Abate

Abate Sweater by Alicia Plummer

What is Being Made

Abate is a children's knitted sweater designed by independent designer Alicia Plummer. This top-down construction sweater is tailored for young children, available in five size options ranging from ages 2 to 10 years, with chest circumferences from 21 to 28 inches (53½ to 71 cm). The design includes 3 inches (7½ cm) of positive ease, providing comfortable wearing room across the chest to hips.

Knitting Techniques Used

Abate employs a top-down construction method, a popular approach in modern knitting that allows for easy fitting adjustments during the knitting process. The sweater is initially worked flat, then joined in the round once the front neck shaping is completed. This hybrid technique combines the benefits of flat knitting for precise shaping with circular knitting for seamless body construction. The pattern utilizes stockinette stitch as the primary fabric, creating a smooth, classic sweater finish. Finishing involves EZ's sewn bind off method, a technique referenced from knitty.com that provides a professional, elastic edge suitable for garment construction.

Stitches and Stitch Details

The sweater is primarily constructed in stockinette stitch, which creates the characteristic smooth V-pattern texture on the right side. Stockinette is achieved by knitting all stitches on right-side rows and purling all stitches on wrong-side rows when working flat, or knitting every round when working in the round. The pattern includes front neck shaping, requiring careful attention to decreases and stitch placement. Place markers are used throughout construction to help track pattern sections and stitch counts, particularly important when transitioning from flat to circular knitting.

Materials: Yarn and Needles

Abate requires 450 to 850 yards (411 to 777 meters) of yarn, depending on the child's size, with yardage increasing progressively across the five available sizes. The recommended yarn is Dia Worsted by Colour Adventure, a worsted-weight yarn choice that works at a gauge of 18 stitches and 24 rows per 4 inches (10 cm) in stockinette stitch on the larger needles.

The pattern calls for two needle sizes to create a fitted ribbed edge and body shaping:

• US size 10 (6 mm) circular needles measuring 24 inches (60 cm), plus double-pointed needles (DPN's) in the same size for working smaller circumferences
• US size 6 (4 mm) circular needles measuring 24 inches (60 cm), plus double-pointed needles in the same size for ribbing and fitted sections

Additional notions include 5 place markers for tracking pattern sections and a darning needle for weaving in yarn ends after completion. The pattern is provided as a downloadable PDF format, making it accessible for immediate use.

Difficulty Level

Abate is rated as an intermediate knitting project, appropriate for knitters with foundational skills who are ready to tackle garment construction techniques including top-down shaping, transitioning between flat and circular knitting, and precise neck shaping.