Shibui Knits Ciella Jumper Knitting Pattern

Shibui Knits Ciella Top: Modern Knit Sweater Pattern

What Is Being Made

The Ciella Top is a contemporary pullover sweater designed by Britt-Marie Brehmer for Shibui Knits. This garment features a statement-making modern silhouette with a ribbed mock neck collar, shaped shoulders created through short-row shaping, and a fitted silhouette with waist shaping. The sweater is designed to be worn with 6–8 inches of positive ease and comes in twelve size options ranging from 30 inches to 62 inches bust circumference, with finished bust measurements from 37.25 inches to 69.75 inches. The pattern is shown in the colorways Ivory and Quartz.

Knitting Techniques

The Ciella Top employs a combination of construction methods to achieve its sophisticated design. The sweater is worked from the top down, beginning at the ribbed mock neck collar. The shoulders are shaped using short-row shaping to create a custom fit at the shoulder area. After the shoulder shaping is complete, the front and back are knit separately using the flat construction method, with a slipped stitch edging worked along the armhole openings. Once the front and back pieces reach the underarm, they are joined and worked in the round for the body section, which allows for seamless circular knitting in Stockinette stitch. The garment features waist shaping positioned above a ribbed hem, creating definition at the waist. Finally, the sweater is seamed to join the separate components together.

Stitches Used

The Ciella Top primarily features Stockinette stitch, which creates a smooth, classic knit fabric. This stitch is used throughout the body of the sweater and is worked both flat and in the round depending on the construction phase. Ribbing is used for the mock neck collar at the top of the garment and for the hem at the bottom, providing elasticity and structure to these edge areas. The pattern also incorporates slipped stitch edging along the armhole openings, which creates a neat, finished edge. Additional techniques mentioned include short rows for shoulder shaping and increases (M1LP notation indicates make-one-left-purl increases) for shaping the waist and other areas of the garment.

Materials and Tools

The Ciella Top is knit using Shibui Knits Pure Cashmere, a 100% cashmere yarn. The pattern requires two strands of Pure Cashmere held together throughout the entire project, creating a luxurious and warm fabric. Each skein contains 220 yards and weighs 25 grams. Depending on the size being knitted, the project requires between 7 and 15 skeins of yarn.

The recommended needle sizes are US 3 (3.25 mm) circular needles in 16-inch, 24-inch, or 32-inch lengths, and US 4 (3.5 mm) circular needles also available in 16-inch, 24-inch, or 32-inch lengths. The specific needle size used should be determined by gauge swatch testing to achieve the required gauge of 28 stitches and 38 rounds in Stockinette stitch over 4 inches when worked in the round with two strands of Pure Cashmere, or 27 stitches and 38 rows over 4 inches when worked flat, both measured after blocking.

Additional tools required include stitch markers for tracking pattern repeats and construction points, waste yarn or a stitch holder for temporarily holding stitches during construction, and a tapestry needle for seaming the pieces together and weaving in yarn ends.

Skill Level

This pattern is rated at an Intermediate skill level, indicating that knitters should have foundational knowledge of basic stitches, increases, decreases, and garment construction before attempting this project. The combination of top-down construction, short-row shaping, transitioning between flat and circular knitting, and seaming techniques requires intermediate-level experience.