Lopi Köttur Jumper Knitting Pattern

Lopi Köttur Sweater – Knitted Puff Sleeve Yoke Jumper

What Is Being Made

The Lopi Köttur is a feminine, light, and loosely knitted sweater featuring a distinctive circular yoke with puff sleeves. The design is notable for its playful construction detail: the sweater can be styled to create a shoulder-hunched silhouette reminiscent of a cat, adding a whimsical element to this everyday garment. Available in three sizes (S, M, L) with chest measurements ranging from 85 to 103 cm, this is a versatile piece suitable for various body types.

Techniques Used

The Köttur employs a bottom-up construction method, meaning the body and sleeves are knitted starting from the lower edge and progressing upward toward the shoulders. The garment is worked seamlessly in the round, creating a continuous tube of fabric that eliminates the need for seaming and provides a smooth, professional finish. The body and sleeves are knitted separately in the round until the underarms, where they are then joined to work the yoke in the round. This seamless yoke approach creates a unified shoulder and upper body section without interruption.

The yoke construction incorporates short rows at the back, a shaping technique that adds depth and contour to the back shoulder area. Short rows are worked back and forth while the rest of the garment remains circular, with careful yarn wrapping around stitches to prevent holes and ensure a polished appearance. This technique allows the back to be shaped independently while maintaining the overall circular structure.

Stitches Used

The primary stitch used throughout the Köttur is Stockinette Stitch (St st), which creates a smooth, classic fabric with a flat appearance on the right side and bumpy texture on the wrong side. This fundamental knit stitch is worked consistently across the body, sleeves, and yoke.

Decreases are strategically placed to shape the yoke and create the puff sleeve silhouette. The pattern employs ssk (slip, slip, knit) and k2tog (knit two together) decreases, which are worked at the shoulders and front neck area. These decreases are repeated in specific sequences—such as *ssk, k1* and *k2tog, k1*—to create a gradual, even reduction in stitch count as the yoke progresses. The decreases are positioned at mid-shoulder points and at the center front, shaping the neckline and sleeve cap simultaneously.

Materials

The Köttur is knitted using Álafosslopi yarn in the colorway 1235 ray of light. Álafosslopi is a traditional Icelandic wool yarn known for its light, airy quality and loose knit structure, which aligns perfectly with the pattern's description of a "loosely knitted sweater." The yarn is worked at a gauge of 8.5 stitches and 13 rows per 10 x 10 cm using 12 mm needles in Stockinette Stitch.

The pattern requires multiple needle sizes to accommodate different sections of the garment:

• 12 mm (US 17) circular needles in both 40 cm and 80 cm lengths for the main body and yoke
• 10 mm (US 15) circular needles in both 40 cm and 80 cm lengths, likely for ribbing or a transition section
• 10 mm and 12 mm double-pointed needles for working small circumferences, such as the upper sleeve cap or neckline finishing

Yarn quantity is measured in 100 g balls of Álafosslopi, though the exact yardage required for each size is not specified in the provided pattern excerpt. Knitters should consult the complete pattern for total yardage requirements based on their chosen size.

Construction Summary

The Köttur's construction begins with the body worked in the round from the lower edge upward to the underarms. The sleeves are similarly worked in the round to the underarm point. At the underarms, the body and sleeves are joined, and the yoke is worked continuously in the round. The yoke features decreases at the shoulders and front neck that progressively reduce the stitch count, creating the fitted puff sleeve silhouette. Short rows worked at the back add shaping and dimension. The round begins at the left side of the body during the body and sleeve sections, then shifts to the left side of the back at the joining of the