Berroco Mei Jumper Knitting Pattern

Berroco Mei Oversized Knit Sweater

What Is Being Made

The Berroco Mei is a pullover sweater designed as an oversized, drapey garment. This version (Mei version 2 from Booklet #392) is engineered to provide a relaxed, loose fit with generous proportions. The design is available in six sizes with finished bust measurements ranging from 62 inches to 82 inches and lengths from 24 inches to 27 inches. The pattern explicitly notes that this garment was designed to be very oversized and drapey, making size selection an important consideration for achieving the intended silhouette.

Construction Technique

The Mei sweater is constructed using a distinctive side-to-side knitting method, meaning the garment is worked horizontally from the right edge to the left edge rather than in the traditional top-down or bottom-up approach. The sweater is made in one piece, which minimizes seaming and creates a seamless construction where pieces are joined together. This technique allows for efficient shaping and reduces the number of finishing steps required.

The garment begins with a long-tail cast-on and is worked flat on circular needles, then seamed together to complete the pullover. A stitch marker is used to divide sections during the initial setup, and waste yarn is employed to hold stitches during the neck division process, allowing the knitter to work the front and back sections separately before joining them.

Stitches and Stitch Patterns

The Mei sweater primarily uses stockinette stitch (St st) for the main body of the garment. A ribbed edge pattern is established at the beginning and end of rows, consisting of alternating knit and purl stitches worked over five stitches. Specifically, the pattern uses [k1, p1] twice, k1 at the edges, which creates a neat, finished border.

The edge ribbing is maintained throughout the knitting process using specific techniques: on right-side rows, the first stitch is slipped knitwise with yarn in back (wyib), followed by the ribbed pattern; on wrong-side rows, the first stitch is slipped purlwise with yarn in front (wyif), maintaining consistency in the edge treatment. This attention to edge detail ensures a polished, professional finish on the completed sweater.

Yarn and Materials

The Mei sweater is knitted using Berroco Millefiori yarn, a premium yarn choice from Berroco, Inc. The yarn weight is 100 grams per ball, and the yardage requirements vary by size: 6 balls are needed for the two smallest sizes (bust 62" and 66"), 7 balls for the 70" bust size, 8 balls for the 74" and 78" bust sizes, and 9 balls for the largest 82" bust size. The colorway shown in the pattern is #7893 Azalea.

Knitting needles required include a 29-inch circular needle in size 9 (5.50 mm), or the size necessary to obtain the correct gauge. Additional notions include one stitch marker and waste yarn for holding stitches during construction. The recommended gauge is 16 stitches and 22 rows equals 4 inches in stockinette stitch, and the pattern emphasizes the importance of checking gauge before beginning to ensure proper fit and drape of the finished garment.

Skill Level

The Mei sweater is rated as an Easy skill level project, making it accessible to knitters with basic to intermediate experience. The straightforward stockinette stitch base and simple edge ribbing pattern make this an ideal project for those looking to create a wearable, fashionable garment without complex stitch work or advanced techniques.