The Terni Slipover is a fun addition to any wardrobe. It uses a fun-to-knit but deceptively simple combination of knit and purl stitches to create textured stripes all over the garment. It is worked top-down, with some short row shaping across the back panel to improve the fit over the shoulders. You will pick up stitches along the cast-on edge of the back panel to form each front shoulder, which are in turn joined to form the front panel. After working increases to shape the arm holes, the body is joined in the round. You will pick up stitches to form the collar and arm hole trims. This is a good pattern for confident new knitters, but it is perhaps not the best option for absolute beginners. Intermediate and advanced level knitters will enjoy the repetitive stitch and technical details in the short rows, sewn folded collar, and tubular cast-offs.

Gauge: 21 stitches x 29 rows in pattern (see chart below) on 4.5 mm needles = 10 x 10 cm. Please note that this is after blocking. Alpaca fibres tend to grow with blocking, especially in length, so don’t panic if your swatch seems short at first. If you are using a non-alpaca fibre, your fabric may not grow as much and so you may need to compensate accordingly. Some test knitters for this project used non-alpaca yarns to great effect, so it is possible.

Materials & Fit

 Notions: 4.5mm (80 or 100cm), 3.5mm (40, 60 and 80cm), 3.25mm (40cm) circular needles. Feel free to adjust your needle size up or down accordingly, working in 0.5 mm increments, to meet gauge.

You will also need a couple of stitch markers, one of which should be in a contrasting colour to indicate the beginning of the round, a darning needle, and some spare needles/scrap yarn/stitch holders where the stitches of the sleeves will rest. I would also recommend having some extra stitch markers on hand to make keeping track of the row count more easily.

Yarn: Approximately 5 (5) 6 (6) 6 (6-7)* 6-7* (7) 7 (7-8) skeins of The Baby Wool (a.k.a., The Baby Alpaca) from We Are Knitters (112 m/50 g). I made the first sample piece with the shade Dark Copper and the second with the shade Sand.

If you prefer a cropped fit, you should be okay with the smaller number of skeins. However, if you prefer your slipovers to be a bit longer, I would advise having an skein on hand.

Yarn alternatives: Any heavy DK-weight yarn will work well here. I would strongly recommend sticking with an alpaca wool where possible to achieve the same drape and stitch definition. Please note that We Are Knitters classify the yarn recommended for this pattern as an aran/worsted weight yarn, but I don’t actually think this is correct. One test knitters used Drops Alpaca (167 m per 50 g) held double.

Please also be aware that alpaca wool tends to be quite dense and heavy and a non-alpaca wool may not yield the same results. That being said, if you don’t want to/cannot use an alpaca yarn, one test knitter used The Cotton from We Are Knitters (c. 212 m per 100 g) to great effect in this project, and another used Warth Mill Saddleworth (c. 200 m per 100 g), which also worked very nicely.

Sizing and ease: The Terni Slipover has about 2.5-8 cm positive ease for sizes A-G, and 2.5-13 cm positive ease for sizes H-J. If you would like a closer fitting or looser garment, size up or down accordingly.

Use the table below to find the best size for you.

SIZE: A (B) C (D) E (F) G (H) I (J)
Chest measurement (cm): 80-85 (85-90) 90-95 (95-100) 100-105 (105-110) 110-115 (115-125) 125-135 (135-145)
Actual circumference of garment once joined in the round (cm): 88 (93) 98 (103) 108 (113) 118 (128) 138 (148)
Armhole depth (before rib trim) (cm): 29 (30) 30 (31) 31 (31) 31 (31) 31.5 (33)
Width of front and back panels (before increases and rib trim) (cm): 29 (29) 31 (32) 33 (34) 35 (37.5) 38.5 (39.5)

The techniques for the Slipover are detailed in full in the pattern. In addition to the written instructions, you will also receive a chart for the front and back of the slipover for all sizes with your download.