Malabrigo Aspen Jumper Knitting Pattern

Malabrigo Aspen Boxy Sweater

What is Being Made

The Aspen Boxy Sweater is a relaxed-fit pullover designed by the Malabrigo Team. This intermediate-level knitting project features a contemporary boxy silhouette available in seven sizes ranging from X-Small to XXX-Large, with finished bust measurements from 37 inches to 62 inches. The sweater showcases a striking geometric V-pattern created through color work, making it a visually distinctive garment suitable for layering or wearing as a statement piece.

Techniques Used

The Aspen Boxy Sweater employs several key knitting techniques that contribute to its construction and visual appeal:

• Bottom-Up Construction: The sweater is knitted from the bottom upward, beginning with cast-on stitches at the hem and progressing toward the shoulders and neckline. This method allows for easy adjustments to length during the knitting process.
• Intarsia Colorwork: The V-pattern is worked using the intarsia technique, which involves working with multiple colors of yarn simultaneously. When changing colors, yarns are twisted on the wrong side to prevent holes from forming in the finished fabric. This technique creates clean color transitions and is ideal for geometric patterns like the V-design featured in this sweater.
• Seamed Construction: Front and back pieces are knitted separately and then seamed together. One edge stitch on each side is incorporated into the seaming and is not counted in the final measurements, ensuring precise finished dimensions.
• Striping: The design incorporates striped elements as part of its overall color structure, with the intarsia V-pattern expanding progressively across the body.

Stitches Used

The Aspen Boxy Sweater uses fundamental knitting stitches executed with precision:

• Ribbing (k1, p1): A knit-one, purl-one ribbed pattern forms the hem and provides elasticity. This ribbing is worked for 3 inches (8 centimeters) and creates a finished, structured edge that helps the sweater maintain its shape.
• Stockinette Stitch (St st): The main body of the sweater is worked in stockinette stitch, which creates a smooth, flat fabric with a characteristic V-pattern of knits on the right side. This stitch provides an excellent canvas for the intarsia colorwork pattern.
• Bind-Off: Strategic bind-offs are used to shape the shoulders and neckline, creating the proper fit at these critical areas.

Materials

The Aspen Boxy Sweater is designed to be knitted with Malabrigo Rasta yarn, a premium merino wool option that provides excellent stitch definition for colorwork projects. Each hank contains 5.29 ounces (150 grams) and approximately 90 yards (82 meters) of yarn.

• Yarn Requirements: The project requires two colors of Malabrigo Rasta. Color A is Pearl Ten (#069), needed in quantities ranging from 3 to 5 hanks depending on size. Color B is Mejillon (#167), required in 4 to 7 hanks depending on size. The specific yardage needed varies by garment size, with larger sizes requiring additional yardage.
• Needles: One pair of US size 15 (10 millimeter) needles is required, or the size necessary to obtain the designer's specified gauge. This needle size is appropriate for working with the weight and texture of Malabrigo Rasta yarn.
• Notions: Stitch markers are used to track pattern placement and shaping points throughout the construction process.

Pattern Details and Shaping

The Aspen Boxy Sweater features thoughtful shaping that creates its distinctive silhouette. The front and back pieces are identical, simplifying the knitting process. After the ribbed hem, the body is worked in stockinette stitch until reaching the appropriate length before the V-pattern intarsia begins. The V-pattern is constructed by progressively reducing stitches in color A while increasing stitches in color B, creating an expanding geometric design. The pattern continues until all stitches are worked in color B, at which point color A is cut and the remainder of the sweater is completed in a single color. Shoulder shaping and neckline shaping are worked at the top of the piece, with bind-offs creating the proper armhole and neck opening. The finished length ranges from 26 inches to 29¾ inches depending on size, providing