Trendsetter Yarns Pure Love Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Trendsetter Yarns Pure Love - Brick Stitch Pullover

What is Being Made

The Pure Love Brick Stitch Pullover is a knitted pullover sweater designed by Jan Runkel for Just Jan Designs. This garment features a classic pullover silhouette with a straight body and is available in five sizes ranging from Small to 1X, fitting bust measurements of 36 to 52 inches. The finished length varies from 24 to 26 inches depending on size, providing a standard pullover proportions suitable for everyday wear.

Techniques Used

This pullover is constructed using a bottom-up approach, meaning the garment is knitted starting from the lower edge and working upward toward the shoulders. The pattern employs seamed construction, where individual pieces are knitted separately and then sewn together. The sweater is worked flat on straight needles rather than in the round, allowing for traditional row-by-row knitting. A distinctive feature is the use of stripes created through strategic color changes that shift the visual emphasis of the brick stitch pattern throughout the body of the garment.

Stitches Used

The Pure Love Brick Stitch Pullover employs two primary stitches:

• Rib Stitch: Used for the ribbed edging at the lower edge of the garment. The rib stitch is worked as a 1x1 rib, alternating knit and purl stitches (K1, P1) to create an elastic, textured border. This rib section is worked for 6 rows using U.S. #9 needles before transitioning to the main pattern.
• Brick Stitch: The primary stitch pattern used for the body of the pullover. The brick stitch is created through an 8-row repeat that combines knit rows with slip stitch rows. The pattern alternates between rows worked entirely in knit (the "mortar" rows) and rows featuring slip stitches that create the characteristic brick-like texture. Slip stitches are worked as slip 1 stitch as to purl, with yarn held in back (wyib) on right-side rows and yarn held in front (wyif) on wrong-side rows. The brick stitch pattern is offset across rows to create the interlocking brick appearance, with stitches slipped at intervals of every fourth stitch in alternating positions.

Materials and Gauge

This pattern utilizes Trendsetter Yarns Pure Love in two coordinating colorways: Pure Love #90001 serves as the primary color (approximately 3 to 4 skeins depending on size), while Pure Love #91191 provides the contrasting color (approximately 2 to 3 skeins depending on size). The two-color combination creates visual depth through the brick stitch pattern and the strategic color shifts throughout the garment.

Needles required include U.S. #9 and U.S. #10 sizes. The U.S. #9 needles are used for the ribbed edging, while the U.S. #10 needles are used for the main brick stitch pattern. The gauge for this project is 15 stitches over 4 inches when measured in the brick stitch pattern using the U.S. #10 needle with Trendsetter Yarns Pure Love yarn.

Pattern Construction Details

The back piece is initiated by casting on between 67 and 99 stitches depending on size. The ribbed edging is worked first for 6 rows using the smaller needles before switching to the larger needles and beginning the brick stitch pattern. The brick stitch pattern is worked in color blocks, with the first half of the body featuring one color arrangement and the second half featuring an inverted arrangement. This creates the striped effect characteristic of the design. The pattern instructions indicate that the brick stitch is worked for 8-inch sections with color changes occurring at specific intervals, allowing the visual pattern to shift and evolve as the knitter progresses up the garment.