Hedge Fence Pullover
Hedge Fence Pullover
The garment takes its name from Hedge Fence Shoal, a shallow sandbar on the far west side of Nantucket Sound, just northeast of Martha’s Vineyard. I have been contemplating a series of fisherman-style sweaters and I decided to go with a naming scheme based on the waters I sailed so much as a child.
The body and sleeves of the garment are knit in the round to the armholes, after which point the knitting is done back and forth. The only seaming required is the sewing in of the sleeve cap. The shoulders are joined by a three-needle bind-off, the underarm stitches are grafted together, and stitches are picked up around the neck for the neckline ribbing. The pattern comes with text instructions, a set of charts for each size, and a set of sleeve charts for each size. None of the cable instructions are written out – they are all charted. In addition, I have included several pages of notes on how to modify the pattern to achieve the best fit for your body while maintaining the integrity of the center cable panel. Fortunately, the side cables are small enough to allow for quite a lot of flexibility in terms of sizing. The only real challenge in modifying the pattern to ensure the center cable still flows cleanly into the ribbing at the bottom edge and neckline.
This pattern is available as a Ravelry download for $8.50.
Difficulty
Intermediate
Skills used
Reading a chart, knitting in the round, cabling, increasing, three-needle bind-off, picking up stitches, sewing together seams
Sizes
To fit chest: 31 (33, 35, 37, 39, 41, 43, 46, 49, 51, 53, 55)”
Model shown in size 39 with a narrowed shoulder width (15″ flat) and lengthened torso (27″) and sleeves (21″).
Finished measurements
Chest: 32.75 (34, 35.75, 37.25, 39.75, 41.5, 43.5, 46.75, 49.25, 51.25, 53.25, 55)”
Length: 22.5 (23.25, 23.5, 24.5, 24.75, 26, 27.5, 28, 28.25, 28.5, 31, 31.25)”
Gauge
25 stitches and 28 rows = 4″ in unstretched cable pattern on US 7 (4.5 mm) needles
Yarn
Briggs & Little Regal [100% wool; 272 yd (249 m); 113 g skein]; color: Brown Heather, 5 (5, 6, 6, 6, 7, 7, 8, 9, 9, 10, 10) skeins.
Needles
US 7 (4.5 mm) circular needle, 29″ or 32″ long
1 set of US 7 (4.5 mm) DPNs
Notions
Stitch markers
Cable needle
Stitch holders or scrap yarn
Tapestry needle
Schematic
More photos of the finished garment here.