Wervel is a yoked colorwork sweater worked in one piece, from the top down. After the yoke, it shifts to a larger gauge to speed up the knitting of the body and sleeves.

“I was mesmerizedc by the idea of a sweater design in different gauges since I like to knit and design colorwork yokes in a finer gauge, but tend to get impatient when having to knit a plain body and sleeves in a similarly fine gauge.

So I came up with a way to connect two gauges together - Maaike’s Fast Forward Fix - offering an inspiring yoke knitting experience with a speedy road to the end! No sleeve island! No procrastinating! You can make yourself a super colorful sweater in no time.”

YARN NOTES
La Bien Aimée offers several wonderful kits for this design, see https://www.labienaimee.com/products/wervel-yoke-bundle.

Creating your own palette for the yoke can also be lots of fun!

The Wervel yoke is a perfect project to use up those lovely sets of mini skeins in your stash! Also scraps and little treasures in your stash are a perfect match, as for most colours in the yoke, in most sizes, you only need max. 25 gram yarn.

For the yoke in both samples La Bien Aimée Helix and Felix were used, held double. Both are heavy laceweight yarns with 710 yds/ 650 m per 100 gram. Holding these yarns double you get approx. 355 yds / 325 m per 100 gram, which corresponds to a heavy fingering or (light) sport weight yarn.

If you want to replace the CC yarns by a single thread look for a heavy fingering or (light) sport weight yarn of approx. 355 yds / 325 m per 100 gram. You will need approx. half the metrage of each CC, as listed in the detailed CC yarn listing with yards/meters below.

For the body & sleeves in the samples we used La Bien Aimée bouclé and Uncommon Thread Cloud Fingering, which are both light, airy, fluffy and quite elastic fingering weight yarns of 437 yds/ 400 m per 100 gr. Since you hold the MC double for the body and sleeves to make the Fast Forward Fix gauge change, it is recommend to use yarns with similar characteristics so you get a nice airy fabric.

Adding a thin thread of mohair or suri alpaca to a heavy lace weight yarn or light fingering yarn and holding that combination double also works well for the MC.

SIZE
1 (2, 3, 4, 5, 6) (7, 8, 9, 10, 11)

Please note that size 11 is only available in the single download version of the pattern, not in the Neons & Neutrals book.

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Finished Bust Circumference: 32.75 (35.75, 38, 41.25, 44.5, 47.75) (52.25, 56.5, 59.75, 61.75, 66.5)” / 83 (91, 96.5, 105, 113, 121.5) (132.5, 143.5, 151.5, 157, 168.75) cm.

Recommended ease: 3–6” / 8–15 cm of positive ease.
Sample 1 is a size 6 (cropped version), worn with 4.25” / 10.5 cm of positive ease. Sample 2 is a size 2 (regular version), worn with 6.25” / 16 cm of positive ease.

MATERIALS
Sample 1 (light pink body)
MC: 4 (4, 4, 4, 4, 4) (5, 5, 5, 5, 5) skeins of Cloud Fingering by The Uncommon Thread (38% baby alpaca, 25% Merino wool, 37% pima cotton, 437 yds / 400 m – 100 g), colorway Tea Smoked, held double.
CC: Helix mini-skeins by La Bien Aimeé (75% Falkland Merino, 25% Gotland, 178 yds / 163 m – 25 g) and Felix mini-skeins by La Bien Aimeé (75% Falkland Merino, 25% Corriedale, 178 yds / 163 m – 25 g), held double.
1: 2 (2, 2, 2, 2, 2) (2, 2, 2, 3, 3) skeins of Helix, colorway Gaji.
2: 1 (1, 1, 1, 1, 1) (2, 2, 2, 2, 2) skein(s) of Felix, colorway “AS IF”.
3: 2 (2, 2, 2, 2, 2) (2, 2, 2, 3, 3) skeins of Felix, colorway Sansa.
4: 1 skein of Felix, colorway Seaglass.
5: 1 skein of Felix, colorway Buzz.
6: 1 skein of Helix, colorway Lannister.
7: 1 skein of Helix, colorway Lise.
8: 1 (1, 1, 1, 1, 1) (2, 2, 2, 2, 2) skein(s) of Felix, colorway Kool.
9: 1 skein of Felix, colorway Fluoro Morganite.
10: 1 skein of Helix, colorway Seaglass.
11: Cloud Fingering by The Uncommon Thread, colorway Tea Smoked (held single).

Sample 2 (dark pink body)
MC: 7 (7, 7, 8, 8, 8) (9, 9, 10, 10, 10) skeins of Merino Bouclé by La Bien Aimée (100% Merino wool, 218 yds / 200 m – 50 g), colorway Clay, held double.
CC: Helix mini-skeins by La Bien Aimeé and Felix mini-skeins by La Bien Aimeé, held double.
1: 2 (2, 2, 2, 2, 2) (2, 2, 2, 3, 3) skeins of Helix, colorway Avoine.
2: 1 (1, 1, 1, 1, 1) (2, 2, 2, 2, 2) skein(s) of Helix, colorway Clay.
3: 2 (2, 2, 2, 2, 2) (2, 2, 2, 3, 3) skeins of Felix, colorway Avoine.
4: 1 skein of Helix, colorway Fluoro Morganite.
5: 1 skein of Helix, colorway Goldenrod.
6: 1 skein of Felix, colorway Fluoro Morganite.
7: 1 skein of Helix, colorway Sandstone.
8: 1 skein of Helix, colorway Bone.
9: 1 skein of Helix, colorway Sansa.
10: 1 skein of Helix, colorway Loam.
11: Merino Bouclé by La Bien Aimée, colorway Clay (held single).

Or:
MC: 1365 (1475, 1530, 1585, 1640, 1695) (1805, 1970, 2100, 2135, 2185) yds / 1250 (1350, 1400, 1450, 1500, 1550) (1650, 1800, 1920, 1955, 2000) m of light sport-weight or heavy fingering-weight yarn, held double.
Please note that the MC yarn amounts provided are calculated to have enough yardage for either the cropped or regular length version.

Or: CC yarns approx. the following amounts in lace-weight yarn, held double:
CC1: 200 (220, 235, 250, 265, 280) (300, 330, 355, 365, 385) yds / 185 (205, 215, 230, 245, 260) (275, 305, 325, 335, 350) m.
CC2: 115 (125, 125, 135, 150, 160) (175, 190, 200, 210, 225) yds / 110 (115, 115, 125, 140, 150) (165, 175, 185, 195,205) m.
CC3: 200 (220, 235, 250, 265, 280) (300, 330, 355, 365, 395) yds / 185 (205, 215, 230, 245, 260) (275, 305, 325, 335, 360) m.
CC4: 75 (80, 90, 100, 105, 110) (115, 125, 135, 135, 145) yds / 70 (75, 85, 95, 100, 105) (110, 115, 125, 125, 130) m.
CC5: 30 (30, 40, 40, 40, 45) (45, 50, 50, 50, 60) yds / 30 (30, 40, 40, 40, 45) (45, 50, 50, 50, 55) m.
CC6: 80 (90, 90, 95, 100, 110) (115, 130, 135, 145, 150) yds / 75 (85, 85, 90, 95, 105) (110, 120, 125, 135, 140) m.
CC7: 75 (80, 90, 95, 100, 110) (115, 125, 135, 135, 145) yds / 70 (75, 85, 90, 95, 105) (110, 115, 125, 125, 130) m.
CC8 sample 1: 115 (125, 125, 135, 150, 160) (175, 190, 200, 210, 215) yds / 110 (115, 115, 125, 140, 150) (165, 175, 185, 195, 200) m.
CC8 sample 2: 80 (90, 90, 95, 100, 110) (115, 130, 135, 145, 155) yds / 75 (85, 85, 90, 95, 105) (110, 120, 125, 135,145) m.
CC9 sample 1: 50 (60, 60, 65, 75, 75) (80, 90, 95, 95, 100) yds / 50 (55, 55, 60, 70, 70) (75, 85, 90, 90, 95) m of lace-weight yarn, held single with 1 strand of CC8 to make a double strand. The yarn amount listed for CC8 is enough to work CC8 and CC9 without needing extra yarn.
CC9 sample 2: 80 (90, 90, 95, 100, 110) (115, 130, 135, 145, 155) yds / 75 (85, 85, 90, 95, 105) (110, 120, 125, 135,145) m.
CC10: 80 (90, 90, 95, 100, 110) (115, 130, 135, 145, 150) yds / 75 (85, 85, 90, 95, 105) (110, 120, 125, 135, 140) m.
CC11: This color is the same as the MC and the amount needed is included in the MC yardage above, held single for the yoke.

You also have the option to replace the lace-weight CC yarns held double with a light sport-weight yarn or heavy fingering-weight yarn held single. For all the CC yarns you will need a total of approximately 655 (710, 765, 875, 930, 985) (985, 1040, 1095, 1150, 1200) yds / 600 (650, 700, 800, 850, 900) (900, 950, 1000, 1055, 1100) m of light sport-weight or heavy fingering-weight yarn, held single.

Needles: US 2 / 2.75 mm 16” / 40 cm circular needles, and your preferred type of US 2 / 2.75 mm needles for small circumferences, US 4 / 3.5 mm 16”/ 40 cm and 32”/ 80 cm circular needles, US 7 / 4.5 mm on 32”/ 80 cm circular needles, and your preferred type of US 7 / 4.5 mm needles for small circumferences.

Notions: Stitch markers, stitch holders or waste yarn, tapestry needle.

GAUGE
Yoke & sleeve detail: 29 sts x 32 rnds to 4” / 10 cm on US 4 / 3.5 mm or needle size to obtain gauge, in stockinette stitch, after blocking.
Body & sleeves: 14.5 sts x 26 rnds to 4” / 10 cm on US 7 / 4.5 mm or needle size to obtain gauge, in stockinette stitch, after blocking.
Cuff: 36 sts x 55 rnds to 4” / 10 cm on US 2 / 2.75 mm or needle size to obtain gauge, in rib stitch, after blocking.
Neck edging: 22 sts x 55 rnds to 4” / 10 cm on US 2 / 2.75 mm or needle size to obtain gauge, in rib stitch, after blocking.

“For the colorwork I was inspired by two epic knitting traditions. The color compositions of Swedish Bohus knitting are spectacular and highly inspiring. But so is the story behind it. This might have been the first completely female-owned business in the yarn industry, and with huge success! Moving from north to south, the beautiful palette of reds and pinks reminded me of very old Peruvian Chullo hats I saw in a museum, often combining more saturated reds, purple and aubergine colors with very bright, almost neon pinks.”