Millie

Millie Knitted Sweater by Emma Boyd

What is Being Made

Millie is a children's knitted sweater designed by Emma Boyd, crafted from Icelandic Létt-Lopi yarn. This colourful pullover sweater is engineered for practicality and comfort, featuring a wide neckline that sits at the same height front and back, allowing the garment to be worn either direction. The reversible neckline design makes it ideal for independent young dressers who enjoy choosing how to wear their clothing. The sweater is constructed to provide warmth during cooler months while maintaining ease of dressing for children.

Techniques Used

Millie employs two primary knitting techniques to achieve its distinctive appearance and structure. The body of the sweater is worked in single colour stockinette stitch, creating a smooth, classic knit fabric. The design incorporates stranded colourwork sections, a traditional technique where multiple yarn colours are carried across the back of the work to create patterned areas. This colourwork method requires careful tension management to ensure even stitches and prevent puckering. The sweater is constructed in the round, as indicated by the gauge measurements given in rounds rather than rows, which creates seamless fabric and reduces finishing work. Blocking is essential after completion to set the gauge and even out the stranded colourwork sections.

Stitches Used

• Stockinette stitch – the primary stitch structure for single-colour sections, created by alternating knit and purl rows (or knit rounds when working in the round)
• Stranded colourwork stitches – stockinette stitch worked with multiple colours held simultaneously, with unused colours carried (stranded) across the back of the work

Materials

Millie is knitted using Létt-Lopi, a 100% wool yarn in worsted weight, which is renowned Icelandic yarn known for exceptional warmth and durability. The pattern calls for seven coordinating heather-toned colours from the Létt-Lopi range: Ash Heather (colour A), Pink Heather (colour B), Lagoon Heather (colour C), Glacier Blue Heather (colour D), Mimosa (colour E), Apricot (colour F), and Rough Sea (colour G). Each colour skein contains 50 grams and 100 metres (109 yards). The pattern provides yardage requirements across six size increments, with the main colour (Ash Heather) requiring between 3 and 6 skeins depending on size, while accent colours each require 1 skein. The pattern notes that any worsted weight yarn may be substituted if Létt-Lopi is unavailable.

Knitting needles in two sizes are required: Size A needles for working the single colour stockinette stitch sections, and Size B needles for the stranded colourwork sections. The different needle sizes accommodate the different gauges produced by each technique, ensuring consistent fabric drape and fit across the entire sweater.

Difficulty Level

This pattern is rated as intermediate difficulty, making it suitable for knitters with foundational skills who are ready to expand their technical abilities. The combination of in-the-round knitting, stranded colourwork, and gauge management requires experience beyond absolute beginner level, though the straightforward construction and clear sizing options make it an accessible intermediate project.