so as to give a deeper angle. Then, once I had the whole thing put together, I worked a seed stitch band across the bottom (having worked some triangles to fill the sides, which I didn't find mentioned in your pattern but perhaps I just missed that bit). I did about 14 rows of the bottom band. Then I knitted on a seed stitch band all the way round the front opening, using the 'join as you knit' method. I wanted a couple of pockets so I started the band with 35 stitches, doing 14 rows (to match the bottom band) and then decreasing every second row until there were 18 stitches, and then doing a matching increase when I got to the same spot on the other side. All the band folds back and I stitched it down around the top to keep it in place. Then I sewed the pockets at the bottom and also onto those 14 rows of the bottom band to give them more stability. It worked out very well.

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    Replies
    1. Please show a picture of the changes you made.

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  22. J'aime beaucoup ces carrés tricotés ;-) et merci pour ces différents modèles et explications très détaillées avec plein de photos (hihi je vois l'artiste et ses acrobaties) j'ai plusieurs restes de laines de différentes couleurs et je pensais m'en faire un pull, je vais confectionner des carrés de la sorte, ça me plait vraiment bien. Bonne continuation et encore merci

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  24. This pattern is a generous gift Melody, thank you. Love the colour combinations. Blessings ☺️ Lenore

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  25. Merci pour ce tuto. Je viens de finir mon gilet et j’adore ! Vraiment merci

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  26. I will start today with this project…. Cant wait woohoooooo 🫶🏻💃🏻 greetings from Austria

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  27. On Triangle #3 do you start picking up stitches with right side facing you towards bottom? Also on row 3 of same triangle instructions say knit to last 3 stitches, k1, k2 tog, k…that is 4 stitches. Help I am confused.

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  28. Hello! This might seem a silly question - but if I've made Triangle#1 with 75 stitches then I use 75 stitches for everything else as well, yes?

    So for instance, for the diamond I would pick up 38 from the triangle and CO 37?

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  29. Thank you so very much for your generosity! I really like the sweater from the picture. If I have questions can I just post them on this blog?

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