Valley Yarns Centaurus Knitting Pattern

Valley Yarns Centaurus Pullover Sweater

What Is Being Made

The Valley Yarns Centaurus is a versatile pullover sweater designed by Julie Turjoman, offered in two distinct silhouettes. The cropped version is a boxy, waist-length pullover that pairs beautifully with high-waisted jeans or layered over spring dresses. The tunic version extends to hip-length with A-line shaping, making it a flexible piece suitable for wearing with virtually any outfit. Both versions feature the signature design element of full lantern sleeves that create elegant volume at the wrist, combined with a sophisticated garter rib yoke texture that elevates the overall aesthetic. The generous positive ease of 2 to 4 inches ensures a comfortable, relaxed fit ideal for transitional weather.

Techniques Used

The Centaurus is constructed using seamless, top-down, worked-in-the-round construction methods, making it an excellent intermediate-level project. The sweater begins at the hem and progresses upward to the yoke, allowing for easy fitting adjustments as you work. The body is worked circularly in stockinette stitch, providing a smooth, classic fabric base. Sleeves are worked separately from the cuff upward, featuring specialized increase shaping that creates the characteristic fullness at the lantern wrist before being joined to the body at the yoke base. The yoke incorporates decreases worked into the garter rib stitch pattern, which both shapes the neckline and creates visual interest. The tunic version includes additional side decreases that form the A-line body shaping for a more tapered hip silhouette.

Stitches Used

• Stockinette stitch – the primary stitch for the body and sleeves, creating a smooth, refined fabric surface
• Garter rib – featured in the yoke section, combining knit and purl elements for textural contrast and visual sophistication
• Decreases – strategically placed in the yoke and along the tunic sides to shape the garment and control fullness
• Increases – used in the sleeve cap to create the lantern sleeve volume at the wrist

Materials and Tools

This project calls for Valley Yarns Whately, a luxuriously soft yarn blend composed of 60% baby alpaca and 40% organic pima cotton. This fiber combination provides both warmth and breathability, making the finished sweater ideal for transitional seasons when layering versatility is essential. The yarn is available in color 11 Moss for this design.

Yarn quantities vary by size and version. The cropped version requires 8 to 18 balls depending on size (XS through 4XL), while the tunic version requires 8 to 19 balls. Each ball contains 50 grams and 164 yards of yarn.

Needles required include US size 8 (5.0 mm) and US size 7 (4.5 mm) in both 16-inch and 32- to 40-inch lengths, plus double-pointed needles in both sizes for working the sleeves and yoke. Additional materials needed are stitch markers (including locking stitch markers for tracking pattern repeats), and a tapestry needle for weaving in ends and seaming if necessary.

The pattern is worked to a gauge of 20 stitches and 28 rows over 4 inches in stockinette stitch on the larger needles, measured after blocking. Achieving proper gauge is essential for obtaining the intended finished measurements and fit.

Sizing and Finished Measurements

The Centaurus is available in sizes XS through 4XL, with the cropped version offering bust/waist measurements from 34 to 62 inches and lengths from 12 to 14 inches to the underarm. The tunic version provides bust measurements from 33½ to 61½ inches, hip measurements from 36 to 64 inches, and lengths from 17 to 19 inches to the underarm. The pattern accommodates 2 to 4 inches of positive ease, ensuring a comfortable, intentionally relaxed silhouette that drapes elegantly.