Acapulco Cropped Pullover Jumper Knitting Pattern

Acapulco Cropped Pullover in Juniper Moon Farm Cumulus

What is Being Made

The Acapulco Cropped Pullover is a short-length pullover sweater designed by Tabetha Hedrick. This garment features a cropped silhouette with finished bust circumference options ranging from 34 to 57½ inches (86 to 146 cm) and finished lengths from 13½ to 17 inches (34.5 to 43 cm), making it suitable for multiple sizes from small through 3X. The pullover is constructed with a classic pullover neckline and is worked in a flat construction method before being seamed together.

Construction Method and Techniques

The Acapulco Cropped Pullover is worked flat rather than in the round, meaning the body pieces are knitted back and forth in rows on straight needles or a circular needle used in flat mode. After completion, the pieces are seamed together. The first and last stitch of every row is worked in garter stitch, which creates a chain-like selvage edge that facilitates easier and neater seaming. The neckband is the only component worked in the round using a circular needle, allowing for a finished, professional appearance at the neckline.

The construction begins with casting on stitches for the back piece, followed by working the body in the specified stitch pattern until the piece reaches the desired armhole depth. The front is worked identically to the back. Shaping occurs at the neckline, where the center stitches are bound off and the remaining shoulder sections are worked with separate balls of yarn to create the neck opening. This technique, known as working both sides at once, ensures symmetrical shaping on both sides of the neckline.

Stitches Used

The primary decorative element of this pullover is the Acapulco Stitch, a lacy stitch pattern that repeats over a multiple of 10 stitches plus 2 edge stitches. This stitch pattern combines several fundamental knitting techniques:

• Yarn overs (yo) — These create the openwork and lacy appearance characteristic of the Acapulco Stitch
• Decreases — Including slip, slip, knit (ssk), knit two together (k2tog), and slip 2 stitches together, knit 1, pass slipped stitches over (s2kp), which balance the yarn overs and maintain stitch count
• Knit and purl stitches — Used to create texture and structure within the pattern repeat
• Garter stitch — Worked on the first and last stitch of every row to create selvage edges, and used for the neckband

The Acapulco Stitch is a four-row repeat pattern that creates an intricate, openwork fabric with vertical and diagonal lines. The combination of yarn overs and decreases produces a balanced lacy effect that is both visually interesting and structurally sound.

Materials and Gauge

This pullover is knitted with Juniper Moon Farm Cumulus yarn in the Salmon colorway (#4). Cumulus is a lightweight yarn, and the pattern requires 3 to 5 skeins of 100g each, depending on the size being made. Smaller sizes (S, M) require 3 skeins, medium sizes (L, XL) require 4 skeins, and larger sizes (2X, 3X) require 5 skeins.

The pattern is worked on US 9 (5.5 mm) needles. A 24-inch circular needle is specified, though it is used for flat knitting during the body construction and only switched to circular knitting for the neckband. The gauge is 17 stitches and 23 rows over 4 inches (10 cm) in the Acapulco Stitch. Achieving the correct gauge is essential for obtaining the finished measurements and proper drape of the garment.

Additional notions include a tapestry needle for seaming the finished pieces together and four locking (removable) stitch markers to mark important locations such as armholes and shaping points during construction.