The Wee Gaffer

For Munchkin's Christmas, I have knit him a new sweater. I have been blessed with boys who are excited about wearing things I've made for them (although whether this is due to nature or nurture I couldn't say), so the gift of the dreaded "clothes" for Christmas should actually meet with favor from the young judge. This sweater is inspired by a sweater that the venerable knitter Elizabeth Zimmermann made for her husband, whom she often called the Gaffer. So I've called mine "The Wee Gaffer." 

This sweater is a fairly accurate gansey, which is a traditional style of sweater worn by English fishermen. It has ribbing at the bottom, a pattern of purl and knit stitches across the chest, and gussets under the sleeves to enhance the range of movement.

This particular gansey has a unique shoulder construction that I had never seen before. After knitting the chest and back from the bottom up, you then turn everything sideways and knit back and forth between the two sides to form the shoulders. 

Note: This sweater has not been test knit, and so may include errors!  

The Wee Gaffer 

Size: 

4T (I think) 

Materials: 

approximately 550 yards of worsted weight yarn

size 8 US needles

Body

Cast on 140 st in the round.

Knit 1x1 rib for 8 rounds.

Knit in stockinette for 57 rounds.

Chest

Table 1:

						Row 6
						Row 5
						Row 4
						Row 3
						Row 2
						Row 1

Table 2:

Row 7

Row 6

Row 5

Row 4

Row 3

Row 2

Row

Table 3

						Row 6
						Row 5
						Row 4
						Row 3
						Row 2
						Row 1

 = knit
 = purl

Purl 1 round.

Knit 1 round

Purl 1 round.

*Knit 1, inc 1, pm, knit 2, pm, knit 6, pm, knit 13, pm, knit 6, pm, knit 13, pm, knit 6, pm, knit 13, pm, knit 6, pm, knit 2, pm, inc 1, repeat from *.

*Knit to marker, inc 1, knit 2, knit table 1, knit table 2, knit table 1, knit table 2, knit table 3, knit table 2, knit table 3, knit 2, inc 1, repeat from *, knit to end of round.

Repeat this row 9 times.

Note: tables 1 and 3 are 6 rows high, table 2 is 7 rows high, so the tables will not be in sync after the first repeat. You will need to keep track of where you are in each table separately.

Cast off 7, knit 2, knit table 1, knit table 2, knit table 1, knit table 2, knit table 3, knit table 2, knit table 3, knit 2, cast off 13, knit 2, knit table 1, knit table 2, knit table 1, knit table 2, knit table 3, knit table 2, knit table 3, knit 2, cast off 6. Break yarn and pull through.

You are now knitting the front.

Knit 2, knit table 1, knit table 2, knit table 1, knit table 2, knit table 3, knit table 2, knit table 3, knit 2.

Knit back and forth, staying in pattern, until you have completed 6 total repeats of table 2

Purl 1 row.

Cast off, purlwise. Break yarn and pull through.

Repeat for the back.

Shoulders

Cast on 12.

Knit back and forth in garter stitch, knitting the first stitch of each row together with a stitch from the chest. 

Insert your left needle through both loops of a bound-off stitch.

Wrap your yarn around the needle.

Pull the yarn through.

Pull this newly made stitch through the last stitch on the needle. 

Knit 30 rows in this way.

*Knit 6, turn.  Slip first stitch, knit 4, knit stitch together with stitch from chest.

Repeat from * 37 times.

Repeat for the other side of the neck.

Knit 15 rows, knitting straight across all 12 st, knitting the first stitch of each row together with a stitch from the chest.

Cast off. Break yarn and pull through last stitch.

Sleeves

Cast on 48.

Knit back and forth in 1x1 rib for 8 rows.

Knit 1, inc 1, knit to 1 stitch before the end of the row. Inc 1, knit 1.

Knit in stockinette for 5 rows.

Repeat 5 times.

Knit in stockinette for 26 rows.

Knit in garter stitch for 3 rows.

Knit in stockinette for 9 rows.

Purl 1, pm, purl to 2 st before the end of the row, pm, purl 2.

*Knit to marker, inc 1, knit to marker, inc 1, knit to end.

Purl 1 row.

Repeat from * 4 times.

Sew sleeve together using mattress stitch.

Use the 3-needle bind-off to sew the sleeve to the armscye. When sewing the gussets together, sew the stitches 1:1. When sewing the sleeve to the chest piece, sew the stitches 2:3. (Sew two stitches together, skip one of the chest piece stitches.) (Stitches may not perfectly match up. About 2 inches before the end of the seam, count your stitches on the chest piece and the sleeve and adjust your ratio if necessary.)

Repeat for second sleeve.

Weave in all ends.