Noro Sweetheart Jumper Knitting Pattern

Noro Sweetheart Sweater with Lace Panels & Contrast Ribs

What is Being Made

The Noro Sweetheart is a knitted sweater designed by Jenny Watson, featuring elegant lace panels combined with contrasting ribbed details. This garment is crafted as a pullover style sweater available in five sizes ranging from X Small (to fit 81/86cm bust) through X Large (to fit 122/127cm bust), with finished actual bust measurements from 96cm to 136cm. The sweater offers a flattering silhouette with a full length ranging from 56cm to 64cm depending on size, and sleeve lengths between 46cm and 48cm.

Techniques Used

The Sweetheart sweater is constructed using bottom-up knitting methodology, meaning the body and sleeves are worked from the lower edges upward. The garment is worked flat on straight needles rather than in the round, requiring seaming to join the pieces together once individual components are completed. The design incorporates lace techniques to create decorative openwork panels that provide visual interest and a sophisticated aesthetic throughout the sweater.

Stitches and Stitch Details

The pattern employs several fundamental knitting stitches to achieve its design:

• Stockinette Stitch forms the primary fabric base, created by alternating knit rows on the right side with purl rows on the wrong side, providing a smooth, classic finish
• Ribbing in a 2x2 configuration (alternating two knit stitches with two purl stitches) creates the contrast ribs mentioned in the design, offering elasticity and structure at edges and detail areas
• Lace Stitches utilizing yarn forward increases (yfwd) combined with centered double decreases (slip 1, knit 2 together, pass slipped stitch over) create the decorative openwork panels that characterize this sweater
• Decreases including knit 2 together (K2tog) and purl 2 together (P2tog) are used for shaping the neckline and armholes
• Increases via yarn forward (yfwd) techniques contribute to both the lace pattern construction and garment shaping

Materials and Tools Required

The Sweetheart sweater requires Noro Silk Garden yarn in two colorways. The main color is Noro Silk Garden Main Col 412, with quantities ranging from 6 balls for X Small sizes to 10 balls for X Large (each ball weighs 50g). A contrasting color, Noro Silk Garden Solo Contrast Col 3, is used for the ribbed details, requiring 1 to 2 balls depending on size.

Two pairs of straight knitting needles are essential: 5mm (US8) needles for working the main fabric at the specified tension, and 4mm (US6) needles for the ribbed sections which require tighter gauge. Additional tools include stitch holders for temporarily securing stitches during construction, particularly when shaping the neckline.

Gauge and Tension

The pattern specifies a tension of 16 stitches and 22 rows to 10cm (4 inches) over stockinette stitch and lace pattern using the 5mm (US8) needles. Achieving correct tension is critical for obtaining the intended finished measurements and ensuring proper fit across all five size options.