The Mermaid

THE MERMAID This sweater began with a happy accident at the library. I was sitting in a sunny chair, flipping through knitting books, when I discovered the Carp stitch in Twisted Stitch Sourcebook by Norah Gaughan—and instantly fell in love. My mind started racing with ideas for how I might use it. Toward the back of the book, I came across a sample sweater with garter rib that reminded me of a fin. In that moment, the whole design clicked into place: a mermaid sweater. Although top-down construction is very popular, the beautifully rounded lower portion of the Carpe stitch motif couldn’t be recreated in a top-down direction while preserving the natural, fish-scale flow of the pattern. After knitting two prototypes, I chose a bottom-up construction instead. To keep the sweater from feeling overcrowded, I balanced the richly textured lower body with a plainer upper body. For a soft, romantic feel, I added balloon sleeves. The two contrasting sections are defined by the Vikkel braid, creating a clear and intentional visual transition. **KEYWORDS** TEXTURED, BOTTOM UP, IN-THE-ROUND, RAGLAN, BALLOON SLEEVE, CARP ST, GARTER RIB, VIKKEL BRAID **YARN** Oliver, The Knitting Loft, 100% non-superwash merino, 218yds/199m, 100g, semi-solid, tonals, approx. 575, 615, 650, 700, 750, 800, 900,1000, 1100 g sample in photo col. Vintage Pink used 628g of Oliver, excluding swatches **NEEDLES** 3.5 mm / US 4 circular needle for sleeve & neck garter rib 4.5mm / US 7circular needle for Carp stitch 4 mm / US 6 circular needle for stockinette and bottom garter rib 4mm / US 6 DPN (optional) for grafting underarm **GAUGE** Carpe St 22 st x 29 - 30 rows = 10x10 cm on 4.5mm / US 7 Garter Rib 20 st x 34 rows = 10 x 10 cm on 3.75mm / US 4 Stockinette 20 st x 32 rows = 10 x 10 cm on 4 mm / US 6 **SIZES** 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 96,103, 110, 118, 125, 133, 140, 148, 155 cm / 37.5, 40.5, 43.25, 46, 49, 52, 55, 58, 61”) Finished chest circumference: after blocking