INTRODUCTION

Oh, Josephine!

by Kate Harvie

This is a straightforward pattern, but the technique may be unfamiliar. You can spice it up if you want to by adding extra color blocks; consider this pattern as a canvas to be as colorful as you like.

Some years ago my niece asked me to knit her a chunky sweater with leftovers, to be "as wild as possible". I divided all my DK leftovers into warm and cool colors, mixed them all up and knitted her a sweater using the yarn double, with a diagonal stripe across the front and back, with warm colors on one side and cool colors on the other side. In order to do this in the round, (I hate seaming) I thought that I had invented a clever new technique. As with so many things, there is nothing new under the sun, and so many knitters before me have invented several different ways to knit "intarsia in the round", most of which are neater and simpler than mine was!

Fast forward a few years, and somehow I find in my stash a large quantity of beautiful Garthenor Organic DK yarn in 7 different colors. There is not enough of any color to do a whole sweater, or even half a sweater. I put this down to a failure of intelligent thought on my part, and an inability to resist bright colors. So I came up with the idea to use all of them in one pullover using a better construction technique than I had used in my niece’s pullover.

This garment is knitted from the bottom up using "intarsia in the round". This is quite simple really, essentially you are making one piece back and forth, but joining the sides together as you go. This is done by creating a stitch using a yarnover at the beginning of each row and working this together with the last stitch of the row. The sweater is a plain, relaxed fit, drop shoulder construction. After working the lower body, you divide for front and back, which are worked flat, and then join the shoulders with a 3-needle bind-off. Tapered sleeves are picked up and worked top down, continuing with "intarsia in the round", and finished with a cuff worked in the round.

model: Kate Harvie

photos: Jessica Hayward

SIZE

Women's XS[S, M, L, 1X, 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X]
shown in size M with 7 inches/17 cm of ease at bust

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS

Chest circumference at underarm:  32.75[37.5, 41, 44.75, 49, 53.5, 57, 60.75, 65.25] inches/ 83.5[95, 104, 113.5, 124.5, 136, 145, 154.5, 165.5] cm.
Length:  22.75[23.25, 23.5, 24.25, 2425, 24.75, 25.25, 25.75, 26.25] inches/ 57.5[59, 60, 61.5, 61.5, 63, 64, 65.5, 66.5] cm.

MATERIALS

Yarn
Garthenor Organic Beacons DK, a blend of 100% organic British and Falkland Polwarth and Romney wool; some colors also have a little Hebridean. 148yd/135m per 50g skein.

Color A (Blazer | navy blue): 1[1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2] skeins.
Color B (Hummingbird | bright deep aqua): 2[2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3] skeins.
Color C (Koi | dark coral): 1[1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 3] skeins.
Color D (Sycamore | deep rusty orange): 2[2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3] skeins.
Color E (Willow | deep green): 2[2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3] skeins.
Color F (Tilia | yellow-green): 2[2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 3] skeins.
Color G (Spearmint | pale grey-green ): 1[2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2] skeins.

Yarn Characteristics
Garthenor Organic Beacons DK is a 3-ply wool with a round profile and solid color. Because Garthenor is a very small company which works with individual farmers in small batches, not all colors are available at all times. Other suitable yarns might be West Yorkshire Spinners Colour Lab DK, or Cascade Yarns Superwash 200, both of which come in a large choice of colors. Any other yarn that gives correct gauge would be suitable. You could even use leftovers and add stripes or extra color blocks.

Recommended needle size
[always use a needle size that gives you the gauge listed below - every knitter's gauge is unique]
US 4/3.5mm circular needle, 32-inches/80-cm long, for working hem
US 4/3.5mm circular needle for working small circumferences in the round for neckline and cuffs
US 6/4mm circular needle, at least 32-inches/80-cm long, for working body
US 6/4mm circular needle for working small circumferences in the round for sleeves

Notions
stitch marker
tapestry needle
2 safety pins and stitch holder, for holding sts at underarms and center front neck

GAUGE

21.5 sts/31.5 rows = 4 inches/10 cm in stockinette stitch.

Note: gauge is always taken after blocking.

PATTERN NOTES

[Knitty's list of standard abbreviations and techniques can be found here.]

Construction method: This garment is knitted from the bottom up, starting with a hem trim worked in the round, and continues working flat, using circular needles so that the piece can be joined as you go at one side, and avoiding seaming. The work is divided at the underarms and upper front and back are worked separately then joined with three needle bind-off. Sleeves are picked up at the armholes and worked downwards, again working flat and joining as you go. Cuffs are then worked in the round.

Intarsia tips: It is important that you twist the various yarns together whenever they meet each other to avoid holes. To do this, the new color should be brought below and to the right of the old colour. You can also add any other intarsia color blocks to each piece if you want to, although instructions are not given for this.

Intarsia in the round is explained in the pattern instructions, but a good tutorial explaining the technique is found here.

DIRECTIONS

Hem
With color A and smaller needle, CO 162[184, 202, 220, 242, 264, 282, 300, 322] sts using the method of your choice. Pm and join for working in the round, taking care that your work is not twisted.
Round 1: *K1, p1; repeat from * to end of round.
Rep Round 1 until work measures 2 inches/5 cm from cast-on edge, or desired length of rib.

Increase round: Work in rib pattern as set for 0[4, 4, 4, 8, 12, 12, 12, 16] sts, (m1, work in rib pattern for 9 sts) 18[20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34] times. 18[20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34] sts increased, 180[204, 224, 244, 268, 292, 312, 332, 356] sts total.

Work lower body:
Change to larger needle.
Row 1 [RS]: With color B, k 86[93, 99, 105, 111, 118, 124, 130, 137] , switch to color C and k 4[9, 13, 17, 23, 28, 32, 36, 41] ; switch to color D and k 4[9, 13, 17, 23, 28, 32, 36, 41] , switch to color E and k 86[93, 99, 105, 111, 118, 124, 130, 137] .
Colors B and C are at the front, and colors D and E are at the back.

Row 2 [WS]: With color E, yo, p 86[93, 99, 105, 111, 118, 124, 130, 137] to end of block of color E; twist yarns E and D together, with color D p 4[9, 13, 17, 23, 28, 32, 36, 41] to end of block of color D; twist yarns D and C together, with color C p 4[9, 13, 17, 23, 28, 32, 36, 41] to end of block of color C; twist yarns C and B together, with color B p 85[92, 98, 104, 110, 117, 123, 129, 136] until 1 st of color B remains, purl last st of B tog with the yo created at the start of the row in color E.

Row 3: With color B, yo, knit to 1 st before the end of the block of color B; twist yarns B and C together, with color C knit to the end of the block of color C, twist yarns C and D together, with color D knit to the end of the block of color D, k1 from block of color E; twist D and E together, with color E knit to 1 st before end of row, ssk the last st together with the yo created at the start of the row.

Row 4: With color E, yo, purl to the end of the block of color E; twist yarns E and D together, with color D purl to the end of the block of color D; twist D and C together, with color C purl to the end of the block of color C; twist C and B together, with color B purl to 1 st before end of row, p2tog the last st with the yo created at the start of the row.

Rep last 2 rows 50[51, 50, 50, 48, 48, 48, 48, 49] more times. On each RS row, colors C and D "steal" 1 st from colors B and E to create the slant pattern.

At the end of this section there will be 35[41, 48, 54, 62, 69, 75, 81, 87] sts on each block of colors B and E, and 55[61, 64, 68, 72, 77, 81, 85, 91] sts on each block of colors C and D.

Divide for front and back:
From this point you will work the upper front and back separately and flat. Do not break yarns.

Knit across blocks of colors B and C, omitting the yarnover, and maintaining the slant pattern; knit first st of color D, put 2 sts just worked onto a safety pin; knit across blocks of colors D and E, maintaining the slant pattern to 1 st before end of row; place last st of the row and first st of B onto a safety pin. Turn to work upper back.

One safety pin holds 1 st each of colors C and D at right underarm, and the other holds 1 st each of colors E and B at left underarm. 88[100, 110, 120, 132, 144, 154, 164, 176] sts each for front and back.

Work upper back:
Starting and ending with a WS row, and keeping continuity of patt with D and E, work 61[63, 69, 73, 77, 81, 85, 89, 91] rows.

At the end of this section there will be 3[8, 12, 16, 22, 27, 31, 35, 40] sts of color E and 85[92, 98, 104, 110, 117, 123, 129, 136] sts of color D.

Break yarns, leaving a tail about 2-3 yds/1.75-2.75 m long of yarn D for working three needle bind-off at right shoulder later. Leave sts on needle while completing the front.

Work upper front to neck:
Return to sts left on needle for front. Starting and ending with a WS row, and keeping continuity of patt with colors B and C, work 27[29, 35, 39, 43, 45, 49, 53, 55] rows.

At the end of this section there will be 20[25, 29, 33, 39, 45, 49, 53, 58] sts of color B and 68[75, 81, 87, 93, 99, 105, 111, 118] sts of color C.

Shape left front neck:
Row 1 [RS]: Keeping continuity of patt at all times, k 36[42, 47, 52, 57, 63, 68, 73, 79] , turn. Work left front on these live sts, leaving other front sts on hold.
Row 2 [WS]: P2tog, purl to end of row. 1 st decreased, 35[41, 46, 51, 56, 62, 67, 72, 78] sts remain.
Row 3: Knit to last 2sts, k2tog. 1 st decreased, 34[40, 45, 50, 55, 61, 66, 71, 77] sts remain.

Rep last two rows 3[3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 4, 4, 4] times more. 6[6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 8, 8, 8] sts decreased, 28[34, 39, 44, 49, 55, 58, 63, 69] sts remain.

Next row [WS]: Purl.
Next row [RS]: Knit to last 2 sts, k2tog. 1 st decreased, 27[33, 38, 43, 48, 54, 57, 62, 68] sts remain.
Rep last 2 rows 7[7, 8, 8, 8, 8, 7, 8, 8] times more. 7[7, 8, 8, 8, 8, 7, 8, 8] sts decreased, 20[26, 30, 35, 40, 46, 50, 54, 60] sts remain.

Work without further shaping for a further 9[9, 7, 7, 7, 9, 9, 7, 7] rows, ending with a WS row.

Turn work inside out, and with RS facing, work a 3-needle BO across left shoulder sts, using the appropriate colors. Break yarns.

Shape right front neck:
Place 16[16, 16, 16, 18, 18, 18, 18, 18] sts at center front neck on a stitch holder. With RS facing, rejoin color C to right front.
Row 1 [RS]: K 36[42, 47, 52, 57, 63, 68, 73, 79] sts.
Row 2 [WS]: Purl to last 2 sts, ssp. 1 st decreased, 35[41, 46, 51, 56, 62, 67, 72, 78] sts remain.
Row 3: Ssk, knit to end of row. 1 st decreased, 34[40, 45, 50, 55, 61, 66, 71, 77] sts remain.

Rep last 2 rows 3[3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 4, 4, 4] times more. 6[6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 8, 8, 8] sts decreased, 28[34, 39, 44, 49, 55, 58, 63, 69] sts remain.

Next row [WS]: Purl.
Next row [RS]: Ssk, knit to end of row. 1 st decreased, 27[33, 38, 43, 48, 54, 57, 62, 68] sts remain.

Rep last 2 rows 7[7, 8, 8, 8, 8, 7, 8, 8] times more. 7[7, 8, 8, 8, 8, 7, 8, 8] sts remain, 20[26, 30, 35, 40, 46, 50, 54, 60] sts remain.

Work without further shaping for a further 9[9, 7, 7, 7, 9, 9, 7, 7] rows, ending with a WS row. Break yarn. Rearrange sts so that needle tips are at armhole edge of shoulder.

Turn work inside out, and with RS facing, work a 3-needle BO across right shoulder sts, using the long tail left from working the back. Break yarns. There will be 48[48, 50, 50, 52, 52, 54, 56, 56] sts left at back neck.

Neckband
With RS facing, color A and smaller needle, knit across 48[48, 50, 50, 52, 52, 54, 56, 56] sts at back neck, pick up and knit 27 sts down left front neck, k 16[16, 16, 16, 18, 18, 18, 18, 18] sts from center front neck, pick up and knit 27 sts up right front neck, pm for start of round. 118[118, 120, 120, 124, 124, 126, 128, 128] sts total.

Round 1: *K1, p1; repeat from * to end of round.
Rep this round until neckband measures 1.25 inches/3 cm. BO loosely in rib, using a stretchy bind-off if you tend to bind off tightly.

Sleeves (both alike)
Work both sleeves in the same way. You will use intarsia in the round again. This time your colors will spiral around the sleeves in the same direction.

Set up round: With RS facing, color F and larger needles, take the two sts off the safety pin and place on LH needle; slip the first st and knit the second; pick up and knit 42[44, 47, 51, 53, 56, 58, 60, 62] sts up first side of sleeve; with color G, pick up and knit 42[44, 47, 51, 53, 56, 58, 60, 62] sts down second side of sleeve, knit the remaining st from the safety pin. 86[90, 96, 104, 108, 114, 118, 122, 126] sts total.

Row 1 [WS]: With color G, yo, purl all the sts in the block of G, twist yarns; with color F, purl to last st, p2tog last st with the yo created at the start of the row.
Row 2 [RS]: With color F, yo, knit to end of block of F and 1 st from the block of G, twist yarns; with color G, knit to last st, ssk last st with the yo, pm to mark underarm to assist with sleeve decreases, sl 1 purlwise. This moves the end of the row on by 1 st to create the spiral patt.
Row 3: With color G, yo, purl all the sts in the block of G, slipping marker as you come to it, twist yarns; with color F, purl to last st, p2tog last st with the yo created at the start of the row.
Row 4: With color F, yo, knit to end of block of F and 1st from the block of G, twist yarns; with color G, knit to last st of block of G slipping marker as you come to it, ssk last st with the yo, sl 1 purlwise.
Rep Rows 3-4 twice more, then work Row 3 once more.

Note: as you continue the spiral pattern, the end of the row will move around the sleeve and the marker placement will move from color G to color F.

Sleeve decrease row [RS]: Keeping continuity of patt as set, yo, knit to 3 sts before m, ssk, k1, sm, k1, k2tog, knit to last st, ssk, sl 1 purlwise. 2 sts decreased, 84[88, 94, 102, 106, 112, 116, 120, 124] sts remain.

Continue in same manner, working decreases every 6th row 12[11, 9, 8, 6, 3, 0, 0, 0] times, then on every 4th row 7[9, 12, 15, 18, 23, 28, 29, 30] times. 38[40, 42, 46, 48, 52, 56, 58, 60] sts decreased, 46[48, 52, 56, 58, 60, 60, 62, 64] sts remain.

Note: at some point in some sizes, the change of color may occur in the same sts as a decrease point. If this occurs, move the decrease by one or two sts to the right or left as appropriate.

Work without further shaping until sleeve measures 14.25[14.5, 14.5, 15.25, 15.25, 15.5, 15.5, 16.25, 16.25] inches / 36[37, 37, 38.5, 38.5, 39.5, 39.5, 41, 41] cm, or 2 inches/5 cm shorter than desired sleeve length, ending on a WS row.

Cuff
With RS facing, work a partial row until you reach the marker, omitting the yarnover. Break colors F and G. You will now return to working in the round for the cuff.
Decrease round: With color A and smaller size needles for working in the round, k 6[0, 4, 6, 8, 0, 0, 2, 4] , (k2tog, k 3[4, 4, 3, 3, 4, 4, 4, 4] ) 8[8, 8, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10] times. 8[8, 8, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10] sts decreased, 38[40, 44, 46, 48, 50, 50, 52, 54] sts remain.

Round 1: *K1, p1; repeat from * to end of round.
Rep this round until cuff measures 2 inches/5 cm. BO loosely in rib.
Work second sleeve in the same manner.

FINISHING

Weave in all ends on inside of work. Soak garment in warm water with a drop of washing up liquid or woolly wash for 20-30 minutes. Short spin or roll in towels to remove excess water, pull gently into shape and allow to dry flat.

A – Chest circumference at underarm: 32.75[37.5, 41, 44.75, 49, 53.5, 57, 60.75, 65.25] inches/ 83.5[95, 104, 113.5, 124.5, 136, 145, 154.5, 165.5] cm.
B – Length to underarm: 15[15.25, 15, 15, 14.5, 14.5, 14.5, 14.5, 14.75] inches/ 38[38.5, 38, 38, 37, 37, 37, 37, 37.5] cm.
C – Sleeve length to underarm: 16.25[16.5, 16.5, 17.25, 17.25, 17.5, 17.5, 18, 18] inches/ 41[42, 42, 43.5, 43.5, 44.5, 44.5, 46, 46] cm.
D – Armhole depth: 7.75[8, 8.75, 9.25, 9.75, 10.25, 10.75, 11.25, 11.5] inches/ 19.5[20.5, 22, 23.5, 25, 26, 27.5, 28.5, 29] cm.
E – Garment length from shoulder to hem: 22.75[23.25, 23.5, 24.25, 24.25, 24.75, 25.25, 25.75, 26.25] inches/ 57.5[59, 60, 61.5, 61.5, 63, 64, 65.5, 66.5] cm.
F – Back neck width after neckband added: 6.5[6.5, 6.75, 6.75, 7, 7, 7.5, 7.75, 7.75] inches/ 16.5[16.5, 17.5, 17.5, 18, 18, 19, 20, 20] cm.
G – Cuff circumference: 6.75[7.5, 8, 8.5, 9, 9.25, 9.25, 9.5, 9.75] inches/ 17.5[18.5, 20.5, 21.5, 22.5, 23.5, 23.5, 24, 25] cm.

ABOUT THE DESIGNER

Kate has been a knitter and lover of anything woolly since childhood. She survived more than 40 years working in healthcare by playing viola, walking outdoors and knitting, hopefully not all at the same time. Since retirement in 2022 Kate has had a lot of fun trying vainly to reduce her stash, designing knitwear and playing with natural dyes in her garden shed. As well as a roomful of fiber and yarn, she has three grown-up children, a husband and a cat, and lives in North Yorkshire close to the moors and the sea.

Find her on Ravelry.

Pattern & images © 2024 Kate Harvie