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The Ultimate Knitting Statement: Stowaway Sweater

Welcome to the wonderful world of colorwork with Stowaway! Perfect for stashbusting, this delightful DK weight sweater features vibrant fair isle sleeves and a practical, optional kangaroo pocket. Stowaway combines playful design with everyday comfort, making it an easy-to-wear sweater for your knitting adventures. We’ve used Swanky DK—a blend of merino, cashmere, and nylon—for its beautiful drape and sheen.

Join the KAL! Pocketful of Color: Stowaway Sweater KAL with Wool & Pine and Magpie Fibers!

Starting August 10th with a live cast-on at Flock Festival in Seattle, and running through October 15th, this KAL is the perfect opportunity to explore colorwork knitting. Whether you’re stashbusting, using Magpie yarns, or a mix of both, we welcome you to join the fun.

Discover all the details, including prizes and more, on Magpie’s Ravelry and Facebook pages. Connect with fellow knitters and let’s create something beautiful together!

Design Details

A Pocketful of Color
Stowaway features customizable fair isle sleeves and an optional colorwork kangaroo pocket, perfect for stashing small projects or keeping your hands cozy. The sweater is a modified drop shoulder, worked from the top down for a seamless, flattering fit. Short rows create smooth neckline shaping at the front and back, while the stockinette body is finished with a ribbed hem.

We include two different sleeve charts to give you options: one for playing with two strands and another for three strands, plus a coloring book-style chart to help you get creative with your stash. You can even use a double stitch to insert accent colors, as we did with our jewel-toned sample, or challenge yourself with a bit of three-stranded knitting with the more complex chart, like in our earthy autumnal sample.

Yarn:
Magpie Fibers Swanky DK - 80% superwash merino, 10% cashmere, 10% nylon: 250 yards/115 grams

Yardage:
Feel free to make the chart your own with your favorite colors! We’ve provided the colors and approximate grams we used in our samples. Enjoy playing around with the placement and number of colors. For an extra touch, try adding some bright pops with double stitches in the fair isle. Have fun and let your creativity shine.

The pattern includes two example charts with yardage breakdowns for each color used in our samples, as well as a coloring book-style chart for your customization.

Jewel-toned sample:

• Lil’ Bit Bougie: 60 (70, 84, 98, 104)(112, 120, 128, 136, 146)grams
• Strange Brew: 44 (50, 60, 70, 74)(80, 85, 92, 98, 104)grams
• Harvest Moon: 22 (26, 30, 36, 38)(42, 44, 46, 50, 54)grams
• Desert Rose: 18 (20, 24, 28, 30)(32, 34, 36, 38, 42)grams
• Pon de Replay: 5 (6, 7, 8, 9)(9, 10, 10, 11, 12)grams
• Drops of Jupiter: 2 (2, 3, 4, 4)(5, 5, 6, 6, 6)grams

Autumnal Sample:

• Stagbunny: 52 (60, 70, 84, 98)(115, 122, 132, 140, 150)grams
• In The Navy: 35 (42, 50, 58, 68)(80, 86, 92, 98, 104)grams
• Magpie: 18 (20, 25, 28, 34)(40, 42, 46, 48, 52)grams
• Spicy Beaver: 18 (20, 25, 28, 34)(40, 42, 46, 48, 52)grams
• Gold Digger: 14 (16, 18, 22, 26)(30, 32, 34, 36, 40)grams

To help you use a variety of yarns from your stash, we have listed the total grams used for these sections below.

• MC - Body, hems, and collar: 560 (660, 760, 870, 940, 1040)(1140, 1220, 1320, 1440) yards

• CC - Sleeves and pocket: 140 (165, 190, 220, 235, 270)(295, 325, 340, 370) grams

Needles:

• US 4 (3.50mm) 16-40” circular and double-pointed needles
• US 5 (3.75mm) 16-40” circular needles

Gauge:
22 sts x 30 rows in US 5 stockinette and colorwork flat and in the round = 4” x 4”

Finished Measurements:
To ensure a comfortable fit, choose a size that allows for 2-6” of positive ease at your full bust measurement. For example, if your full bust measurement is 40”, select the size with a 42” bust circumference for a closer fit or the 46” for a more relaxed fit. If you prefer a drapier sleeve and a looser fit, consider opting for more positive ease.

• A) Bust: 30 (34, 38, 42, 46, 50)(54, 58, 62, 66)“ - 76 (86.5, 96.5, 107, 117, 127)(137, 147, 157, 168)cm
• B) Bicep: 14.5 (15, 15.5, 16, 17.5, 19)(21, 23, 24.5, 25.5)“ - 36.5 (37.5, 39, 41, 44.5, 48.5)(53.5, 58, 62, 64)cm
• C) Armhole Depth: 7.5 (7.75, 8, 8.5, 9.25, 10)(11, 12, 12.75, 13.5)“ - 19 (19.5, 20, 21.5, 23.5, 25.5)(28, 30.5, 32.5, 33.5)cm
• D) Body Length After Armhole: 14.5 (14.5, 15.5, 15.5, 15.5)(15.5, 16.5, 16.5, 16.5, 16.5)“ - 37 (37, 39.5, 39.5, 39.5)(39.5, 42, 42, 42, 42)cm
• G) Sleeve Length: 17 (17, 17, 18, 18, 18)(18, 18, 18, 18)“ - 43 (43, 43, 46, 46, 46)(46, 46, 46, 46)cm

Construction Overview

Stowaway is a modified drop shoulder sweater worked from the top down. The back shoulder pieces are cast on separately and worked flat with short rows to create smooth neckline shaping at the back. The fronts are then picked up at the shoulders and worked down to the armholes, shaping the front neckline.

After joining the front and back, the stockinette body is worked in the round and finished with a ribbed hem. The fair isle sleeves are picked up and worked in the round. The fair isle pocket is picked up at the bottom front above the hem, worked flat, and attached at the top with mattress stitch for a seamless finish.

Let’s Knit Together

Need a little help? Check out our video tutorials for step-by-step guidance on the construction, colorwork, pocket and finishing of your Stowaway sweater. Join our knitting community on Discord for live support and inspiration, and share your progress with fellow knitters. Let’s create something beautiful together with Stowaway!