Captain America Sweater

Captain America Sweater
Originally uploaded by telcontar328

Okay, this is the official Pattern and Photo post.

Read all instructions before beginning. I'm afraid they may be a little jumbled. If you can't make sense of something, leave a comment!

Size: Boys' 8. (Upsizing should be easy--I include all pertinent measurements.)
Gauge: 16 stitches to 4", 23 rows to 4", using worsted-weight yarn and US 9 needles.
Yarn: Red Heart Super Saver in White, Cherry Red, and Royal.

Vertical stripes:
With red yarn, CO 36 sts. (CO row will run from bottom of armhole to bottom edge of sweater. Sweater shown has a 9" CO row.)

Work as follows:
Row 1: K across
Row 2: K 8, P to end
AT THE SAME TIME working in color pattern: 10 rows red, 10 rows white
until work measures about 28". Finish with 10 white rows. (Length of work will run around waist circumference of wearer. Sweater shown has 16 stripes.)

Sew or graft end of work to CO edge.

You now have a ring of striped stockinette stitch with garter-stitch "ribbing" along one edge. Lay it flat with seam/graft at one edge, to fall under armhole, unless it's totally invisible or you don't care.

Yoke:
Using blue yarn, pick up 56 stitches along half the stockinette edge of striped ring--that is, from 80 of the 160 rows. (This joins one end of the yoke to the body of the sweater.)

Work in stockinette, making sure right sides of blue and red/white work face the same way, for 5-1/2". (This will give a total back waist length of 14 inches.)

Neck Opening:
Work 17 sts, join new yarn, bind off 22, work rem 17. Working both sides at once with separate strands of yarn, work 5-1/2" in stock st. With single strand, work first 17 sts, cast on 22, work rem 17. Cut yarn not used in this row. (Square neck opening will be 22" around. Measure intended wearer's head if you adapt neck shaping--kids' heads are bigger than you think.)

Work all sts in stockinette for 5 1/2 more inches. Graft or sew to other half of striped ring's stockinette edge. (Armhole circumference 16-1/2". If a smaller armhole is desired, cast on more stitches for Vertical Stripes and work Yoke to a shorter length before and after Neck Opening.)

Sleeves (make 2):
May be picked up and worked circularly, or worked flat and seamed up.

Pick up/cast on 64 sts with blue yarn (for 16" armhole).

Work stockinette st for 1". Decrease 2 sts, spaced however you like. Continue in stockinette, decreasing 2 sts every 2" and AT THE SAME TIME working color patt: blue for 8", white for 4", red for 4". When sleeve measures 18" long, work knit-1-purl-1 rib with red yarn for 2" over 48 sts. Bind off in rib.

Collar:
May be picked up and worked circularly, or knit flat and seamed/grafted on.

With blue yarn, pick up/CO 100 sts.

Work in k1p1 rib until collar is at least 1-1/2". Bind off in rib.

Do any necessary seaming/grafting. Weave in all ends. You're done! Put on some patriotic music and celebrate.

Variations:
Captain America's costume has a ski mask, with 2 holes for the eyes and one for the mouth/chin, instead of the collar. Unfortunately, I can't find a pattern to link to; the best I can do is direct you to Knitty's Jackyll & Hide and let you adapt it yourself. It's pretty simple.

Cap's costume also has a white capital "A" on the forehead of the mask, a white 5-pointed star on the front of the yoke and another on the back. You can graph these using knitter's graph paper, available for free from various web sites, and duplicate-stitch them on or work them in intarsia.

If you prefer, you can knit the star separately--one pattern is here, there are many others--and sew it on.

This is an original pattern, copyright Maria Grace McClamrock 2008, based on a costume design by Jack Kirby from 1940. This is a fandom tribute and nobody is deriving any profit from it, yadda yadda Yoda.