Say hello to the Joanie Sweater is the sibling pattern to the Joanie cardigan. Named for Joan Hickson, the actress who so perfectly embodied the classic Miss Marple series in the 1980s, it is wearable whimsy at its finest! While I know you enjoy a cardigan, many of you reached out requesting a sweater version to make for your amateur sleuthing, so here she is!

For the sweater version of Joanie, I wanted to keep the details that make her special; the split hem, the moss stitch rib and those subtle side cables that travel up and over the shoulder. But I also wanted to make a few changes…

While I wanted to keep the V-neck shaping, for this version I chose to make it less deep than the one on the Joanie cardigan. One reason is I wanted it to be more in-keeping with the 1950’s setting of the Marple series, and this neat neckline is giving a series vintage vibe. But also for more practical reasons. Just as with the cardigan you can choose to layer it with your favourite collared shirt to really channel Ms Hickson, but you can just as easily wear it on it’s own and let the gentle details of the moss stitch rib take centre stage!

A note on the drop shoulder shaping for Joanie…

Though this is a drop shoulder sweater, there is thoughtful underarm shaping to ensure the shoulder to shoulder measurements remain consistent throughout the sizes and the sleeve begins at the same point regardless of the size.

Yarn:

John Arbon Textiles Yarnadelic Sport/Heavy 4ply; 100% Falklands Corriedale; 333 meters / 364 yards per 100 g. Colour Sunflowers In My Garden

Approx 975 (1060, 1155, 1230, 1390) 1470, 1615, 1700, 1795 yards/890 (970, 1055, 1125, 1270) 1340, 1475, 1555, 1640 meters.

Approx 3 (3, 4, 4, 4) 5, 5, 5, 5 skeins.

Needles:

3.5 mm / 4 US with a 24” / 60 cm cable for body and sleeves (if working in magic loop for sleeves), or double-pointed needles.

3 mm / 2.5 US with a 40” / 100 cm for hem and neckband and 24” / 60 cm cable for cuffs (if working in magic loop), or double-pointed needles.

Finished Dimensions:

Sizes 1 (2, 3, 4, 5) 6, 7, 8, 9

Circumference at chest: 36.75 (39.75, 43.25, 46, 52) 55, 60.5, 63.75, 67.25“/93.25 (101, 109.75, 116.75, 132) 139.75, 153.75, 162, 170.75 cm.

Recommended to be worn with 3 - 6”/7.5 - 15.25 cm positive ease at the chest.

Gauge:

23 sts by 34 rows over 4”/10 cm in Stockinette Stitch in the round and flat with larger needle size and after blocking.

26.75 sts by 34 rows over 4“/10 cm in cable pattern with larger needle size and after blocking.

24 sts by 44 rows over 4”/10 cm in 2x2 Moss Stitch Ribbing with smaller needle size and after blocking.

Measurements are taken after blocking on relaxed swatches. I recommend swatching the stockinette in the round and flat in case you need to adjust needle size between the different sections to reach the suggested gauge.

Notions:

Tapestry needle, cable needle.
Stitch markers; 4 regular stitch markers and one unique marker for BOR.

Techniques used in this pattern

• Cables 2/1 LC, 2/1 RC, 2/1/2 LC
• Bobbles
• Decreasing k2tog & ssk
• Short rows Double Stitch / German Short Rows

Notes:

This pattern is worked both in the round and flat at different sections, with the cable section that runs up each side continuing throughout. To keep the process super clear, I have created separate charts for each step, all with written instructions. This means there are a lot of charts, but they don’t all apply to every size; sizes 1-4 use one set of charts, sizes 5-7 another set of charts, and sizes 8-9 another set. To avoid the pattern becoming extremely long, and to avoid you having to scroll back and forth to view the chart you are currently working on, all charts and corresponding written instructions have their own separate page that can be downloaded from the chart section of the pattern. This makes it easy to print out only the charts you need if you wish.

All finished measurements:

a. Circumference at chest: 36.75 (39.75, 43.25, 46, 52) 55, 60.5, 63.75, 67.25“/93.25 (101, 109.75, 116.75, 132) 139.75, 153.75, 162, 170.75 cm.

b. Back neck: 5.5 (5.5, 6.5, 7, 7.25) 7.25, 7.25, 7.75, 8.25“/14 (14, 16.5, 17.75, 18.5) 18.5, 18.5, 19.75, 21 cm.

c. Upper arm circumference: 12.5 (13.25, 13.75, 14.5, 15.75) 17.25, 19, 20.5, 21.5” / 31.75 (33.75, 35, 36.75, 40) 43.75, 48.25, 52, 54.5 cm.

d. Wrist circumference: 8.5 (8.5, 9.25, 10, 10.75) 11.5, 12.75, 14.25, 15” / 21.75 (21.75, 23.5, 25.25, 27) 29, 32.5, 36, 38 cm.

e. Underarm to hem (adjustable): Sample measures 13”/33.5 cm.

f. Underarm to shoulder: 5.25 (5.5, 5.75, 6.25, 6.25) 7, 7, 7.75, 8” / 13.5 (14.25, 15, 16, 15.75) 17.5, 17.5, 19.5, 20.75 cm

g. Neck drop: 5.75 (6.25, 6.5, 6.75, 7) 7.75, 8, 8.75, 9” / 14.5 (15.5, 16.25, 16.75, 17.75) 19.5, 20, 21.75, 22.25 cm.

h. Shoulder to shoulder: 16.75 (18.25, 20, 22, 21.25) 22.75, 22, 24.25, 26“ / 42.50 (46.25, 50.75, 56, 54) 57.75, 56, 61.50, 66 cm

i. Total length: 18.75 (19.25, 19.5, 19.75, 20) 20.75, 21, 21.75, 22” / 48 (49, 49.75, 50.25, 51.25) 53, 53.5, 55.25, 55.75 cm.