Classic Elite Yarns Fleurette Jumper Knitting Pattern

Classic Elite Yarns Fleurette Knit Sweater

What is Being Made

Fleurette is a knitted sweater featuring a distinctive openwork lace pattern throughout the bodice. The design showcases plunging necklines on both the back and front, creating an elegant and dramatic silhouette. The sweater is constructed using a seamed construction method, with separate upper body panels that are joined together to form the finished garment. This pattern was originally published in Rising Tide 1704, a printed collection of designs from Classic Elite Yarns.

Construction and Seaming Techniques

Fleurette employs a seamed construction approach, which allows for precise shaping and professional finishing. The sweater is built from rectangular upper body panels that are blocked to specific dimensions before being sewn together. The pattern uses two distinct seaming applications:

• Center back seam: Created using the Mattress stitch, worked from the bind-off edges upwards for 3 inches, joining the two upper body rectangles with right sides facing
• Center front seam: Also worked with Mattress stitch, applied from the cast-on edges upwards for 1 inch after rotating the joined rectangles

The Mattress stitch provides an invisible seam finish that creates a polished, professional appearance while maintaining the integrity of the lace pattern across the seams.

Lace and Openwork Stitch Pattern

The primary design element of Fleurette is its intricate Openwork Pattern, which creates an eyelet-covered bodice with delicate lace effects. This stitch pattern operates on a multiple of 3 stitches and features a 6-row repeat that combines yarn overs with strategic decreases to form the openwork design.

Pattern Stitch Sequence:

• Row 1 (Right Side): All stitches are knitted while wrapping the yarn 3 times around the needle for each stitch, creating elongated loops
• Row 2 (Wrong Side): Slip 3 stitches individually knitwise to the right-hand needle while dropping the extra wraps, return the 3 elongated stitches to the left-hand needle, and work them together as a knit 3 together through the back loop, followed by a yarn over. This sequence is repeated across the row, with the final 3 stitches worked as k3tog-tbl followed by a left-leaning lifted increase. This row decreases the stitch count to a multiple of 2 stitches
• Row 3: Knit 1, knit front and back (increase) pattern repeated across the row, which restores the stitch count back to a multiple of 3 stitches
• Rows 4, 5, and 6: Worked entirely in stockinette stitch (knit on right side rows)

The pattern is repeated 17 to 21 times depending on the size, creating multiple rows of openwork lace that build the visual impact of the eyelet design. The stitch count fluctuates during the pattern repeat but returns to the original count after Row 3, allowing knitters to verify their progress at regular intervals.

Sizing and Dimensions

Fleurette is offered in six sizes with the following blocked upper body dimensions:

• Size 1: 17¼ inches wide and 18 inches high
• Size 2: 18 inches wide and 18 inches high
• Size 3: 18¾ inches wide and 19 inches high
• Size 4: 20½ inches wide and 20 inches high
• Size 5: 21½ inches wide and 21 inches high
• Size 6: 23¼ inches wide and 22 inches high

Materials and Tools

Fleurette is designed to be worked with knitting needles and yarn appropriate to the Classic Elite Yarns specifications. The pattern requires a main needle size suitable for the chosen yarn weight, and knitters will need basic blocking supplies to achieve the specified dimensions before seaming. The sweater construction begins with cast-on stitches ranging from 60 to 81 stitches depending on the size selected, with initial stockinette stitch rows worked before transitioning to the Openwork Pattern.

Design Details

Beyond the technical construction, Fleurette features sophisticated design elements including plunging necklines on both the back and front panels, which are created through the