Gardiner Yarn Works Knotty Wrap Top Jumper Knitting Pattern

Gardiner Yarn Works Knotty Wrap Top - Plus

What Is Being Made

The Knotty Wrap Top - Plus is a stylish wrap-top construction sweater designed by Chrissy Gardiner for plus-size knitters. This warm-weather sweater features a distinctive knotted cable stitch pattern combined with reverse stockinette stitch background, creating visual interest and texture. The garment is sized for XXL through 6X, with bust measurements ranging from 48 to 64 inches and finished lengths from 28.5 to 31 inches.

Construction Techniques

This sweater employs a combination of knitting techniques to achieve its finished construction:

• Bottom-up construction: The sweater is knit from the bottom edge upward, allowing for easy customization of length during the knitting process.
• Worked in the round: The body is primarily worked in the round using a 24-inch circular needle, which creates seamless fabric and allows for continuous pattern work.
• Worked flat: Certain sections, particularly the bodice, are worked flat on needles, requiring seaming for assembly.
• Seamed construction: Flat-worked sections are seamed together to complete the garment.
• Cable techniques: The pattern incorporates cable needles to create the distinctive knotted cable motif.

Stitches and Stitch Patterns

The Knotty Wrap Top uses several key stitches to create its textured appearance:

• Stockinette stitch (st st): The foundational stitch used throughout, with a gauge of 22 stitches and 28 rows over 4 inches when worked flat.
• Reverse stockinette stitch: Creates the background texture against which the knotted cable pattern stands out.
• Knotted cable stitch: A complex stitch pattern that involves slipping stitches to cable needles and holding them in front and back while working the cable. The knot abbreviation specifies: slip 2 stitches to cable needle and hold in back, slip next 2 stitches to a second cable needle and hold in front, knit 2 stitches, purl 2 stitches from the second cable needle held in front, then knit 2 stitches from the first cable needle held in back. This creates the distinctive knotted appearance.
• Make one (M1) increases: Used to increase stitches strategically within the pattern for shaping.
• Knit 2 together (K2tog) decreases: Used for shaping as needed throughout the design.

The knotted cable pattern appears in rounds 6 through 13 of the body and repeats over a multiple of 12 stitches. The pattern alternates between knit and purl stitches to create the textured background. When worked in the round, the knotted cable pattern achieves a gauge of 29 stitches and 28 rounds over 4 inches.

Materials and Tools

The Knotty Wrap Top - Plus requires the following materials and tools:

• Yarn: DK-weight yarn in quantities ranging from approximately 1880 yards for size XXL to 2485 yards for size 6X. The sample garment shown was knit using Classic Elite Wool Bam Boo in color #1647, a yarn blend suitable for warm-weather wear.
• Needles: One 24-inch size 6 (4mm) circular needle, or the size required to obtain proper gauge. The pattern notes that different needle sizes may be needed for the bodice versus the body sections to achieve correct gauge in both stockinette stitch and the knotted cable pattern.
• Notions: Two cable needles for working the cable stitches, stitch markers for tracking pattern repeats and construction points, and a yarn needle for weaving in ends and seaming sections worked flat.

The pattern recommends blocking gauge swatches in both stockinette stitch and the knotted cable pattern before beginning the sweater to ensure accurate measurements and proper fit, as the two stitch patterns may require different needle sizes to achieve the specified gauges.

Difficulty Level

This pattern is rated as intermediate difficulty, suitable for knitters with experience in cable work and comfortable reading complex stitch patterns. The combination of working in the round, managing cable stitches, and potentially switching needle sizes requires solid foundational knitting skills