In my heart spring has had a prestart! I saw that the buds of the willows (selje) are growing fast - which means that spring is on it’s way! It didn’t quite feel like it when we tried to catch daylight for the photos…
And, surely not for the first month to come, but there are signs of the nature awaking again. In the meantime it is great to have a warm sweater to wrap into:)

Design

The colour-work of this pullover is perfect for using up some left-overs! I used 2 contrasting colours only, but why not work 3, 4 or more!
This is also a good project for someone new to colour-work.
The pullover is designed for some extra comfort and should be worked with some positive ease (see the size-table below).
The lower back is a bit longer than the front, this is achieved by working short-rows. (This is, of course, optional. The pullover could be worked without this shaping).
The upper body is shaped by raglan-decreases.

Construction
The pullover is worked bottom-up and seamlessly.
The lower body is worked bottom-up and in the round to underarms. After the hem in rib-pattern and the colour-work, the back is shaped using short-rows to achieve 5 cm/2.5” of added length to the back. (This is optional, the pullover may be worked without this shaping).
The sleeves are worked bottom-up and in the round to underarms.
Lower body and sleeves are joined and the upper body is worked in the round with raglan-decreases. The neckline is worked in the round from picked-up sts.

Sizes
Finished chest measurements, after washing/blocking, and worked at gauge:
Sizes 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8: 90/100/110/120/130/140/150/160 cm = 35.5/40/43.5/47/51/55/59/63”. Sample is worked in size 2, with approximately 18 cm/7” of positive ease. I recommend 10 – 20 cm/4 - 8” of positive ease.

Materials
Yarn: I used “Loft”, from Brooklyn Tweed, to work my sweater in the following 3 colours: Main-colour (MC): cast iron, contrasting colour 1 (CC1): Fossil, contrasting colour 2 (CC2): Snowbound. This fingering weight, wool yarn (Targhee Columbia), comes in skeins of 50 gr/1.76 oz and 251 m/275 yards. You will need approximately 1050/1130/1280/1420/1560/1700/1850/2000 m = 1145/1235/1395/1547/1700/1855/2020/2180 yards of MC, and approximately 75/85/90/100/110/120/130/145 m = 82/93/100/110/120/131/142/160 yards of each of the contrasting colours and of this specific yarn to work the sweater. Please note: this yarn is of fingering weight. It is different from most fingering weight yarns that I know of,
and I think that choosing yarn for this sweater should be led by the gauge, rather than the yarn weight. Needles: size 3 mm/US2.5 for the ribbed hem/cuffs and neckline.
Size 3.5 mm/US4 for the main body and sleeves.
Use needle size needed to obtain gauge.

Gauge
24 sts and 34 rounds in stockinette sts = 10 x 10 cm/4 x 4”.

The pattern
There is a schematic.
The colour-work is charted.
All measurements are given in cm’s as well as in inches.

Texhniques involved:
- cast on, picking up of sts, working in the round, short-rows (for the longer back. This is optional), colour-work using 2 strands of yarn in the round.