I didn’t study much my senior year in college. Instead, I spent a solid chunk of my time painting abstracts with tiny brushes on five inch squares of canvas. I see painting now as a form of meditation – clearing my thoughts to focus on swirls of complementary color. But back then, as my rickety six inch greeting card easel toppled face down – wet paint meeting marble-slab-desk over and over – it may have been closer to non-threatening mania. At some point in between brush strokes and handfuls of sour patch kids, I opened an excel spreadsheet, and mapped out an abstract color work pattern. I thought about knitting a t-shirt, or a blanket, or a pillow like the painted ones my parents kept in their foyer, and then I did nothing.

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Until last week. When I placed an irresponsibly large order of multi-colored pima cotton on Knit Picks.

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It’s eye-searing. And I’m in love.

Abstract Sweater

Size: 2

Finished Dimensions:

Width (lying flat): 17.5″

Length: 16″

Materials:

Needles:

US 6 – 4.0 mm

US 8 – 5.0 mm

Yarn:

MC – Knit Picks Shine Worsted in Black, 4 skeins (300 yards/7.05 ounces)

CC1 – Knit Picks Shine Worsted in Cosmopolitan, 2 skeins (150 yards/3.53 ounces)

CC2 – Knit Picks Shine Worsted in Sky, 1 skein (75.0 yards/1.76 ounces)

CC3 – Knit Picks Shine Worsted in Macaw, 1 skein (75.0 yards/1.76 ounces)

CC4 – Knit Picks Shine Worsted in Serrano, 1 skein (75.0 yards/1.76 ounces)

Gauge:

19 stitches and 26 rows = 4 inches in ST

Color Work Pattern

Back

CO 85 in MC with size 6 needles

K in 1×1 rib for 2″ ending on WS row. Switch to size 8 needles.

Row 1: Knit

Row 2: K2, p to last 2, k2

Repeat rows 1 and 2 until back measures 9″ from bottom of rib. End on WS row.

Row 1: CO 24, k across, CO 24

K in ST stitch until back measures 14″ from bottom of rib. End on WS row

Back Left

Row 1: K62, BO 9, k to end. Place stitches to the right of BO on stitch holder.

Rows 2, 4, and 6: P to last 2, p2tog

Rows 3 and 5: BO4, k to end

BO

Back Right

Pick up stitches from stitch holder

Rows 1, 3, and 5: K to last 2, k2tog

Rows 2 and 4: BO4 p-wise, p to end

BO p-wise

Front

CO 85 stitches in CC1 with size 6 needles.

K in 1×1 rib for 2″ ending on WS row. Switch to size 8 needles. Follow color work pattern.

BO

Neckline

Front

Row 1: Pick up and knit 54 stitches along front neckline in CC1 with size 6 needles

K in 1×1 rib for 1″

BO purl-wise

Back

Row 1: Pick up and knit 35 stitches along back neckline in MC with size 6 needles

K in 1×1 rib for 1″

Cuffs

Front

Row 1: Pick up and knit 32 stitches along bottom of front left sleeve in CC1 with size 6 needles

K in 1×1 rib for 1″

BO

Repeat on right side

Back

Row 1: Pick up and knit 32 stitches along bottom of back left sleeve in MC with size 6 needles

K in 1×1 rib for 1″

BO

Repeat on right side

Sew front and back together. Weave in tails.