Slouchy Cabled Sleeves

Download the pattern as a pdf here!

For my poor shivery arms, assaulted by ferocious air-conditioning five days a week.

Also for my poor brain, which desparately needed a dose of soothing neutral colour and almost mindless knitting. I also (gasp!) didn’t make a swatch… with the result I had to rip it out after an inch since it was too loose. But never mind.

Pattern: Slouchy Cabled Sleeves (my own)
Yarn: Filatura di Crosa Zarina (fingering weight superwash)
Yarn quantity: A little less than 165m (180 yards) for each sleeve, ie, 330m (360 yards) total
Needles: 3.75mm dpn set (or long circular for magic loop)
Gauge: 24.5 sts, 33 rows to 10cm (4 inches)
Finished Dimensions: Cuff- 15 cm (6”) circumference ; Upper Hem-  25 cm (10”) circumference; Length- 51 cm (20”)

Since this is worked at a loose gauge, it’s quite stretchy. If you need to adjust width, add more stitches in the stockinette section, according to your swatch.

Cuff
1. Provisionally CO 32 sts
2. Work in stocking stitch back and forth for 8 rows (or double the depth of hem you want), ending WS
3. Put the provisional loops on another needle. Knit together one stitch from the top of the fabric with one provisional stich, across the row. Hem complete. Work one row WS, arranging sts on dpns. Start working in the round from next row.
4. K1, pm, k7, m1p (lift running thread and purl it), k16, m1p, k7, pm, k1
5. K1, sm, k7, p1, (k4, m1) three times, work the rest of the sts in k or p as they appear (three sts increased in central stockinette section).
6. K1, sm, k7, m1p, p1, k19, p1, m1p, k to end
7. K1, sm, k7, p2, (k3, m1) five times, work the rest of the stitches as they appear (five sts increased in central stockinette section).
You now have: 2 sts (at beg/end of round), one marker each just outside these sts, 7 k sts outside each of the markers, two purls outside these knit sts, and a central block of 24 k sts which lies opposite the beg/end of round. The markers indicate where you will increase for arm shaping with an m1 just outside the markers. The purl columns remain constant. The braided cable is worked over the central 24 k sts column. The instructions for arm shaping and cabling are given separately below, so you can customise your own rate of increases.

Arm shaping
1. m1 just after the first marker and just before the last marker (2 sts increased). Knit these sts for all following rounds, thereby incorporating them into stockinette pattern.
2. Work plain (ie, no increases) for 8 rounds
3. Repeat Arm Shaping instructions 1 and 2 ten times more (ie, a total of eleven increase rounds, 22 sts increased)

Braided cable (to be worked over central 24 stockinette sts)
1.k all for 10 rounds
2.Slip first 8 sts on cable needle and hold in front. Knit 8, then knit 8 from cable needle, k remaining 8 sts
3.K all for 10 rounds
4.K8, slip 8 sts onto cable needle and hold at back, k8, k8 from cable needle
5.Rep steps 1 to 4 for braid
Continue this way till the sleeve is as long as you want it.

Upper hem
1. *K to purl column, p2 tog, repeat from * (2 sts dec)
2. Work sts as they appear to cable section. (k2, k2tog) five times. Work remaining sts as they appear (5 sts dec).
3. K to one st before first p st, ssk, k up to next p st, k2tog (2 sts dec).
4. K up to cable section. (k3, k2tog) three times. K to end of round. You now have an all-stockinette tube, with the cable section reduced to 16 sts.
5. K all for next 8 rounds. Cut yarn, leaving a 60cm (24”) tail. Thread it onto tapestry needle.
6. Fold edge to inside, and sew live stitches down, one by one. You might find it easier to work this after flipping the sleeve inside out.

Finishing
Use tail at beginning to sew up opening caused by working hem back and forth. Weave in all ends. Wash and block.

Admire! While the cable looks like a nice plump braid when stretched out, it collapses into most intriguing folds when scrunched up!