Valley Yarns Red Maple Knitting Pattern

Valley Yarns Red Maple Pullover Sweater

What Is Being Made

The Valley Yarns Red Maple is an intermediate-level knitted pullover sweater designed by Julie Turjoman. This modern, flattering garment features a cozy turtleneck construction perfect for crisp fall mornings. The sweater showcases subtle A-line shaping through the body, creating a stylish silhouette that works well for a range of sizes from XS to 4XL. The finished bust measurements range from 35 ¾ inches (XS) to 63 ¾ inches (4XL), with the garment designed to fit with 4 to 6 inches of positive ease for a comfortable, relaxed wear.

Construction Techniques

This sweater is constructed using a bottom-up approach, meaning the knitter begins at the hem and works upward toward the shoulders and neckline. The garment is worked in the round using circular needles, which creates seamless fabric and allows for continuous knitting without frequent seaming. The design incorporates stripe detailing through contrast color tipping at the sleeve cuffs, neckline, and hem edges, adding a bright accent in the Red Maple color against the main Fawn body.

The sweater features drop shoulders, which create a relaxed, contemporary fit. The body is worked in a smooth Stockinette stitch pattern, while the sleeves incorporate ribbed construction that provides structure and helps the sleeves maintain their shape. The turtleneck flows up from the Stockinette body, creating a cohesive design element. The Valley Yarns Peru yarn—an alpaca blend—is intentionally worked on smaller than usual needles (US size 8) to provide extra structure and prevent the soft fiber from becoming too loose or stretchy.

Stitches Used

The primary stitch pattern throughout the Red Maple sweater is Stockinette stitch, which creates the smooth, classic fabric that forms the main body of the garment. This stitch is achieved by knitting on right-side rows and purling on wrong-side rows (or knitting every round when working in the round), producing the characteristic smooth V-pattern texture.

The sleeves utilize ribbed stitching, which alternates knit and purl stitches in vertical columns. Ribbing provides elasticity and helps the sleeve cuffs hug the arm comfortably while maintaining structure. The pattern also employs standard decreasing techniques including K2tog (knit two together) and SSK (slip, slip, knit) to shape the garment at armholes and create the subtle A-line shaping. Stitch markers are used throughout to track pattern repeats and construction points, with locking stitch markers recommended for holding stitches when dividing for armholes.

Materials and Yarn Specifications

The Valley Yarns Red Maple pattern calls for Valley Yarns Peru, a luxurious alpaca blend yarn composed of 84% Baby Alpaca, 8% Merino Wool, and 8% Nylon. This fiber combination creates an incredibly soft fabric with the warmth of alpaca and the durability of merino wool and nylon reinforcement.

Yarn requirements vary by size:

• Main Color (Fawn): 11 to 17 skeins depending on size, with smaller sizes (XS, S, M) requiring 11-12 skeins and larger sizes (3XL, 4XL) requiring 16-17 skeins
• Contrast Color (Red Maple): 1 skein for all sizes
• Each skein contains 50 grams and 120 yards of yarn

The pattern requires US size 8 (5.00 mm) circular needles in 16-inch and 24-40 inch lengths for the main fabric, along with US size 8 double-pointed needles for smaller circumference sections. US size 7 (4.50 mm) circular needles in 16-inch and 24-40 inch lengths and US size 7 double-pointed needles are used for ribbed sections, creating a subtle gauge difference that enhances structure. The recommended gauge is 20 stitches and 24 rows per 4 inches in Stockinette stitch pattern, achieved through careful needle selection and tension control.

Additional materials needed include stitch markers for tracking pattern sections, locking stitch markers for securing stitches during armhole division, and a tapestry needle for weaving in yarn ends and finishing seams.