by Benyamin Conn

Progress is never simple. I wanted to make a contemporary, fashion forward men's sweater. Yet, in the design process, I found myself going in circles, cycling through many different ideas until they finally cohered into a skate-inspired hoodie.

Knitting the sweater was a more literal act of going in circles. The piece is knit almost entirely in the round, with horizontal stripes circling the body and a contrast-colored circular yoke.

The sweater's name, Donuts, is due in large part to the snack food's geometric properties, but is also named for J Dilla's famous album of the same title. Music was a large consideration in the design this sweater, from the MP3 player pocket on the front to the partial crew neck to accommodate headphone wires. Knit it in your favorite colors, listen to your favorite album, and move to your own beat.

SIZE
S[M, L, XL, XXL]
(Shown in size S with 1 inch negative ease)

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Chest: 37[41, 44.5, 48.5, 52.5] inches
Length: 17[18.5, 18.5, 20, 20] inches from ribbing to underarm

MATERIALS
Yarn
Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted [85% wool, 15% merino; 190yd/174m per 113g skein]
M-03 Grey Heather; 4[5, 5, 6, 7] skeins
M-05 Onyx; 3[3, 4, 4, 5] skeins

Recommended needle size
[always use a needle size that gives you the gauge listed below -- every knitter's gauge is unique]
1 30-inch US #8/5mm circular needle
2 24-inch US #8/5mm circular needles

Notions
Waste yarn
Stitch markers (at least 24)
Yarn needle
Stitch holders

GAUGE

PATTERN NOTES
[Knitty's list of standard abbreviations and techniques can be found here.]

Stripe Pattern:
Rounds 1-4: Work using MC.
Rounds 5-6: Work using CC.
Rounds 7-10: Work using MC.
Repeat Rounds 1-10 for pattern.

DIRECTIONS
Body
With CC, CO 168[184, 200, 218, 236] sts on 30-inch circular needle. Place marker and join to work in the round, being careful not to twist.

Round 1: [K1, p1] to end of round.

Repeat Round 1 until work measures 1.5 inches.

Change to St st.

Join MC, begin stripe pattern and work as follows:
Rounds 1-7: Knit in stripe pattern.

Round 8: Pick up for pocket as follows: K15[16, 18, 19, 21]; with second needle M1 with same yarn; hold this stitch and needle in front of first needle, [k1 with main needle, M1 with second needle] a total of 54[60, 64, 70, 76] times (total of 54[60, 64, 70, 76] new stitches on the front (second) needle). Continue to end of round on first needle.

Work even on body in stripe pattern for 34 rounds. Set aside.

Pocket
Continue back and forth on 54[60, 64, 70, 76] pocket stitches on 24-inch circular needle, starting on the right side and maintaining stripe pattern throughout as follows:
Rows 1-20: Work in stockinette st.

Row 21 [RS]: BO 10 sts, k44[50, 54, 60, 66].

Row 22 [WS]: BO 10 sts, p34[40, 44, 50, 56].

Row 23 [RS]: K1, ssk, k to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1. 2 sts decreased.

Row 24 [WS]: Purl.

Repeat Rows 23-24 until 24[30, 34, 40, 46] sts remain.

Work 4 rows even.

Upper Body
Next round: K30[31, 33, 35, 36], then [knit one body stitch together with one pocket stitch]. Repeat until all pocket sts have been knit; k to end of round. Work even until body measures 17[18.5, 18.5, 20, 20] inches, ending with round 9.

Next round: K78[85, 93, 101, 109], place next 12[14, 14, 16, 18] sts on waste yarn for underarm, k72[78, 86, 93, 100], place last 6[7, 7, 8, 9] sts on waste yarn; place first 6[7, 7, 8, 9] sts of round on waste yarn for second underarm, set aside.

Sleeves
With CC, CO 34[38, 42, 46, 50] sts on two 24-inch circular needles. Place marker and join to work in the round, being careful not to twist.
Round 1: [K1, p1] to end of round.
Repeat Round 1 until work measures 1.5 inches.

Change to St st. Join MC and begin stripe pattern, shaping as follows:
Round 1-7: Knit.
Round 8: K1, M1, k to last st, M1, k1. 2 sts increased.
Repeat Rounds 1-8 a total of 13[15, 15, 17*, 18] times. 60[68, 72, 79, 86] sts.
*Note: for size large, omit one increase on last increase round. Work even in stripe pattern until sleeve measures 20[21.5, 21.5, 23, 23] inches, ending with round 9.

Next round: K54[61, 65, 71, 77], place 6[7, 7, 8, 9] sts on stitch holder. Place first 6[7, 7, 8, 9] sts of round on stitch holder, place project on waste yarn and set aside. 48[54, 58, 63, 68] sts.

With 30-inch body needle and MC, knit to beginning of underarm graft, then knit sleeve sts onto same needle.

Repeat for second sleeve. 240[264, 288, 312, 336] sts. Place marker for beg of round. Break MC and join CC.

Set up round: [K10(11, 12, 13, 14), pm] to end of round.

Rounds 1-5: Knit.

Round 6: [K to 2 sts before marker, k2tog] to end of round. 24 sts decreased.

Repeat Rounds 1-6 a total of 6[7, 8, 9, 10] more times. 96 sts.

Shape Neck:
Next round: BO 32 sts, k to end. Turn and begin working flat, in pattern.

Row 1 [WS]: Purl.

Row 2 [RS]: K1, k2tog, k to last 3 sts, ssk, k1. 2 sts decreased.

Repeat Rows 1 and 2 two more times, then knit even for 6 rows. BO all sts.

Hood
With MC, pick up and knit 58 sts along BO edge onto two 24-inch needles, 29 sts per needle. Work in stripe pattern throughout.

Row 1 [RS]: Knit.

Row 2 [WS]: K6, p to last 6 sts, k6.

Rows 3-85: Repeat rows 1 and 2.

Row 86 [WS]: K6, p23, pm, p23, k6.

Row 87 [RS]: Knit to 2 sts before marker, ssk, slip marker, k2tog, k to end. 2 sts decreased.

Row 88 [WS]: K6, purl to last 6 sts, k6.

Rows 89-95: Repeat Rows 87 and 88. 48 sts.

Graft the two sides of the hood (each needle) together using Kitchener stitch.

FINISHING
With MC, pick up and knit 36 sts along front neck edge.
Work in [k1, p1] rib for 1 inch.
BO all sts loosely in pattern.

Benyamin Conn is the cohost of the Knit Knit Cafe podcast. He can be found knitting in class at The Evergreen State College, where he studies history and economics.

You can also find him here on Ravelry.