Rowan Picot Jumper Knitting Pattern

Rowan Picot Sweater by Leah Sutton

What Is Being Made

Picot is a classic knitted sweater designed by Leah Sutton for Rowan. This garment is a versatile pullover available in five sizes ranging from XS to XL, with bust measurements from 81 cm to 102 cm (32 to 40 inches). The sweater features a distinctive picot edging detail that appears on the collar and armhole borders, adding a refined decorative element to this everyday knit.

Techniques Used

This sweater is constructed using a bottom-up method, meaning pieces are knitted from the lower edge upward. The garment is worked flat on straight needles rather than in the round, and pieces are subsequently seamed together using traditional finishing techniques such as back stitch or mattress stitch. The pattern includes specialized picot cast-on and picot cast-off techniques, which create decorative scalloped edges characteristic of refined knitwear.

Stitches Used

• Stocking stitch (stockinette stitch): The primary stitch throughout the body of the sweater, creating a smooth, classic fabric
• Knit and purl: Used in combination for the collar construction, beginning with a purl row before continuing in stocking stitch
• Decreases: K2tog (knit two together) and K2tog tbl (knit two together through back loop) are used to shape the collar, creating a tapered fit
• Picot cast-on: A decorative cast-on technique that creates a scalloped edge at the lower edges of the sweater
• Picot cast-off: A specialized bind-off method that produces a matching decorative scalloped finish, executed by alternately casting on and casting off stitches to form small loops

Materials and Tools

The sweater is knitted using Rowan Orginal Denim yarn, with 6 to 8 balls of 50-gram weight required depending on size selection. The yarn shown in the pattern photograph is dyed in the colorway Nashville 225. Two pairs of needles are required: 3¼mm (UK no. 10 / US 3) needles for the picot cast-on and initial edgings, and 4mm (UK no. 8 / US 6) needles for the main body of the sweater. The pattern specifies a tension of 20 stitches and 28 rows to 10 cm measured over stocking stitch using the 4mm needles.

Important Pattern Notes

Knitters should be aware that Rowan Orginal Denim yarn will shrink in length when washed for the first time. The pattern includes specific allowances for this shrinkage, and the size diagram provided indicates the finished measurements after washing. This consideration is essential for achieving the intended final garment dimensions.