Debbie Bliss Fleur Knitting Pattern

Debbie Bliss Fleur Knitted Sweater

What Is Being Made

The Debbie Bliss Fleur is a women's knitted sweater designed to fit bust sizes from 81cm to 112cm (32 to 44 inches). This intermediate-level garment features a sophisticated stranded colorwork pattern and is constructed using seamed, flat-worked pieces. The finished sweater offers length to shoulder measurements ranging from 57cm to 63cm (22½ to 24¾ inches), with consistent sleeve length of 44cm (17¼ inches) across all sizes.

Techniques Used

The Fleur employs stranded colorwork as its primary decorative technique, worked from a detailed chart pattern. The sweater is worked flat on straight needles, meaning the front, back, and sleeves are knitted as separate pieces and later joined together through seaming. The construction includes shaping techniques such as strategic decreases and increases to create fitted armholes and sleeve caps. The pattern incorporates a trellis motif that repeats throughout the body of the garment, creating visual interest while maintaining structural integrity.

Stitches and Pattern Details

The design utilizes fundamental knitting stitches including knit and purl stitches as the foundation. Additional shaping stitches employed include skpo (slip one, knit one, pass slipped stitch over) for left-leaning decreases and k2tog (knit two together) for right-leaning decreases. The pattern incorporates m1 (make one) increases worked by picking up and working into the back of the loop between stitches. The main pattern repeat, known as the trellis pattern, spans rows 17 through 36 and is repeated to create the characteristic texture and colorwork design throughout the sweater body.

Materials and Gauge

The Fleur is designed to be worked in Debbie Bliss Cotton DK, a lightweight cotton yarn. The color palette consists of three colors: Ecru 02 (main color, requiring 10 to 13 balls of 50g depending on size), Ruby 84 (contrast color, 3 balls of 50g), and Leaf 85 (second contrast color, 3 balls of 50g). Three pairs of knitting needles in different sizes are required: 3.25mm (US 3), 3.75mm (US 5), and 4mm (US 6). The working gauge is 20 stitches and 28 rows to 10cm (4 inches) measured over stockinette stitch using the 4mm (US 6) needles, which is the primary needle size for the main body of the garment.

Construction Method

The pattern begins with ribbed edging worked on smaller needles before transitioning to the main 4mm needles for the body. The back and front pieces are worked identically, featuring the stranded colorwork chart pattern. Raglan armhole shaping is created by casting off stitches at the beginning of rows, followed by decreases worked at the edges on subsequent rows. The sweater incorporates both decrease and increase sequences to achieve the desired fit and silhouette, with the trellis pattern maintained throughout the shaping process.