Divide Pullover

Divide Pullover

05.15.19

KNITTING

Handmade

As much as I adore the act of making my own clothes – the actual knitting and sewing, the creation of the garment – what I love almost as much is the planning. The planning stage is where my creativity is most able to wander, to consider what to make next, where it fits into my wardrobe, what color and type of yarn or material, and so on. Sometimes I have a pattern in my queue forever and am happy when I finally get around to making it. Other times, I find a design that really speaks to me in the moment I’m choosing a project and it jumps the queue ahead of everything else. That’s what happened in the case of this Divide Pullover.

I was selecting two sweaters to make for myself as my own birthday gift, and I chose this pattern rather on a whim. It was so different than anything else I had ever made and while I realized the potential for error was fairly high, I also love a challenge. I knew careful planning and preparation were necessary to love the end garment, so I knit multiple gauge swatches which I almost never do. Given the precise lines and structured elements that make up this sweater, the pieces needed to come out just right to end up fitting correctly. My careful planning and constant measuring throughout the process paid off and in the end, I have a sweater I absolutely adore and that I am so proud to have made.

This has been a major growth project for me. I learned new stitch patterns and techniques I had never used before, and the overall complexity definitely pushed my skills for the better. Not only was this a skill builder but I think it has opened my mind up to what sorts of patterns I am drawn to and what elements make for an interesting project. I’m excited to see what will come after this.

Scroll down for all the project details, a full photo gallery, and even a time lapse video of me seaming the pieces of the project together.

My Notes

Fit

The fit of this sweater is pretty dang near perfect for me. The arms are on the tight side because I am very muscular, but they are still totally comfortable and the overall fit is superb. I am so pleased with it. I made the second smallest size (35.5 inch bust) and I think that was a good decision. Often because of my large bust, flowy tops are unflattering so I didn’t want too much ease.

Pattern

The pattern is clear, but DANG is it long. The final product is well worth the effort and I was always clear on exactly what I was supposed to be doing.

I made a couple minor changes related to my gauge not matching up with particular points in the pattern. The back panel I made exactly as written and it turned out the dimensions indicated in the pattern. However, the front panel would have been insanely short if I had made the bust transition after the number of rows indicated. I ended up unknitting a bit here (so tricky!) and going with my instinct so that the length of the front panel would be more what I desired. This was definitely a good call. I just want to emphasize the importance of continuing to measure throughout your knitting to make sure the pieces are turning out the sizes the pattern indicates. You will save yourself so much time and potential frustration if you do.

Difficulty

This is undoubtedly the hardest knitting project I have ever undertaken, both because of the unfamiliar stitch pattern, numerous charts to follow and transition between, and shaping of pieces to be seamed together. However, it is also now my favorite knitting project ever. It feels like such an accomplishment to have undertaken something so involved and turned out a sweater that I absolutely adore. While I don’t know that I’ll be making another anytime soon, I won’t rule it out either.

Divide Pullover
Divide Pullover - front view
Divide Pullover - closer front view
Divide Pullover - side view
Divide Pullover - back view
Divide Pullover - shoulder view
Divide Pullover - finished pieces, pre-blocking
Divide Pullover - wet blocking
01/08
Divide Pullover
Divide Pullover - front view
Divide Pullover - closer front view
Divide Pullover - side view
Divide Pullover - back view
Divide Pullover - shoulder view
Divide Pullover - finished pieces, pre-blocking
Divide Pullover - wet blocking
View as a List
  • Divide Pullover
    Divide Pullover
  • Divide Pullover - front view
    Divide Pullover - front view
  • Divide Pullover - closer front view
    Divide Pullover - closer front view
  • Divide Pullover - side view
    Divide Pullover - side view
  • Divide Pullover - back view
    Divide Pullover - back view
  • Divide Pullover - shoulder view
    Divide Pullover - shoulder view
  • Divide Pullover - finished pieces, pre-blocking
    Divide Pullover - finished pieces, pre-blocking
  • Divide Pullover - wet blocking
    Divide Pullover - wet blocking
View as a Slideshow

Please enjoy this time lapse video of me sewing together and finishing my sweater! It includes LOTS of awkward faces on my part as well as video bombs by both of my cats and my son. I did the final portion just after waking up one morning so consequently it is an unfiltered view of me with bedhead and no makeup. I am trying to do more of this both because we all need to see more real images portrayed in the media and work against the influencer-Barbie homogenization. Next time I do one of these, I’ll try to make it a closer up frame of my hands so you can see what I’m doing better. This video is only four and a half minutes, but the actual process it captures took somewhere around two to two and a half hours!