Trendsetter Yarns E Soffio & Tiger - A-Line Swing Striped Pullover

Trendsetter Yarns E Soffio & Tiger A-Line Swing Striped Pullover

What Is Being Made

This is a knitted pullover sweater featuring a flattering A-line silhouette with a swing fit. The garment is designed to fit bust measurements of 36, 41, 46, 51, and 57 inches across five sizes from Small through 1X. The distinctive A-line construction creates approximately 6 inches of additional width at the bottom compared to the bust measurement, offering a comfortable and elegant drape. The sweater showcases horizontal color stripes throughout the body, creating visual interest and movement in the finished piece.

Techniques Used

This pullover is constructed using a bottom-up seamed approach, meaning the back and front pieces are knitted separately from the lower edge upward, then assembled together. The garment is worked flat on straight needles rather than in continuous rounds, allowing for easier stripe pattern management and shaping. The design incorporates mitered decreases as a key shaping technique, strategically placed to create the A-line silhouette while maintaining the visual integrity of the striped pattern. These decreases are worked on specific right-side rows at designated intervals throughout the color-change sequence, gradually narrowing the width of the piece to achieve the swing shape.

Stitches Used

The primary stitch throughout most of the sweater is Stockinette Stitch, created by knitting all stitches on right-side rows and purling all stitches on wrong-side rows. This classic stitch creates a smooth, flat fabric ideal for showcasing the multi-colored stripe pattern. Complementing the stockinette sections are bands of Reverse Stockinette Stitch, worked by purling on right-side rows and knitting on wrong-side rows. These reverse stockinette bands are created using Trendsetter Tiger yarn in color CC and appear between each color stripe, adding textural contrast and visual definition to the horizontal color blocks. The sweater also employs double mitered decreases (abbreviated as DMD), a specialized decrease technique that removes two stitches simultaneously while creating a clean, centered diagonal line. These decreases are worked at three different points in the pattern (Miter Decrease 1, 2, and 3) with varying stitch counts depending on size, strategically positioned to shape the A-line profile.

Stripe Pattern and Color Sequence

The sweater features an intricate multi-color striping sequence using seven distinct yarn colors. The pattern alternates between blocks of stockinette stitch in colors A, B, C, D, E, and F, with each color block measuring 14 to 18 rows depending on size. Between each color change, six rows of reverse stockinette stitch in color CC provide textural breaks and visual separation. Colors B, C, and D incorporate the mitered decreases on their final right-side rows, creating graduated shaping that defines the A-line silhouette. The sequence repeats across the full length of the garment, creating a rhythmic, balanced appearance.

Materials and Gauge

This pattern calls for Trendsetter Soffio yarn in multiple colors: colors A, B, C, D, and E use Soffio in quantities of 2 to 3 skeins of 25 grams each depending on size; colors F and G use 2 to 3 skeins and 1 to 2 skeins respectively of 25-gram balls. Trendsetter Tiger yarn in color CC requires 2 skeins of 50 grams. Knitting needles in U.S. sizes #10, #10½, and #11 are required for this project. The gauge is worked in stockinette stitch using a U.S. #10½ needle with Soffio yarn, measuring 16 stitches and 22 rows over 4 inches. Accurate gauge is critical for this pattern because Soffio contains a thin elastic fiber that affects both stitch and row gauge; failure to match the specified gauge will result in incorrect garment dimensions and length. Knitters are advised to adjust the number of rows worked if row gauge is not achieved, ensuring the finished sweater reaches the correct length.