Jo Sharp Closing Time Sweater Jumper Knitting Pattern

Jo Sharp Closing Time Sweater

What is Being Made

The Jo Sharp Closing Time Sweater is a soft and slouchy weekend sweater designed with an oversize fit. The garment features a relaxed silhouette that is intentionally worked larger than typical proportions for a DK weight yarn. The sweater is sized to fit bust measurements of 80cm, 90cm, 100cm, and 110cm (approximately 31½, 35⅜, 39⅜, and 43¼ inches), with the model pictured wearing the small size. The design includes a distinctive collar that is worked on three progressively larger needle sizes, creating an increasingly loose and flexible neckline as the length grows.

Knitting Techniques Used

This sweater is constructed using bottom-up knitting and seamedworked flat on straight needles rather than in the round, meaning pieces are knitted as separate flat panels that are later seamed together. The collar features a unique graduated needle sizing technique, with needles increasing in size as the collar length increases, which creates the characteristically loose and flexible neckline. Raglan armhole shaping is incorporated into the design, with decreases worked symmetrically on both right-side and wrong-side rows to create the sloped armhole caps.

Stitches and Stitch Patterns

The Closing Time Sweater employs several fundamental knitting stitches to create its relaxed fabric. The main body is worked in stockinette stitch (St st), which creates a smooth, classic knit fabric. The sleeve cuffs and lower body sections feature ribbed knitting, alternating knit and purl stitches (K1, P1 rib) to create elastic edges that hold the garment close at the wrists and hem. Decreases are achieved using knit two together (K2tog) and slip, slip, knit (Ssk) techniques for right-leaning and left-leaning decreases respectively, ensuring balanced shaping on both sides of the armholes and sleeves. Increases are worked using knit front and back (Kfb) to add stitches along the sleeve length, creating the gradual widening needed for proper sleeve cap fit.

Materials

The Jo Sharp Closing Time Sweater is knitted using Jo Sharp New Era Merino DK Superwash yarn. This is a DK weight yarn that is machine washable due to its superwash treatment, making the finished garment easy to care for. The yarn quantities required vary by size: 11 balls of 50g for size A (80cm bust), 12 balls for size B (90cm bust), 12 balls for size C (100cm bust), and 13 balls for size D (110cm bust). The recommended yarn color in the pattern is Ashen (shade 811). Needles used include 4.50mm needles for the main fabric, with additional needle sizes employed for the graduated collar shaping to achieve the intended loose fit at the neckline. The pattern specifies working on slightly larger than usual needles for the DK weight yarn, which creates a lighter and more flexible fabric that contributes to the sweater's characteristic slouchy appearance.

Design Features

The sweater's construction begins with the back and front panels, which are knitted flat from the bottom up in stockinette stitch. Both panels feature ribbed edging at the lower edge and include raglan armhole shaping that decreases stitches over multiple rows to create the sloped armhole caps. The sleeves are worked separately, beginning with ribbed cuffs and incorporating increases along the length to achieve the proper width before being attached to the body. The three-needle graduated collar technique is a signature design element, with needles increasing in size as the collar grows in length, ensuring the neckline remains loose and comfortable. The pattern includes detailed shaping instructions with specific stitch counts for each size, allowing knitters to customize the fit to their measurements.