Valley Yarns Forward Pullover Knitting Pattern

Valley Yarns Forward Pullover

What Is Being Made

The Valley Yarns Forward Pullover is an advanced beginner knitted pullover sweater designed by Kirsten Hipsky. This garment features a sophisticated construction worked seamlessly in the round, creating a polished, professional finish. The pullover is available in five finished sizes ranging from 35 to 43 inches in circumference, making it suitable for various body types. The design showcases elegant waist shaping and decorative lace elements that create visual interest throughout the garment.

Techniques Used

This pullover employs several key knitting techniques that elevate it to advanced beginner level. The primary construction method is working in the round, which eliminates the need for seaming and creates a seamless garment. The sweater features prominent cable and lace work integrated throughout the body and sleeves, requiring careful stitch manipulation and marker placement to execute properly.

The design incorporates waist shaping through strategic decreases and yarn overs that create both structural fit and decorative detail. Decreases are worked using k2tog (knit two together) and ssk (slip, slip, knit) techniques, while yarn overs create openwork lace sections. The sleeves are constructed with cap shaping that requires decreasing at specific intervals while simultaneously increasing stitches in the lace pattern sections, demonstrating intermediate-level stitch manipulation.

Stitches Used

• Stockinette Stitch: The foundational stitch used for the main body sections, creating a smooth, classic fabric
• Lace Stitches: Created through yarn overs (yo) paired with decreases to form openwork patterns
• Decreases: K2tog (knit two together) and ssk (slip, slip, knit) used for both shaping and lace pattern definition
• Yarn Overs: Used to create the lace elements and add decorative interest while maintaining stitch count in patterned sections
• Garter Stitch: Purl rounds create subtle textural variation at sleeve edges

Materials and Tools

The Valley Yarns Forward Pullover is designed to be worked with Valley Yarns Northampton Bulky yarn in the Merlot Heather colorway. This yarn is composed of 100% wool and provides 109 yards per 100-gram skein, offering a substantial, durable fiber for a cozy finished garment.

The project requires US size 10.5 (6.5mm) circular needles in multiple lengths: 16-inch, 32-inch, and 40-inch needles accommodate different sections of the sweater as stitches are distributed across the body. Double-pointed needles are also recommended for smaller circumference sections such as sleeve caps. The pattern specifies using needles that achieve a gauge of approximately 3.75 stitches per inch in the stitch pattern, though stockinette stitch gauge is measured at 3 stitches and 4 rows per inch.

Additional notions include stitch markers (at least five markers are needed): one marker designated as A to mark the beginning of rounds, and four marker B's to mark lace placement points throughout the body and sleeves. These markers are essential for tracking pattern repeats and shaping decreases accurately.

Construction Details

The sweater is constructed in sections that are joined as you work. The sleeves are worked first, beginning with a cast-on at the underarm and increasing upward toward the shoulder cap. Each sleeve requires careful attention to the lace pattern, which includes yarn overs positioned symmetrically on either side of a center marker. The pattern provides options for adjusting sleeve length by repeating specific rounds if desired.

The lower body is worked after the sleeves are completed, picking up stitches from the underarm cast-on edges and working downward in the round. The waist shaping is achieved through strategic decreases that occur every few rounds, creating a fitted silhouette. The lace pattern continues throughout the lower body, coordinating with the sleeve patterns for visual cohesion.