Valley Yarns Askja Knitting Pattern

Valley Yarns Askja: Icelandic-Inspired Children's Pullover

What Is Being Made

Askja is a children's pullover sweater inspired by Iceland's famous highland volcano of the same name. This knit garment is designed for kids ranging from 1-2 years old through 10-12 years old, with finished chest measurements from 21¾ inches to 32¾ inches. The sweater is engineered to fit with 2-4 inches of positive ease, making it a comfortable everyday garment suitable for children of all ages.

Construction Method and Techniques

This intermediate-level knitting pattern employs a bottom-up construction method, meaning the sweater is knitted starting from the hem and working upward toward the neckline. The garment is worked in the round using circular needles, which creates seamless fabric and allows for continuous knitting without turning. The sleeves are strategically joined at the yoke, a classic sweater construction technique that creates a unified upper body section and simplifies the shaping process.

Stranded colorwork is the primary decorative technique featured throughout the design. Coordinating stranded patterns—also known as Fair Isle or jacquard knitting—embellish three key areas of the sweater: the yoke, the sleeves, and the hem. This technique involves carrying multiple yarn colors across rows and knitting them into the fabric to create intricate geometric or pictorial patterns.

Stitches and Stitch Work

The primary stitch structure is stockinette stitch, which creates the smooth, classic knit fabric that forms the base of the garment. The pattern includes standard knitting abbreviations and techniques such as:

• Knit (K) stitches for the main fabric
• Purl (P) stitches for textural variation
• K2tog (knit two stitches together) for decreasing
• Increases (Inc) for shaping the garment
• Wrap and Turn (W&T) for short-row shaping, which adds dimension and fit to the sweater body
• Bind off (BO) to secure finished edges

Materials: Yarn and Needles

The pattern calls for Valley Superwash DK yarn, which is composed of 100% Extrafine Merino Superwash fiber. Each skein contains 50 grams and yields 137 yards, making it an easy-care, machine-washable option ideal for children's garments. The yarn is used in five coordinating colors:

• Color 25 (Light Gray) as the main color (MC): 3-6 skeins depending on size
• Color 02 (Steel Gray) as contrasting color 1 (CC1): 1-2 skeins depending on size
• Color 15 (Blue Mist) as contrasting color 2 (CC2): 1 skein
• Color 11 (Spring Leaf) as contrasting color 3 (CC3): 1 skein
• Color 01 (Natural) as contrasting color 4 (CC4): 1 skein

The pattern requires two sizes of circular needles and double-pointed needles (DPNs):

• US 6 (4mm) needles in 16-inch and 24-32 inch lengths for the main fabric
• US 5 (3.75mm) needles in 16-inch and 24-32 inch lengths for ribbing and edging

Additional materials include stitch markers for tracking pattern repeats, stitch holders for securing stitches temporarily, and a tapestry needle for weaving in yarn ends.

Gauge and Sizing

The pattern specifies a gauge of 22 stitches and 26 rounds equal 4 inches when worked in stockinette stitch on US 6 (4mm) needles. Achieving the correct gauge is essential for the sweater to fit properly across all six available sizes.