New Chiagu Pattern: Halfobi!

Posted on April 23, 2006 by knittingpatterns4you | 3 Comments

Announcing my latest Chiagu pattern, Halfobi! I am so pleased with the way this little guy came out, every once in a while a project comes out even better than you hoped! This simple shrug/bolero is knit in one piece from cuff to cuff, and there's no shaping, only casting on and binding off, so it's definitely a quick knit.

I knit this on size 8 needles using one strand of Koigu and one strand lace cashmere from Karabella (you may remember I fell in love with this combo a long time ago). It's knit at 4.5 sts/inch, so plenty of yarns can substitute in. . . I can see it knit in Silk Garden, for example, you'd get flattering vertical stripes . . .

The pattern is available via downloadable PDF for $4.50. Hop on over to Chiagu to get your copy!

And let me know what you think! I love it so much I already started a second one, I have this idea to make a whole series of cuff-to-cuff pieces. And I'm totally obsessed with this wide, below-the-elbow sleeve, don't be surprised if you see it pop up again in the near future!

ETA: In the bright light of morning I realized that the two pics yesterday didn't show very much stitch detail . . . it's really hard to photograph this color and yarn combo! So today I tried to take clearer pictures, here's what I came up with:

Here it is all laid out so you can see the construction well. The fronts are not meant to meet, so I give the size in terms of finished back width. I made the Medium for myself, which has a finished back measurement of 22". My actual bust measurement is 37" around. This boxy top should fit loosely, so the small size is good for those whose actual measurements are 30-34", the medium for 35-42", and the large for 42-48".

And here's an extreme closeup of the front ribbing, this one being the best for color and texture.

Another sizing note to keep in mind: It might seem strange that the sleeve length gets shorter as the sizes gets bigger. This is because all 3 sizes are written so that the sleeves will hit at that
below-the-elbow length, you can see the length on a person in yesterday's pictures (I'm 5' 5", which happens to be the average height for an American woman). As the body width grows, the sleeve length has to shrink in order to keep the sleeve-to-sleeve length consistent.

If you're very petite or tall, you should shorten or lengthen the sleeve length to flatter your frame. To see if you like where the sleeve hits, hold a tape measure from one elbow, over your shoulders and down the other arm, and see where the sleeves will hit as written (the overall width from sleeve to sleeve is given in the schematic). Then adjust accordingly.

As always, if you have any questions or need help, just email me!

ETA (again): I'm changing the date to keep this as the top-most entry for a couple days.

Posted in Chiagu, Finished Knitting Projects, Koigu