The Curator Sweater by Lily Pearsall

The Curator Sweater

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Use Code CURATOR10 for 10% off this weekend!

About the Curator Sweater
When I set out to design my first sweater I wanted to create an elegant, classic, garment with the perfect fit to move in my work as a curator, but I also wanted to offer lots of opportunities to play, explore, and customize. With 11 sizes and multiple metrics for fit (bust darts! optional waist shaping!), as well as extensive customization notes (short sleeves! lace panels! extended cables!), it is an elevated basic and an endlessly flexible garment–open to multiple interpretations of ease and style--it’s a pattern folks are knitting again and again!

Construction Notes
The Curator Sweater is knit from the top down with optional elegant cables running from the shoulder bands down to the arm holes. The pattern uses a European shoulder seam construction. First, the back panel is knit, followed by shoulder bands picked up from the top of the back edge and knit towards the front. Next, shoulder caps are picked up between the back panel and bands, and the fronts of the bands increased before the bands are connected in the front. Finally, the yoke is knit first flat, and then in the round with raglan-like increases. Before splitting for sleeves, I recommend picking up for the collar, and continuing to try on for the most customized fit. Following the yoke increases and collar, the sleeves are split and the body is worked in the round, with bust darts and/or subtle decreases at the waist if desired, and the body is then finished with a half-twisted rib hem. Sleeves are picked up and worked in the round with slight decreases and an exaggerated length (teal and navy samples) or cute short sleeves (yellow tee sample).

Gauge
20 stitches and 25 rows = 4” or 10cm in stockinette stitch knitted flat, after blocking. 

Sizes
(full size chart and schematic is in photos)
1, (2, 3, 4, 5, 6) (7, 8, 9, 10, 11) to fit bust/chest circumferences of:
28-32 (33-36, 37-40, 41-44, 45-48, 48-51) (52-54, 55-57, 58-60, 61-64, 65-68) inches (in) 70-80 (80-90, 90-110, 110-120, 120-130, 130-140) (140-150, 150-155, 155-165, 165-175, 175-180) centimeters (cm)
I did not have enough testers for size 11, so if you’d like to knit that size please DM me and I’d love to send you the pattern directly!

Materials

Yarn: One strand of sport or heavy fingering weight yarn, held together with a strand lace weight yarn to create a dk or light worsted, or desired yarn to achieve gauge

Yardage by size (full sweater version): 990 (1050, 1100, 1200, 1350, 1400) (1550, 1625, 1700, 1800, 1900) yards / 906 (960, 1,006, 1,097, 1,234, 1,280) (1,417, 1,487, 1,555, 1,646, 1,737) meters EACH of sport weight yarn AND lace weight yarn held together.

The Light teal sample is knit in Sonder Yarn Co. Sunday Morning Lux Sport and Halo Mohair both in color Personal Space; Navy (men’s) sample knit in Sonder Yarn Co. Sunday Morning Lux Sport in Crossword (black) and Halo Mohair in Rocket (navy)

Yardage by size (tee version estimates, limited testers): 1,390 (1,510, 1,638, 1,765, 1,895, 2,030) (2,165, 2,305, 2,440, 2,575, 2,710) yards / 1,270 (1,381, 1,498, 1,614, 1,733, 1,857) (1,980, 2,107, 2,231, 2,355, 2,478) meters of a single fingering weight yarn held double. Yellow sample knit in Moondrake Lemon Drop.

Needle Sizes & Lengths:
Yoke, Body, and Sleeves: US 6 (4mm) circular needles in lengths needed for your size (e.g. 16” 32” 40”, and/or magic loop or double pointed needles for sleeves.
For Ribbing: US 4 (3.5mm) circular needles in lengths of needed for collar, hem, and/or double pointed needles for sleeve ribbing.
NB: “Whatever size you need to achieve gauge” rules all, “Gauge is king!”

Notions:
One unique beginning of round stitch marker, 4 additional stitch markers, and a tapestry needle for finishing