More On Colour BLock

Figuring I have only a few more post opportunities   to rave on about my creative process  for Colour Block before you are all bored to tears   - if you are already there, sorry, skip today's post - I want today,  to tell you about my Gemmell/Hunter style bust darts.

Deb Gemmell and Robin Hunter in their book Need A Plus Cardigan?   shape the sweaters in a 'new-to-me ' method.  The back of the sweater has less stitches - is less wide - than the front.  What gives the front it's extra width are underarm increases that form the cutest little darts.  These darts, in a Top-Down sweater,  begin once the sleeves are separated from  the body and are worked every other row until the front is increased to  desired width.

Clever!! Or What.!!  Not to mention easy.  Two of my favourite attributes.  Since colour block was all about innovation - top-down construction, simultaneous, set-in-sleeves, Contiguous  (of a sorts)  shoulder and sleeve cap shaping,  asymmetrical front, four different colours, then 'What the heck?'

Why not try one more, new-to-me, construction quirk and go for the underarm bust darts.  Despite  being too small to use a pattern from the book, nonetheless, I followed Deb's method for creating those underarm darts.  Increase one stitch at each underarm, every other row, making sure the increases slant towards the bust until sufficient stitches have been added to give the front it's required width.  First attempt and, sorry for my vanity, but I think they look great.

Being top down, the normal advice is to knit until the sweater is of desired circumference before separating the sleeves from the body. In the case of my sweater, I stopped 2 inches short of my desired circumference, put the sleeves on waste yarn, then continued with the body, adding one inch worth of front stitches at each underarm.  That gives my back 50% of total body circumference MINUS   2 inches and the front 50% of body circumference PLUS 2 inches.  48% plus 52% = 100% with extra fabric only where needed.  The more amply endowed amongst you could make that 50% minus 3 or 4 or more inches for the back and the reverse for the front.  

Anatomically correct, sweater design.  Never too late to learn a new trick.