Stacy Charles Fine Yarns Charlotte Jumper Knitting Pattern

Stacy Charles Fine Yarns Charlotte Knitted Sweater

Garment Overview

The Charlotte is an easy-level knitted sweater designed by Irina Poludnenko, offered in three sizes: Small (bust 34½"), Medium (bust 39"), and Large (bust 44"). This seamed, bottom-up construction sweater features a sophisticated combination of cable panels and lace detailing, creating visual interest across the front and back. The finished length ranges from 24" to 25" depending on size, making it a versatile piece suitable for various occasions and body types.

Construction Technique

Charlotte is worked flat on straight needles using a bottom-up seamed construction method. This approach allows knitters to try on the garment as it progresses and make adjustments before completing the piece. The sweater begins at the lower edge and is worked upward to the armholes, where shaping begins. The flat-working technique combined with seaming creates clean, professional finishing details at the side seams and other joining points.

Stitch Techniques and Pattern Details

This design showcases multiple stitch techniques that create textural contrast and visual appeal:

• Reverse Stockinette Stitch: Used as the primary background stitch, created by purling on right-side rows and knitting on wrong-side rows. This produces the characteristic bumpy texture that frames and highlights the cable and lace elements.
• Cable Stitches: The pattern features two primary cable techniques—C5F (cable 5 front) and C5B (cable 5 back)—which create the distinctive twisted rope-like columns running vertically through the sweater. C5F is worked by slipping 2 stitches to a cable needle and holding them in front, knitting 3 stitches, then knitting the 2 held stitches. C5B reverses this process by holding 3 stitches in back. These cables are approximately 2 inches wide and are repeated across the width of the garment in a regular pattern.
• Decreasing Cables: The pattern incorporates C5F dec and C5B dec variations that combine cable twists with decreases, allowing the cable panels to narrow gracefully as the armholes are shaped. These decreases maintain the cable structure while reducing stitch count.
• Lace Pattern: A 10-stitch lace panel is integrated into the design, featuring yarn overs (yo) and slip-slip-knit decreases (ssk) that create delicate openwork. The lace panel alternates with reverse stockinette sections, adding an elegant, airy quality to the sweater.

Materials and Gauge

Charlotte is designed to be worked in Stacy Charles Fine Yarns NINA, a linen-cotton blend yarn composed of 77% linen and 23% cotton. This fiber content creates a breathable, lightweight fabric ideal for warm-weather wear. The yarn is provided in 1.75-ounce (50-gram) balls with 136 yards (124 meters) per ball. Yardage requirements are 7 balls for Small, 8 balls for Medium, and 9 balls for Large.

The pattern calls for size 6 (4 mm) needles or the size needed to obtain the specified gauge. Achieving proper gauge is essential for this design: the pattern requires 20 stitches and 27 rows to measure 4 inches (10 centimeters) in stockinette stitch. The 10-stitch cable panel measures approximately 2 inches wide. Additional tools needed include a cable needle for manipulating cable stitches, a stitch marker to track pattern repeats, and a yarn needle for seaming and weaving in ends.

Design Features and Shaping

The Charlotte sweater incorporates strategic shaping at the armholes to create a fitted silhouette. Depending on the size, the pattern begins binding off stitches at the armhole to create cap sleeves or sleeveless openings. The cable and lace pattern repeats are carefully positioned to maintain visual balance throughout the shaping process, with decreases integrated into the cable stitches themselves to preserve the design integrity.

The combination of reverse stockinette, cables, and lace creates a sophisticated, textured fabric that showcases the natural qualities of the linen-cotton blend. The structured cables provide definition and visual interest, while the lace elements add elegance and breathability—particularly valuable given the warm-weather fiber content.