top-down, set-in sleeves, from BW. Trekkie design but toned-down and unofficial colours.

Most trekkie sweaters are raglan-sleeved with the black yoke part going straight across the sleeve top. This is easy to do…but not really the design, see photo of official uniform. A set-in sleeve with intarsia on the sleeve cap is what’s required…

Also, many trekkie sweaters don’t do the black side panels, or the black point rising up out of the black bottom band. Again, these details require intarsia, so I can see why people skip them.

This sweater, on the other hand, is fiddly enough to include these details…

gauge swatch:
20.7 sts/4”
29.7 rows/4”

measurements:
shoulder width: 19”
sleeve circ: 21”

As per Barbara Walker’s recipe:

in black, provisional cast on 98 sts, 33:32:33 for shoulders and neck opening. Shoulder shaping by short-rowing with turnarounds every 5 sts.

Knit until shoulder edge is 3.5” long; 22 rows. End with purl row.

Pick up 33 sts on each shoulder side and start knitting the front (I’m doing 2AAT by using 2 balls), 2 rows plain and then start identical shoulder shaping. After 3” start increasing every other row on the inside of the neck edge on either side. Keep going until the front halves (at the sleeve edge) are also 3.5” long. End on purl row.

Now start knitting all around, and pick up the sleeve sts - 1/3 of them = 36 sts over the 7” edge of the yoke bit. Place markers at the corners (where sleeves join body). Knit back and forth until front sts total back sts (98), then join and start knitting all ‘round. While doing this, make sure to increase every other row on the sleeves only.

Now comes the colourwork…the sleeves need more black than the body, so it’s time for intarsia in the round. The black decreases one stitch per row at each side of the sleeve, to come to a point.

Using clothes pins as yarn holders. Using 2 black and 3 green. The 3rd green is required as you need a steady place to do your “turnaround” for the intarsia in the round. I tried with only 2 green balls but wasn’t able to get it to work. The turnaround point is at the left front sleeve “seam” point. I’m doing 1 more st in green every row to make a black “point” on each sleeve. Hopefully this will lead to a straightish line across the body, as shown in the photos…

Done with the yoke. Looks good after a test block.

Back to BW’s recipe:

Now stopping decreases on front and back and only increasing sleeves. This is all in green and totally in the round.

OK done that. Now need to increase for underarms on both sleeves and body again…am adding the sts on the front and back (at the sides) in black, so switching to intarsia in the round again. My brain hurts…need to increase to a ttl of 108 sts on each sleeve at which point I’m done with them and can join front and back. This is the part I hate…sooooooo many stitches!

Finally put the sleeves on waste yarn and joined the body in the round. Now it’s a straight shot for a bit (well, still instarsia in the round because of the black side panels) until I get to that black point thingy.

Dec 6 2015
OK, figured out the point. Start with a single black st 1/4 of the way across - left side - and do 1 more black st per row increases on the “narrow” side and 3 more per row on the “wide” side so that the two edges hit the sides at the same height. The total height of the point will be about 3”…the backside should have a corresponding dip, but that will erode the width of the bottom band, so after due consideration I think I will just make the back straight across.

OK, got down to the bottom, complete with hem. Blocked. Oh no. Grrr. I think it is far, far, far too big.

Kid is home from Uni. Fitting time. Yeah, it’s too big around the armpit area. Have to cut and sew…but I think this is doable without a ton of reknitting. Phew. Sweater is slightly A-line, but seems to fit fine.

Sleeves: 88 st circ, dec 2 then K 4 rounds straight. Shaping for elbow is 6/12/18 st short rows after 10 rounds of sleeve (12” from point of shoulder). I wetblocked it to get the length just right. Hemmed edge.

Hemmed edge on bottom too, with “beam me up” in duplicate stitch. Also 3 letter beads at neck edge to spell ALF (son’s name).

Finally I’m finished this sucker. Turns out kid is huge, compared to his dad and brother. Sweater just fits.

I think this is the last sweater I will knit in the round. I just don’t have good mojo with it.