Valley Yarns Village Green Pullover Knitting Pattern

Valley Yarns Village Green Pullover

Project Overview

The Valley Yarns Village Green Pullover is a knitted sweater designed by Kirsten Hipsky, featuring elegant cable panel work throughout the body. This pullover is constructed using a bottom-up method and worked flat on straight needles, then seamed together for a polished finish. The design comes in three finished sizes: 34", 41", and 49" to accommodate various body measurements.

What Is Being Made

This is a classic pullover sweater with a crew neckline, worked in a structured silhouette. The sweater features decorative cable panels integrated into the body design, creating visual interest and texture. The garment is constructed with separate front and back pieces that are later seamed, and includes shaped armholes and shoulders for proper fit.

Knitting Techniques Used

• Bottom-up construction: The sweater is begun at the lower edge and worked upward toward the shoulders, allowing for easy length adjustments during knitting.
• Worked flat: All pieces are knitted on straight needles in rows rather than in the round, providing flexibility in pattern placement and shaping.
• Seamed assembly: Individual pieces are sewn together after completion, creating clean, professional seams.
• Cable work: Decorative cable panels are integrated throughout the front and back, requiring the use of cable needles to create twisted stitch patterns.
• Increases and decreases: Strategic shaping techniques including yarn forward increases (kfb), decreases (p2tog), and bind-offs create the armhole and shoulder shaping necessary for proper garment fit.
• Textured ribbing: The lower edge features a textured rib pattern worked over 4 inches, providing elasticity and a finished appearance at the hem.

Stitches and Stitch Patterns

The Valley Yarns Village Green Pullover employs several key stitches and stitch patterns:

• Stockinette stitch (St st): The foundational stitch used throughout the body, providing a smooth, classic fabric surface.
• Garter stitch elements: Knit and purl combinations create texture and definition in the ribbed sections and pattern panels.
• Cable stitches: The design features two main cable panels—Panel A and Panel B—that are repeated across the width of the sweater. These panels use cable crosses (CR and CL abbreviations indicating cable right and cable left) worked over multiple rows to create twisted, rope-like textures. Panel B spans 15 stitches and is worked over a 14-row repeat, measuring 3.75 inches wide and 1.7 inches in height.
• Reverse stockinette stitch: Purl stitches are used strategically to frame and highlight the cable panels, creating contrast and definition.
• Yarn forward increases (kfb): Used during the transition from ribbing to main pattern to adjust stitch counts.
• Decreases (p2tog): Incorporated into the stitch adjustment row and used for armhole and shoulder shaping.

Materials and Gauge

The Valley Yarns Village Green Pullover is worked in Valley Yarns Valley Superwash DK, a yarn composed of 100% Extrafine Superwash Merino. This yarn is available in color 12 Grass, a natural green shade. The pattern requires 12, 15, or 18 skeins depending on the finished size, with each skein providing 137 yards and weighing 50 grams.

Needles required include US size 5 (3.75mm) straight needles or the size needed to obtain proper gauge, plus 2 cable needles for managing cable stitches during construction.

Gauge is critical for proper fit: The pattern specifies 5.5 stitches and 1 inch in stockinette stitch, with approximately 7 stitches and 8 rows equaling 1 inch when worked in the cable pattern stitches. Achieving the correct gauge ensures the finished sweater measures the intended dimensions.

Construction Details

The back and front pieces begin with cast-on stitches (109, 133, or 157 stitches depending on size) and are worked in textured ribbing for 4 inches. A transition row then adjusts the stitch count to 117, 143, or 169 stit