By Nikol Lohr
With short sleeves and a wide neckline, this retro-inspired cropped summer jacket goes from sunshine to summer nights or chilly air-conditioned offices. Knit from the top down, with puffed sleeves and seed stitch edging, the seamless design means that there’s very little finishing, and it’s ready to wear as soon as it’s knit. The basic design allows for endless customization (add more buttons, make it longer, leave off the cuff for bell sleeves, etc.). Plus the cotton-linen blend is pleasant to knit even on a hot day.
Materials
Knit Picks CotLin Yarn, Moroccan Red (70% Tanguis Cotton, 30% Linen; 123 yds; 50g), 5-10 balls, or more for longer jacket (I used just over 5 balls and I wear a women’s M in Target sizes)
US 7 60″ circular needle a needle as short as 24″ will work, but a longer needle will enable you to try on your WIP for size without transferring the work to waste yarn
US 7 16″ circular needle
Stitch markers
Locking stitch markers or waste yarn
Sharp yarn needle
Gauge
19 st = 4″ in stockinette
Size
Custom Fit
Abbreviations
BO bind off
CO cast on
K knit
K2tog knit 2 stitches together as one
Kfbl knit into front and back loop (increase)
[M] indicates stitch marker
P purl
PM place marker
PU pick up
rnd round
RS right side
Sl slip stitch purlwise
ssk slip slip knit (slip 2 stitches knitwise, one at a time, then knit them together as one
stitch)
WS wrong side
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Instructions
Collar
CO 100st.
Sl 1, *K1 P1, repeat from * to 1 st from end, K1.
Sl 1, *P1 K1, repeat from * to 2 st from end, K2.
Repeat both rows until = 3″.
Setup Rows for Button Placket and Raglan Increases
In this section, you’ll CO 6 at either end to set up the seed stitch button placket.
CO 6, Sl 1, K1, P1, K1, P1, K1, PM, K 17, PM, K 16, PM, K 34, PM, K 16, PM, K to end (17 st).
CO 6, (and for all odd rows): Sl 1, P1, K1, P1, K1, P1, PM, P to last marker, K1, P1, K1, P1, K2.
Begin Raglan Increases
For the raglan increases, you’ll work the button placket in seed, then work the main body in stockinette. On the RS rows in the stockinette section, you’ll increase before and after each of the markers (8 increases per row – don’t increase at the placket markers), then work the WS rows without increase. After 7 rows, you’ll work the buttonhole by binding off 2 stitches in the placket of the WS row as outlined below, following up with a RS row that casts on two stitches over the bound-off stitches of the previous row. Afterwards, you’ll continue to alternate the normal rows until you reach the puff sleeve increases after 3″ of stockinette.
Normal RS/Knit rows: Sl 1, K1, P1, K1, P1, K1 [M] *K to 1 st before marker, Kfbl [M] Kfbl, repeat from * 3 more times, K to last marker, P1, K1, P1, K1, P1, K1
Normal WS/Purl rows: Sl 1, P1, K1, P1, K1, P to last marker, K1, P1, K1, P1, K2.
Work set above 3 times, then work the RS row again.
Buttonhole
Buttonhole WS/Purl row: S1, P1, K1, P1, K and BO the next stitch, P and BO the following stitch,
(so you’ll have 3 live st at the beginning of the row, a gap, and 1 more more live st on your needles before the marker), P to last marker, K1, P1, K1, P1, K2.
Buttonhole RS/Knit row: Sl 1, K1, P1, K1, P1, K1 [M] *K to 1 st before marker, Kfbl [M] Kfbl, repeat from * 3 more times, K to last marker, P1, CO 2 , K1, P1, K1
Return to Normal rows (previous section), and work until the stockinette portion is 3″ long, ending with a WS row.
Puff Sleeve
To make the puff sleeve, you’ll rapidly increase the center section of each sleeve, working the rest as usual.
Before starting your puff increase row, count the number of stitches in your sleeve. You want to increase just the center 10 stitches, so count in from either sleeve marker and mark both sides of your increase area with your locking stitch marker or waste yarn.
Next two RS rows: Work as usual, except kfbl every stitch between those locking markers. There will be 40 st between the markers when you’re finished. Leave the markers in place, but don’t mistake them for your raglan markers (don’t increase around them)!
Continue Raglan Shaping
Line up your button plackets so they overlap, then sew your button into place. This will make it easy to try on the shoulders of your jacket.
Continue working raglan shaping, trying on shoulders every inch or so, until your work reaches about an inch below your armpits, ending with a WS row.
Torso
Work in pattern across to first sleeve marker. Transfer all of the sleeve stitches on to waste yarn. CO 6 st, then k across all of the back stitches. Transfer all of the sleeve stitches on to waste yarn. CO 6 st, then work in pattern to end.
Work body in pattern (seed on the plackets; stockinette elsewhere) until length from armpit measures 6″, or desired length (try it on).
Work 1.5″ in seed stitch and BO in pattern.
Sleeve
Start with the right sleeve (if you’re wearing the jacket).
Transfer sleeve stitches from waste yarn to 16″ needle.
Join yarn and PU one stitch in the gap between the sleeve stitches and the CO stitches, 7 stitches along the CO edge (since the stitches are facing the opposite way, you’ll be picking up one more stitch than you CO), then pick up another stitch in the gap on the other side of the CO edge.
Knit one rnd, placing marker before the center stitch of the armpit (i.e., after the 3rd of the 7 stitches you picked up over the CO edge in the previous rnd).
Shape sleeve
Next rnd: Knit rnd to 4 st before marker, K2tog (working the gap stitch and first PU stitch together), K5, ssk (working the other gap stitch and last PU stitch together).
Knit to 2 st before marker, K2tog, k1, ssk.
Next 3 rnds: Knit.
Repeat decrease on either side of center stitch every 4 rnds until sleeve, measured from CO edge of armpit, measures 4″.
Decrease Puff
Knit to puff marker, K2tog all stitches to next puff marker, knit to end of rnd.
Repeat above row. (You’ll now have 10 st between puff markers.)
Knit 2 more rnds.
Cuff for Right Sleeve
You’ll CO some extra stitches on one side to a cuff flap to overlap where the button will go, then work the cuff flat in seed stitch.
Knit to 2nd puff marker. Turn work.
Purl to end, CO 6.
All rows: Sl 1, then K1, P1 across row, knitting last 2 st (all the rows are the same here, unlike on the collar, because you have an odd number of stitches due to those 7 sts CO over the armpit).
Repeat until cuff flap is 2″ long. BO in pattern. Overlap the cuff flap and sew button into place
Repeat left sleeve in the same way, except for the cuff.
Cuff for Left Sleeve
Knit to first puff marker, CO 6. Turn work.
All rows: Sl 1, then K1 P1 across row, knitting last 2 st. Repeat until cuff flap is 2″ long. BO in pattern. Overlap the cuff flap and sew button into place.
About the Author:
Nikol Lohr lives at The Harveyville Project with her partner, 2 cats, 7 sheep, and 7 hens. She’s the author of Naughty Needles & founder of Yarn School. She blogs at The Thrifty Knitter, is cupcake on Ravelry, and queenievonsugarpants on Flickr.
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