Camilla (Plain) Jumper Knitting Pattern

Camilla (Plain) Jumper in Rowan Summerlite DK

What is Being Made

The Camilla (Plain) Jumper is a knitted pullover sweater designed by Martin Storey for Rowan. This garment is available in a striped version and a plain version, offering versatility for different style preferences. The jumper is tailored to fit bust measurements ranging from 71–76 cm (28–30 inches) through to 152–157 cm (60–62 inches), making it suitable for a wide range of sizes. The actual bust measurement of the finished garment ranges from 80 cm (31½ inches) at the smallest size to 160 cm (63 inches) at the largest size.

Craft and Construction Techniques

This is a knitting project classified as intermediate difficulty level. The construction involves several key shaping techniques essential to creating a well-fitted garment:

• Raglan armhole shaping: The jumper features raglan-style armholes, which are created by casting off stitches at the beginning of rows and then working decreases along the armhole edges. This technique creates diagonal seams running from the underarm to the neckline.
• Decreasing techniques: The pattern employs slip stitch, knit, pass slipped stitch over (Sl 1, K1, psso) and knit two together (K2tog) decreases to shape the garment. These decreases are worked at regular intervals—initially on alternate rows, then on every fourth row—to gradually reduce stitch counts and create the tapered armhole and neckline shaping.
• Front neck shaping: The front features deliberate neck shaping to create a flattering neckline opening.
• Stripe sequence option: For the striped version, the pattern incorporates a 48-row stripe sequence using four different yarn colors, with each color worked for 12 rows before switching to the next color in the sequence.

Stitches Used

The Camilla jumper employs two primary stitch patterns:

• Stockinette stitch (st st): This is the foundational stitch used for much of the garment construction. Stockinette stitch creates a smooth, classic fabric with a distinctive V-pattern on the right side and horizontal bumps on the wrong side.
• Garter stitch (g st): Garter stitch is used to complete sections of the back and other areas of the jumper. This stitch creates a textured, reversible fabric with horizontal ridges on both sides, offering a different visual and tactile quality compared to stockinette stitch.

The tension specifications are critical for achieving the correct finished measurements: 22 stitches and 30 rows to 10 cm (4 inches) measured over stockinette stitch using 3¾mm needles, and 21 stitches and 40 rows to 10 cm measured over garter stitch using the same needle size.

Materials: Yarn and Needles

The Camilla (Plain) Jumper is designed to be knitted using Rowan Summerlite DK yarn, a lightweight double knitting weight yarn sold in 50-gram balls. The yarn requirements vary by size and version:

• Striped Version: Requires four coordinating colors from the Rowan range: Pink Powder (color 472), Summer (color 453), Favourite Denim (color 469), and Seashell (color 466). Quantities range from 2–6 balls per color depending on the finished size.
• Plain Version: The pattern notes that the photographed version is shown in Cantaloupe (color 456), indicating the plain version uses a single solid color throughout.

The pattern requires two pairs of needles and one circular needle:

• 3¼mm (UK size 10, US size 3) needles: Used for ribbed sections and cast-on work to create elasticity.
• 3¾mm (UK size 9, US size 5) needles: The main working needles used for the body of the garment in both stockinette and garter stitch.
• 3¾mm (US 5) circular needle: A short circular needle, no more than 40 cm long, is required for working certain sections, likely the neckline or other areas where circular needles provide practical advantages.