Florence Jumper Knitting Pattern

Florence Seamless Sweater in MODE at Rowan Mohair Soft

What is Being Made

Florence is a seamless knitted sweater designed by Quail Studio, available in nine sizes ranging from 71-76 cm to 152-157 cm chest measurements (28-30 inches to 60-62 inches). This intermediate-level garment features a sophisticated construction method that combines circular knitting from hem to armhole with flat knitting for the upper body and sleeves, creating a polished, professionally finished piece.

Construction and Techniques

The Florence sweater employs a seamless knitting technique that minimizes finishing work and creates a continuous fabric from the lower body upward. The garment begins as circular knitting on the body, where the front and back are worked together in the round up to the armhole depth. At the armhole, the front and back are split and worked flat in rows to accommodate shaping. This hybrid approach combines the speed and ease of circular knitting with the precision control of flat knitting for fitted areas.

Once the body is complete, the shoulders are joined together, and sleeves are picked up directly from the body armholes and knitted downward to the cuff in the round. This top-down sleeve construction eliminates the need for sewing seams and allows for seamless integration with the body. The neckband is also worked in the round using double-pointed needles for a refined finish.

The pattern includes a fairisle colorwork section that spans 42 rows, adding visual interest and texture to the sweater. Fairisle knitting requires careful tension management to ensure the pattern remains even and the floats on the wrong side remain consistent, which is why this design is rated as intermediate difficulty.

Stitches Used

The Florence sweater is primarily constructed using stockinette stitch (st st), which creates a smooth, classic fabric ideal for showcasing the yarn's qualities. Stockinette stitch is formed by knitting on right-side rows and purling on wrong-side rows when working flat, or knitting every round when working in the round.

Decreasing is accomplished using the slip slip knit (SSK) technique, a left-leaning decrease that pairs aesthetically with right-leaning knit two together decreases for balanced shaping. The SSK decrease is worked by slipping two stitches individually from left to right needle as if to knit, then inserting the left needle through the front of both slipped stitches and knitting them together.

The fairisle pattern section introduces a second color technique, where two colors are worked within the same row or round, creating a stranded colorwork effect. This requires managing yarn tension across color changes and maintaining consistent stitch size throughout the pattern repeat.

Materials: Yarn and Needles

Florence is designed to be knitted in MODE at Rowan Mohair Soft, a luxurious yarn available in four colorways for this pattern. The primary color is Whisper (10203), which forms the base of the garment and requires between 5 to 8 balls of 50-gram skeins depending on size. Accent colors include Chocolate (10202), Winter (10200), and Charcoal (10209), each requiring just one ball for the fairisle colorwork section.

The pattern is worked on 5.5mm (US size 9) needles in multiple configurations: circular needles measuring 80, 120, or 160 cm for the body depending on size, 40 cm circular needles for sleeve work, and double-pointed needles for the neckband and final sleeve rounds. This needle selection ensures proper gauge and comfortable working throughout the construction process.

The recommended tension is 16 stitches and 20 rows or rounds per 10 centimeters measured over stockinette stitch using 5.5mm needles. Achieving and maintaining correct tension is essential, particularly over the fairisle pattern sections, to ensure the finished garment fits to the intended measurements and the colorwork remains even and balanced.

Additional Materials and Notions

The pattern requires stitch markers for tracking pattern repeats and construction points, and stitch holders for temporarily securing stitches during the transition from body to sleeves and for shoulder joining. These basic notions are essential for executing the seamless construction method successfully.