The Álainn Sweater is a classic closet staple that you can make over and over again to show off your beautiful yarns! The slightly oversized fit makes it easy to throw on and the V-neck is stylish and elegant. Using a fingering weight yarn makes this a great pattern for warmer climates or summer seasons, so you can wear handknits year round, especially if you choose a breathable yarn.

I decided to make this pattern after making a really nice V-neck, drop shoulder sweater in a DK weight yarn and realizing that there was no similar pattern in a fingering or sock weight yarn. I love the basic V-neck sweater look, and I wanted to use this gorgeous Christmastown yarn from the Yarn Dragon Fibers Nightmare Before Christmas collection, so I decided to make a new pattern. I also found a colorway with the same name as my sweater pattern at Kristy’s Fiber Arts, so of course I had to make a sample with that colorway, which is the speckled white version! Finally, I made a version using A Chick That Knitz “Sealskin”, and completely on a whim, decided to add stripes for a sporty, academia look, and I ended up liking the modification so much that I added it to the pattern! My final pattern has modification information for adding the stripes, changing the v-neck depth, and altering the sleeves, so anyone can make the changes to the pattern that creates a beautiful finished product that fits their desired look!

The pattern includes guidelines for modifications to neckline depth, sleeve and body length, and added stripes, so you can easily customize your sweater to your desired look!

Sizes: 1, 2, 3, 4 (5, 6, 7, 8) 9, 10, 11, 12

Recommended Ease: 4-6” of positive ease

Finished Measurements of Garment:
Finished Garment Chest Circumference (in): 30”, 34”, 38”, 42” (46”, 50”, 54”, 58”) 62”, 66”, 70”, 74”
Finished Garment Chest Circumference (cm): 76, 86, 97, 107 (117, 127, 137, 147) 157, 168, 178, 188 centimeters

To choose a size, measure the fullest part of your bust, add desired ease, and select the closest size to that measurement. For example, if you have a 36” bust and want 6” of positive ease, knit the Size 4 for a 42” finished bust measurement.

This sweater is intended to be worn with 4-6” of positive ease. This will give a fairly baggy fit, so if you want a more fitted sweater, choose a size closer to your actual bust measurement. The sleeves will still have a baggy feel even if you choose a smaller bust measurement, unless you choose to make additional modifications to the pattern.

Sizing:

The sizes I used for this pattern correspond to the Craft Yarn Council’s women’s sweater sizes, with an additional 3 sizes (1 smaller, 2 larger) extrapolated from the size chart to accommodate bodies of all sizes! That said, sizes 5X, 6X, and 7X have not yet been tested, so if you are planning to knit those sizes, message me, and I will share the pattern with you for free.

Yarn:
Light Blue Sample: Yarn Dragon Fibers Deluxe Sock in “Christmastown” from the Nightmare Before Christmas collection
White Speckled Sample: Kristy’s Fiber Arts 100% Merino Fingering in “Alainn”
Green Striped Sample: A Chick That Knitz Deluxe Sock in “Sealskin” (deep green) and “Pearl” (white)

Yardage:
1000, 1125, 1350, 1500 (1800, 2000, 2200, 2650) 2950, 3350, 3500, 3800 yards

Gauge:
24 sts x 32 rows over 4” x 4” swatch in larger needle size (US 5/3.75 mm)

A note about gauge: The yarns that I used for these samples are a bit plushier than most fingering weight yarns. I recommend double checking that your gauge swatch looks full. Otherwise, you may end up with a much airier, more loose looking fabric, which will not achieve the same look as the samples.
One way to combat this issue is to select a sport weight yarn, rather than a fingering or sock weight yarn, but please note that you may have to do some math to determine the number of skeins, because the yardage will be the more important aspect of the yarn you use than the number of skeins.

Needles:
16”, 32”, and small circumference knitting option (DPNs, long circular for Magic Loop, 2 circular needles, or Shorty circular needles) US 3/3.25 mm & US 5/3.75 mm needles, or sizes needed to obtain gauge. The sleeves for this sweater are fairly wide, so you may not need small-circumference options to work on the sleeves until you reach the cuff.