It’s not very often that you get to celebrate someone’s life through knitwear, but this is one of those moments … this pattern was inspired by an unlikely pairing of motorbike leathers and a 1960s Scandinavian-influenced sweater worn by biker Beryl Swain, an updated version of which is now on display in the Isle of Man’s Manx Museum.

This sweater is knitted in the round, top down, every round knit, each round starts at center back. There is no short row back shaping. The sweater is intended to have an approximate ease of between 5-10cm (2-4in) through the body with closer fitting, turned up, ribbed cuffs.

All images of Beryl wearing this sweater are in black and white and there are no eye-witness accounts that can attest to the colour, but some photography colourisation tests suggest it may have been blue so that was the main colour chosen for the museum display. There are two yarn options suggested in this pattern: the moth-averse Stylecraft Special DK worn by the mannequin in the museum, and a King Cole 100% wool version (featured in this pattern) which knits up to the same tension/gauge. Both yarns have a wide range of colours so you can have fun changing it up.