Universal Yarn Tanami Tee Jumper Knitting Pattern

Universal Yarn Tanami Tee

Garment Overview

The Tanami Tee is a knitted pullover sweater designed by Rachel Brockman, featuring a contemporary dolman silhouette with mixed fiber construction. This downloadable knitting pattern offers eight sizes ranging from Extra Small to 4X, with finished bust measurements from 31¼ inches to 66½ inches and lengths between 21 and 24½ inches. The design showcases an all-over lace and textured aesthetic with visual interest concentrated on the back shoulders.

Knitting Techniques

The Tanami Tee employs several intermediate knitting techniques to create its distinctive appearance:

• Bottom-up construction: The garment is worked from the lower edge upward, allowing for straightforward sizing adjustments and fitting checks during the knitting process.
• Worked flat: The pattern uses flat knitting on circular needles rather than in-the-round, with seamed finishing for a polished final product.
• Seamed construction: Pieces are knitted separately and joined together using a three-needle bind-off technique at the shoulders, providing clean, structured seams.
• Lace and texture patterning: The design incorporates decorative stitch patterns that create visual depth and interest, particularly on the back shoulders where the lace elements peek over the front.

Stitches and Stitch Patterns

The pattern utilizes two primary stitch patterns that work together to create the garment's textured appearance:

• Fabric Stitch: An even-numbered stitch pattern that forms the base fabric. This stitch alternates knit and slipped stitches (worked purl-wise with yarn in front) on right-side rows with purl rows on the wrong side, creating a subtle texture. The Fabric Stitch is worked on US Size 6 (4 mm) needles and achieves a gauge of 19 stitches and 29 rows over 4 inches.
• Acorn Stitch: A lace pattern worked over a multiple of 6 stitches plus 2 additional stitches, combining knit and purl stitches to form a decorative motif. This stitch is worked on US Size 4 (3.5 mm) needles and achieves a gauge of 19 stitches and 23 rows over 4 inches. The pattern notes recommend placing stitch markers between Acorn Stitch repeats to maintain pattern accuracy.
• Sloped bind-off: A specialized finishing technique that creates a diagonal edge by slipping stitches before binding off, adding a refined detail to the garment edges.

Materials and Fiber Content

The Tanami Tee calls for two complementary yarns from Universal Yarn's Fibra Natura collection, both featuring an identical fiber blend and yardage:

• Fibra Natura Unity in 108 Silver Blue (main color): 2 to 4 skeins depending on size, providing the primary color foundation for the garment.
• Fibra Natura Unity Beyond in 204 Boardwalk (contrast color): 2 to 4 skeins depending on size, used as the secondary color for pattern contrast and visual interest.

Both yarns share identical specifications: each 100-gram skein yields 262 yards and contains a balanced blend of 36% wool, 28% cotton, 18% linen, and 18% bamboo. This fiber composition creates a fabric with natural breathability, durability, and a comfortable drape suitable for a lightweight tee.

Needle and Notions Requirements

The pattern requires two sizes of needles to accommodate the different stitch patterns and their respective gauges:

• US Size 6 (4 mm) needles: A 24-inch circular needle for working the main Fabric Stitch sections, sized to accommodate the larger stitch count of the garment body.
• US Size 4 (3.5 mm) needles: Straight needles and a 16-inch circular needle for the Acorn Stitch lace sections and neck edging, allowing for more precise gauge control in the decorative areas.

Additional notions include stitch markers for tracking pattern repeats, a tapestry needle for seaming and weaving in ends, and stitch holders or waste yarn for temporarily securing stitches during construction.

Pattern Characteristics