Mer Bleue sweater kit: A kit is available for this pattern which includes the indigo dye kit and the undyed Winfield yarn needed to knit your size.

Always up for a creative challenge, when Amy (Knitty’s editor) approached us to see if we’d be interested in collaborating on an indigo-dyed sweater project, we immediately said “yes”!

After some brainstorming and several dye tests, we came up with the idea to dip the sweater in an indigo vat partway through the knitting process to create an asymmetric diagonal line. Because the water level in the indigo vat goes down slightly over time from taking the sweater in and out, there’s a subtle gradient effect along the dip line which gives the dyeing an organic feel.

We chose a modified drop-shoulder with the dyeing part of the process in mind. The wider shoulder gives more room for error during the inexact dyeing process, so that the dip line is less likely to end up in an odd place (which would be more of a risk with a raglan or set-in sleeve).

Our aim was for a relaxed and cozy sweater with some positive ease. We included a few little design details that aid in getting a good fit. The sleeve shaping is worked towards the top of the sleeve instead of the bottom to allow the sleeves to follow the line of the shoulder and angle slightly downwards instead of straight out to the sides. Broken rib panels run down the sleeves and along the sides of the sweater, allowing for unobtrusive sleeve shaping and optional waist shaping.

We’ve provided a corresponding tutorial for the indigo dyeing technique we used, we hope you’ll be inspired to create your own unique sweater.

Sizes
Women’s XS (S, M, L, 1X, 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X)
shown in size S with 5 inches/12.5 cm of ease at chest

Finished Measurements
Chest circumference at underarm: 33.75 (38, 42.5, 46.75, 50.25, 54.5, 58, 62.25, 66.5)“/ 85.5 (96.5, 108, 118.5, 127.5, 138.5, 147.5, 158, 169) cm
Length: 22.75 (23, 23.5, 23.75, 24, 24.25, 24.5, 24.75, 25)”/ 58 (58.5, 59.5, 60.5, 61, 61.5, 62, 63, 63.5) cm

Yarn
Sweet Paprika Designs Winfield (100% Canadian wool; 245 yd/224m per 4oz/110 g skein); color: Natural; 4 (5, 5, 6, 6, 6, 7, 7, 8) skeins

Needles
US #7/4.5mm circular needle, 32-inch/80-cm, for working body
1 set US #7/4.5mm dpns or small circumference circular needle, for working sleeves
US #7/4.5mm circular needle, 16-inch/40-cm, for working collar

Notions
Stitch markers, stitch holders or smooth waste yarn, yarn needle

Additional Materials
Indigo Dye Kit from The Love of Colour
See tutorial for additional materials for indigo dyeing.