The name “So Simple” really describes this striped sweater except for one little thing. The intarsia technique is used to create the stripes. Many knitters, including myself, dread intarsia projects since yarn management can be so frustrating. Although this pattern accompanies the Skill Building article on picking up stitches along a bound-off edge, it is also an introduction to intarsia due to the simple stripes. All sizes have five stripes (whose width depends on the size) on the front and back. Since the drop-shoulder construction is used for the sleeves, and the wide front neckline is a series of bound-off stitches, there is minimal shaping, which allows the knitter to concentrate on the intarsia technique.

Vertical joins in intarsia are often marred by tension issues where the stitches vary dramatically in size from row to row. The Technical Tips in the pattern address this issue.