Hello Gwen

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I knitted this American Girl Doll sweater a while back and it’s one of my favorite pieces in Athena’s closet.  It’s a fun piece to knit – the slipped stitch colorwork pattern is super easy and the construction method for adding in the sleeves is pretty neat.  I also love that it doesn’t take up too much yarn so you can use leftovers from sock projects.  (I only needed about 88 yards of the red and 42 yards of the pink.)

Here are a few tips if you decide to knit this:

1. Be mindful when you are binding off the neck to keep it loose.  I worked the bind off on this sweater kind of tight and it is hard to get over dolly’s head.  Honestly, I think I was feeling a little stressed out when I did it, which is why it’s so tight.  I did the same regular bind off the last time I knitted this and it was fine.  But, if you want to be careful, you could do a special stretchy bind off.

2. The method for setting apart the stitches for the sleeves feels really crazy if you have never done it before… but the instructions are very well written so if you just follow along you’ll be okay, even if you don’t quite understand what you’re doing.  When you’re done, it will make sense.

3. When you start decreasing at the yolk, the distribution of the decreases feels wrong and you may feel skeptical that the patterning is going to match up.  Again, just follow the instructions and looks fine in the end.

Now, just for funsies… here’s another pic of Athena with her matching Hello Kitty couch!

yarn details

Knit Picks Stroll in Strawberry and Dogwood Heather
Fingering Weight
75% Merino, 25% Nylon
Machine or Hand Wash Cold / Lay Flat to Dry
$5.09 per 231 yard / 50 gram skein

project details

pattern: “Gwen” by Steph Wiley (purchase on Ravelry or Etsy for $5.50)
needles: US size 2 (2.75 mm) long nickel-plated circs for magic loop
yarn used: 88 yards (19 grams) of Strawberry (Main Color) and 42 yards (9 grams) of Dogwood Heather
duration: December 31, 2020 – January 2, 2021