Twist Collective Interlaken Jumper Knitting Pattern

Interlaken Sweater by Fiona Ellis

What is Being Made

Interlaken is a knitted pullover sweater designed by Fiona Ellis, available in seven sizes ranging from 34 ½ inches to 52 ½ inches bust circumference. The sweater is intended to be worn with 2 inches of ease and features a sophisticated stranded colorwork pattern worked in a cream base color with silver heather and charcoal heather accents. The finished length to shoulder ranges from 23 ¼ inches to 26 ¼ inches depending on size.

Construction Techniques

Interlaken employs a bottom-up seamed construction method, which means the body pieces are knitted from the lower edge upward before being joined together. The garment is worked flat on straight needles rather than in the round, creating distinct front and back body pieces that are later seamed together. The body and sleeve pieces are joined using the 3-needle bind-off method, a technique that creates a secure, finished seam while binding off stitches simultaneously. The sleeves and yoke are worked back and forth in one continuous piece from cuff to cuff, allowing for seamless integration of the colorwork pattern across the upper body.

Stitches and Stitch Patterns

The sweater features a Textured Rib stitch pattern that serves as the foundation for the lower body sections. This rib pattern is worked over a multiple of 8 stitches plus 2 and alternates between purl rows and mixed knit-purl rows to create visual texture and elasticity. Specifically, the pattern repeats as follows: Row 1 is purled across, Row 2 alternates knit 2 with purl 6, Row 3 is purled across, and Row 4 alternates knit 2 with purl 2 to the end. The upper body and yoke sections transition to a stranded colorwork chart pattern, which is a traditional Fair Isle-style technique where two colors are carried across the back of the work to create intricate patterned designs. Short-row shaping using the wrap-and-turn method (abbreviated as w&t) is employed to create fitted armholes and shoulder shaping without the need for complex decreases.

Materials

The recommended yarn for Interlaken is Cascade Yarns 220 Superwash Merino, a 100% superwash merino wool yarn that offers both durability and easy care. Each ball contains 220 yards (200 meters) and weighs 3 ½ ounces (100 grams). The pattern requires 5 balls of color #01 Cream as the main color (MC), and 1 ball each of color #26 Silver Heather (color A) and color #27 Charcoal Heather (color B) for the smaller sizes, with slightly increased yardage needed for the larger sizes (up to 7 balls of cream and 3 balls of the accent colors for the largest size).

Needles required include Size 7 US (4.5 mm) straight needles for working the flat body pieces and two Size 7 US (4.5 mm) circular needles measuring 16 inches long for the sleeves and yoke sections. The pattern notes that needle size should be adjusted if necessary to obtain the correct gauge, ensuring proper fit and fabric drape.