I’ve always considered myself a seasonal knitter since I only tend to pick up my needles after summer winds down and cooler temps start to show up. The Moonset Polo was my first knitting project that I picked up this season and I could hardly put it down! In this article I’ll share my review of the Moonset Polo, the yarn I used, and the modifications I made to get the fit just right for me.
I’m adding the Moonset Polo to my stack of favorite knitwear patterns by Ozetta alongside the Miles Shirt Jacket, Field Day Jacket and Seasons Cardigan. I love this everyday design and how it fits so effortlessly with the rest of my handmade wardrobe.
The Pattern
The pattern is the Moonset Polo by Ozetta and like the name suggest, it’s the newest addition to their Moonset pattern collection which includes the Moonset Pullover, Tee, and Slipover. I’ve actually made both the Moonset Pullover and Moonset Tee, so the v-neck construction was familiar to me. You can see those and my other projects on my Ravelry page.
The Moonset Polo is such a classic design that I know I’ll wear regularly in the cooler months. I love the look of the polo collar and it’s much easier to make that it may look (I definitely overthought the construction before starting). The instructions were wonderfully thorough, like all of Ozetta’s patterns.
I was thankful to be part of the testing group for this knit and I always appreciate a deadline to help keep me on track. This project kickstarted my seasonal knitting and I casted on two more projects right after I finished. 🙂
Knitting Process
I knit my Moonset Polo in a size S which corresponds to a bust measurement of 34″ and the amount of ease, about 12″, is a perfect oversized fit for me. I felt like this knit worked up faster than usual for me, yes it helped to have a tester deadline, but I could hardly put it down! This was a relaxing knit project to work on with plenty of mindless knitting in the round but with a fun collar construction.
If you’ve made a sweater by Ozetta before, the beginning should be familiar to you. You start by casting on at the back neckline and then working German short rows to form the back. Then the front right and front left sections are worked with some extension stitches to help shape the neckline.
After the v-neck is worked and overlapped, you then join in the round to work on the body. I finished up the ball I was working on and then skipped to working on the collar. I find it helps me get a better idea of the fit when I try on the sweater throughout the rest of the process.
The hem of the body (and sleeves) is a classic 1×1 ribbing and then finished with what the instructions call an Italian bind-off. Technically the method described is a tubular bind-off since the pattern has you knit two set-up rounds – an Italian bind-off doesn’t have the two set-up rounds and is slightly stretchier – but both methods give the same finished look.
After picking up stitches for the sleeves, a few rounds of German short rows are made to add shaping, then it’s just working in the round while making the required amount of decreases for the size you’re knitting. I switch to (and actually prefer) double pointed needles once the sleeves get too small for my circular needles.
This sweater really benefitted from blocking and the difference afterwards was more noticeable than most for me! The collar especially looks so much better and the hem and sleeves relaxed beautifully. The Lettlopi yarn bloomed really nicely and I love the cohesive “fabric” it made. Here’s a quick before and after blocking my Moonset Polo.
To see how I block all my knit and crochet projects head over to my How To Block A Sweater tutorial.
Yarn and Needles
For my Moonset Polo I went with the recommend yarn Istex Léttlopi in the colorway Frostbite – a really pretty heathered light olive green with hints of warm brown throughout. I think it works really well as a neutral that will go easily fit with the rest of my wardrobe.
This sweater is immediately warm when I put it on but feels very light and airy. This was my first time working with Lettlopi and it’s definitely a rustic yarn. The color depth is beautiful, I love the natural halo it has, and it glides off the needles nicely (I used bamboo needles). It does have an itch for sure, but I’m not typically bothered by really woolly yarns. I haven’t been able to wear it for a long time yet, so I’ll be able to get a better idea of how it wears once it cools down more.
I sized down to a US 8 (5.0 mm) for the body and a US 7 (4.5 mm) for the ribbing on the collar, hem and sleeve cuffs. I’m naturally a loose knitter so I usually have to size down, but I also preferred the tighter fabric it made with smaller needles. This did make my stitch gauge slightly smaller, 17 stitches instead of 16 per 4″, but there wasn’t a huge difference in the finished measurements. My row gauge however was spot on at 24 rows which is rare for me!
Modifications
For my short arms, I knit the sleeves slightly shorter. I worked the decreases on every 8th round for 8 decreases total. This made the final sleeve length after blocking, 15 1/2” (1/2” shorter than written).
I also knit the body slightly shorter before starting the ribbing and after blocking the length from underarm to hem was 11″ (instead of 11 3/4″).
Overall the Moonset Polo was such a fun, quick knit and I love how the fit turned out! I hope my notes were helpful and that maybe it inspires you to make your own! Thanks for reading and happy knitting 🙂
