SKILL LEVEL: Advanced Beginner / Confident Beginner
You’ll learn:

• How to knit seamless top-down construction
• Easy stranded colorwork (2 colors)
• Basic shaping for sleeves and body

OVERVIEW
What you need to know before knitting this sweater:
Cast-on, Knit, Purl, M1R (make one right), M1L (make one left), cast off.

If you know how to do the above 6 basic knitting techniques, then you can knit this sweater. The colorwork pattern is only 8 stitches long (the shorter the pattern/motif the easier it is to remember) and there are no long floats to take into account, so there’s no chance of your fabric puckering. This really is the best first colorwork sweater for beginners as the pattern includes tips and the charts are made easier to follow than a regular colorwork chart. I’ve included the movement of the begining of the pattern FOR ALL SIZES, as the raglan increases move the motif. This pattern is made with all the tips and edits that I wish other colorwork patterns had when I first started knitting colowowork.

The sweater is knitted with 4.5 and 5.5 mm needles. This relatively small for a sweater of this yarn weight, but this makes the sweater windproof and suitable as an outdoor garment. If you wish to make this sweater less warm and for indoor-use, don’t include the mohair yarn, but keep the needle sizes the same. This decrease in yarn weight results in a less dense fabric.

SIZES
XS-(S)-M-(L)-XL-(XXL)-XXXL
Sizes are different depending on country, these are most similar to H&M sizing:
EUR 34-(36)-38-(40)-42-(44)-46
Model on the front page is wearing size M. The fit of the sweater gives an oversized look.

BUST MEASUREMENTS
100-(106)-112-(118)-124-(130)-136 cm circumference in the body of the sweater.
A recommended positive ease of 8-12 cm for an oversized fit.

YARN
Yarns used:
Main color: Filcolana Peruvian color + Drops Kid-silk color.
Contrast color #1: Filcolana Peruvian color + Drops Kid-silk color.
Contast color #2: Filcolana Peruvian color + Drops Kid-silk color.

Main color Filcolana: 350-(350)-400-(450)-500-(550)-600 grams
Main color Kid-silk: 100-(100)-125-(125)-150-(150)-150 grams

Contrast color #1 filcolana: 100-(100)-150-(150)-150-(150)-150 grams
Contrast color #1 kid-silk: 25-(50)-50-(50)-50-(50)-50 grams

Contrast color #2 filcolana: 100-(100)-150-(150)-150-(150)-150 grams
Contrast color #2 kid-silk: 25-(50)-50-(50)-50-(50)-50 grams

• I switch between two contrast colors to make the pattern look more complex, but using a single contrast color is fine. If you choose to use one contrast color, add the amount for contrast color 1 & 2 above to get your true amount.

Yarn alternatives:
Any aran (heavy worsted) weight yarn + silk-mohair:
DROPS Karisma + Drops Kid-silk
DROPS Lima + Drops Kid-silk
DROPS Daisy + Drops Kid-silk
Sandnes Garn Smart + Sandnes Garn Tynn Silk Mohair
Sandnes Garn Double Sunday + Sandnes Garn Tynn Silk Mohair
Isager Highland Wool + Isager Silk Mohair
Alternatively, you can omit the mohair and only use the aran (heavy worsted) weight yarn

GAUGE
16 sts x 17 rows = 10 cm x 10 cm after blocking.
Needle size is only a guide. If you get too many stitches on 10 cm, change to a larger needle size. If you get too few stitches on 10 cm, change to a smaller needle size.

MATERIALS
Size 4.5 mm knitting circular needles.
Size 5.5 mm knitting circular needles.
The magic loop method is used, this makes the length of the knitting needles less important. I recommend 40 cm for collar, begining of colorwork, and sleeves, and 60-80-100 cm for body.