Valley Yarns Elderberry Knitting Pattern

Valley Yarns Elderberry Stranded Colorwork Sweater

What Is Being Made

The Elderberry is a modern stranded colorwork sweater designed by Julie Turjoman. This pullover features a clean, contemporary aesthetic with a single contrast color accent at the yoke. The design includes waist shaping for a feminine silhouette and finishes with a scoop neckline. The sweater is available in sizes XS through 4XL, with finished bust measurements ranging from 33¼ inches to 61¼ inches, and is designed to fit with 1 to 2 inches of positive ease.

Techniques Used

This intermediate-level sweater employs several key knitting techniques to achieve its polished final garment:

• Bottom-Up Construction: The sweater is knitted from the bottom edge upward, allowing knitters to try on the garment as they progress and adjust length as needed.
• Seamless, Worked in the Round: The body and yoke are knitted in continuous rounds using circular needles, eliminating the need for seaming and creating a smooth, professional finish.
• Stranded Colorwork: The yoke features stranded colorwork technique, where two colors of yarn are carried across the back of the work to create the pattern. This method produces a dense, elastic fabric ideal for fitted neckline areas.
• Waist Shaping: Strategic decreases at the sides create a tapered waist, with shaping worked every 8 rounds for a gradual, flattering reduction in circumference.
• Decrease Shaping at Yoke: The yoke incorporates decreases that gradually reduce stitches while transitioning from the stranded colorwork pattern, culminating in the scoop neckline opening.

Stitches Used

The Elderberry sweater utilizes fundamental knitting stitches appropriate for its intermediate skill level:

• Stockinette Stitch: The primary stitch throughout the body and yoke, creating a smooth, classic fabric surface. Gauge is measured in stockinette stitch at 24 stitches and 28 rows per 4 inches on the larger needles.
• Knit and Purl Stitches: Basic knit (K) and purl (P) stitches form the foundation of all colorwork and shaping.
• Decreases: The pattern employs knit 2 together (K2tog) and slip, slip, knit (ssk) decreases for waist shaping and yoke reduction, creating paired decreases on either side of stitch markers for symmetrical shaping.
• Stranded Colorwork Stitches: Knit stitches worked with two colors held simultaneously to create the contrast color pattern at the yoke.

Materials and Yarn

The Elderberry is knitted in Valley Yarns Worthington, a premium blended yarn that contributes to the sweater's soft, tweedy appearance and excellent drape:

• Yarn Fiber Content: Valley Yarns Worthington is composed of 50% wool, 25% alpaca, and 25% viscose, creating a yarn with warmth, softness, and subtle sheen.
• Yarn Weight and Yardage: Each skein contains 50 grams and 174 yards, allowing for precise yardage calculations across all sizes.
• Color Requirements: The main color (MC) requires 5 to 12 skeins depending on size, in Valley Yarns Worthington Color #12 Evergreen. The contrast color (CC) requires 2 skeins in Valley Yarns Worthington Color #09 Navy for the yoke colorwork.
• Needles: The pattern calls for US size 5 (3.75 mm) circular needles in 16-inch and 29-40 inch lengths, plus a set of 4 or 5 double-pointed needles for the same size. A smaller US size 4 (3.50 mm) in 16-inch and 24-inch circular needles, plus double-pointed needles, are used for ribbed edgings.
• Additional Notions: Stitch markers, stitch holders or waste yarn, and a tapestry needle for weaving in ends are required to complete the project.

Gauge and Fit

Achieving the correct gauge is essential for proper fit. The Elderberry is