Asymmetry

Jo Sharp

Jo Sharp knows that good design doesn’t need to be complicated. To construct this simple wrap, Jo first knitted two identical rectangles in a noncurling, slipped rib stitch. Then she and her design team pinned the rectangles on a mannequin to see how many ways they could drape, wrap, or join the pieces together. The asymmetrical one-button wrap you see here is their favorite assembly, but by no means the only good one. Play around with your own pieces before sewing them together—you just may come up with an arrangement that you like even better.

FINISHED SIZE

About 20" (51 cm) long from shoulder line to bottom of right front, and about 24" (61 cm) long from shoulder to bottom of left front (see Notes).

YARN

About 1040 yd (951 m) of aran-weight (Medium #4) yarn.

We used: Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Hand Knitting Yarn (85% wool, 10% silk, 5% cashmere; 104 yd [95 m]/50 g): #108 ricepaper, 10 balls.

NEEDLES

Size 10½ (7 mm): straight. Adjust needle size if necessary to obtain the correct gauge.

NOTIONS

Tapestry needle; one 1¼" (3.2-cm) button.

GAUGE

21½ sts and 18 rows = 4" (10 cm) in patt st with rib relaxed.

NOTES

  • The asymmetrical construction and softly draping fabric of this design present a challenge when it comes to determining the exact best fit for every wearer. If you are concerned about fit, you may want to create a mockup before embarking on the knitting.
  • One way to test the pattern is to fold and pin a pair of bath towels to the dimensions of the rectangles (safety pins recommended). You can use fabric, too, but bath towels are likely to be handy and close to the correct size already. Pin the towels together according to the finishing instructions below, and try on your mock wrap. Experiment with the placement of the seams and button, and even with the dimensions of the rectangles themselves, until you have achieved the desired effect. Keep notes about your changes, and use them to create a customized wrap. Remember to buy extra yarn if your version will be larger than what is given in the instructions.

WRAP

Rectangle: (make 2) CO 99 sts. Work as foll:

Row 1: Sl 1 purlwise (pwise) with yarn in front, *k1 through back loop (tbl), p1; rep from *.

Row 2: Sl 1 pwise with yarn in back, *p1, k1tbl; rep from * to last 2 sts, p1, k1. Rep Rows 1 and 2 until piece measures 30¾" (78 cm) from beg. BO all sts loosely.

Begin with a luscious yarn that has incredible drape, and you can’t go wrong.

FINISHING

With yarn threaded on a tapestry needle, sew the short side of one rectangle to the long side of the other rectangle as shown in Figure 1. Measure and mark points A, B, and C designated by black dots. Make first fold as shown in Figure 2. Make second fold as shown in Figure 3 so that points A and B meet. Sew a button at A/B to join the two pieces. Fold point C gently to outside to create a lapel effect as shown in Figure 4.

Figure 1

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 4