Valley Yarns Beauty Berry Knitting Pattern

Valley Yarns Beauty Berry Knit Sweater

What Is Being Made

The Beauty Berry is an intermediate-level pullover sweater designed by Julie Turjoman, featuring a vintage aesthetic with textured detailing. This garment is available in nine sizes ranging from XS to 5XL, with finished bust measurements from 35¼ inches to 70¼ inches. The sweater is designed with 2–4 inches of positive ease, making it suitable for comfortable layering across three seasons. The finished garment showcases bracelet-length sleeves, a standing mock neck collar, and an engaging "plaid" twist stitch pattern throughout.

Techniques Used

The Beauty Berry employs multiple construction techniques to create its finished structure. The sweater is worked flat in pieces, meaning the body and sleeves are knitted in rows rather than in continuous rounds, then seamed together at the seams. This flat-working approach allows for precise shaping and patterning control.

The bottom-up construction method is used, where knitters begin at the lower edge of the garment and work upward toward the shoulders and neckline. The bracelet-length sleeves are worked flat from the cuffs upward with increase shaping to accommodate the armhole placement. A worked-in-the-round technique is employed for the collar, which is constructed from held stitches and picked-up stitches around the neckline opening, creating the standing mock neck detail.

Selvage edge stitches are incorporated on the side edges of both the body and sleeves to assist with clean, professional seaming. The sweater includes hemmed edges worked in reverse stockinette stitch on both the body and sleeves, providing a polished, finished appearance.

Stitches Used

The primary stitch pattern featured in the Beauty Berry is the Plaid Twist stitch, a textured 20-row repeat pattern that creates the engaging visual interest characteristic of this design. This twist stitch pattern is worked across the main body and sleeves on the larger needles, establishing the sweater's distinctive vintage aesthetic.

Reverse stockinette stitch is used for the hemmed sections at the lower body edge and sleeve cuffs, creating a subtle textured contrast. Stockinette stitch is worked for the selvage edge stitches (the first and last stitch of each row) on the flat-worked pieces, facilitating easier seaming. Ribbing is used for the hem, sleeve, and neck finishing details, worked on smaller needles to create elastic, fitted edges that frame the sweater.

Materials: Yarn, Needles, and Notions

The Beauty Berry pattern calls for Valley Yarns Ashfield, a premium blend yarn composed of 67% Fine Merino Wool and 33% Bamboo Viscose. This fiber combination provides breathability and temperature regulation, making it ideal for three-season wear. The yarn is available in the color Olive for this design. Yardage requirements range from 1,287 yards (11 hanks) for the smallest size to 3,159 yards (27 hanks) for the largest size, with each hank containing 117 yards at 50 grams.

Needles required include US 6 (4.0 mm) circular needles in 16-inch, 24-inch, and 32-inch or 40-inch lengths for working the main pattern at the correct gauge, and US 5 (3.75 mm) circular needles in the same length options for ribbed hem, sleeve, and neck sections. The pattern specifies a gauge of 22 stitches and 30 rows over 4 inches in the Plaid Twist pattern on the larger needles, blocked.

Additional materials needed include stitch markers for pattern tracking, stitch holders or waste yarn for holding stitches during construction, and a tapestry needle for seaming and weaving in ends.