I love top down round yoke sweaters. I am particularly drawn to yokes with a variety of interesting colors in them, but because I have yet to get over my fear of stranded colorwork, I have mostly resisted the lure.
Luckily, I found a way to get a colorful design without messing around with a half dozen balls of yarn. The secret formula involves slipped stitches and self-striping yarn.
My sample features a rainbow colored yoke in a geometric pattern that resembles the windows on a cruise ship (hence the name “Porthole Pullover“). The rainbow stripes are achieved through the use of a self-striping single skein of yarn. If you can knit a simple two color striping pattern (a few rounds in the self-striping color, a few rounds in the main color, and on and on) then you can knit this.
The stripes become a geometric pattern through the use of strategically placed slip-stitches. If you’ve never knit a slip-stitch pattern before, you’ll be happy to know that it couldn’t be easier. To slip a stitch, simply move it from the left needle to the right needle without knitting it.
Seriously. That’s it. Knit some stripes, slipping some of the stitches along the way, and you have this yoke pattern.
And of course, the pattern will tell you how many stripes to knit and where to slip the stitches.
If you are feeling adventurous, there are several options for customizing the fit of this sweater. By default it’s a cozy, relaxed fit. But I’ve included a few things you can do to change it up:
- short row neck shaping (bring up the back of the neck a bit, like you would see on a purchased garment)
- short row bust shaping (give yourself a little extra room if you’re a C cup or above)
- waist darts (give the sweater a more fitted silhouette)
- fitted sleeves (reduce the amount of ease in the sleeves, so that they hug the arms)
My rainbow sample shows the sweater with the bust shaping, but none of the other optional enhancements. I left it nice and roomy.
I designed the pullover to go with the baby cardigan version I published a few months ago. You can be matchy-matchy with your favorite baby, toddler, or preschooler (or your American Girl doll – I won’t judge).
So. Are you ready to knit your own September Sweater? To celebrate the publication of this new Porthole Pullover, all sweater patterns in the Download Shop are 25% OFF until the end of the month! Use coupon code SEPTSWEAT at checkout.
Happy knitting!
BTW, if you do knit one, I hope you’ll share pictures on Instagram or other social media! I love to see your interpretations of my designs. Use the hashtag #polkadotcottage when you talk about any of my patterns, and use #pdcportholepullover when you talk about this one specifically. And feel free to tag me @lclarke522, too!