This jumper is a mish-mash of patterns put together with my own make-it-up-as-I-go style. It is sized for a two-year-old and destined for my grandson.

• The “Great American Aran Afghan” provided the cable charts:
  • Page 44 charts B and D;
  • Page 2 chart D;
  • Page 47 centrepiece.

• Double moss stitch
  • K2P2 rib for two rows then P2K2 rib for two more rows, these four rows form the pattern.

As you already know I do not like sewing my knitting together and so I knit in the round. Usually, I knit top to bottom but in this case I went bottom to top. This is because I am adapting from traditional straight knitting patterns.

First I knitted the two sleeves. The cast on and first two rows were worked in the contrast colour. I cast on and ribbed the cuffs as per the “Kids Classics” style 10. I increased, in the next row, to the number of stitches at the top of the sleeve (before raglan begins). In this way, the sleeve is knitted the same width for its full length. I placed the leaf pattern “Great American Aran Afghan”, page 2 in the centre between two opposing cables from page 44, and double moss stitches either side. I increased three times in the centre (underarm), four rows then two rows before reaching the sleeve length thus giving a six stitch gusset. I left the two sleeves on their cables.

For the body, I simply added the front and back stitches together. The only catch here is to double-check that the total number of stitches is divisible by four so that the 2 x 2 rib will fit evenly around. On the front, I centred a modified tree, “Great American Aran Afghan” page 47. On the back, I centred two leaf patterns “Great American Aran Afghan” page 2 and in both cases I surrounded the central design with opposing cables and double moss stitch in between.   As I did with the sleeves, I knitted to the measurement given for the beginning of the raglan shaping increasing three times in the fourth and second last rows at each side (the body side of the gusset).

The three parts were joined as follows. In purl (to give a single garter row) I purled to the six stitch gusset then I cast off the six stitches simultaneously with the six on the first sleeve thus joining them together; continued around to the opposite side and cast off simultaneously again. This left me with the main body and two sleeves hanging either side connected by the underarm gusset. In the next row which I used knit (not purl) I knitted the whole way around from the front around the remaining sleeve stitches across the back and the next sleeve then back to the start.

I had to use two circular needles because I didn’t have a long enough cord so I split the stitches at the midpoint of each sleeve.

Continuing in stocking stitch rounds I decreased twice either side of the underarm gusset. I changed colour at this point and knitted two rows before beginning the 12 by 11 tree pattern of “Fair Isle Knitting Patterns” on page 28.

To decrease the stitches from the underarm to the neck, you must decrease four stitches every row. The Fair Isle pattern including the two before and two after rows took up 15 rows so I decreased 90 stitches evenly in the three rows that would have had the cross between the tops of the trees. 

Changing back to the main colour I continued decreasing until I had the same number of stitches as the neck in the classic pattern.  I finished off in rib with the last two rows and cast off in the contrast colour.

I sewed in the few joining ends and Taa Daa finished!