Riley Wave Jumper - Knitting Pattern For Women in MillaMia Naturally Soft Cotton by MillaMia

Riley Wave Jumper – Knitting Pattern for Women by MillaMia

The Riley Wave Jumper is a women's knitted sweater pattern designed by MillaMia, worked in a striking multi-colour stripe sequence using MillaMia Naturally Soft Cotton yarn. This intermediate-level knitting pattern produces a relaxed, wearable jumper with a distinctive wave-inspired colourway that makes it a versatile wardrobe staple, equally at home dressed up or styled casually with classic mid-blue denim.

What Is Being Made

The finished garment is a women's pullover sweater — a classic jumper shape with set-in or structured sleeves and a neat neckline. It is sized to fit a range of bust measurements:

• To fit bust: 82–87 cm (32–34 in), 92–97 cm (36–38 in), 102–107 cm (40–42 in), 112–117 cm (44–46 in)
• Actual bust: 92 cm, 106 cm, 120 cm, 134 cm (36 in, 41¾ in, 47¼ in, 52¾ in)
• Length to back neck: 56 cm, 58 cm, 60 cm, 62 cm (22 in, 22¾ in, 23½ in, 24½ in)
• Sleeve length: 45 cm / 17¾ in across all sizes

The design is rated intermediate in difficulty, making it an ideal project for knitters who are comfortable with basic shaping and are ready to manage multiple yarn colours in a structured stripe sequence.

Techniques Used

The Riley Wave Jumper is constructed using several well-established knitting techniques that give the finished garment its clean, structured appearance:

• Bottom-up construction: The body and sleeves are worked from the cast-on edge upward, which allows knitters to try on the garment as they go and adjust length easily before completing the yoke or shoulder shaping.
• Worked flat: All pieces are knitted flat on straight or circular needles, producing separate panels rather than working in the round. This is a traditional approach well suited to seamed garments.
• Seamed finishing: The individual pieces — front, back, and sleeves — are joined together using seaming techniques such as mattress stitch. Seamed construction adds structure and durability to the finished jumper.
• Stripes: The wave-inspired aesthetic of this design comes from its colourful stripe sequence. Working stripes flat means yarn can be carried up the side of the work or cut and rejoined, depending on the colour repeat. Managing multiple colours neatly is a key skill practised in this pattern.
• Neckline pick-up: The pattern instructs knitters to pick up stitches around the neckline to create a finished neck edge. MillaMia specifically advises taking care during this step, as the contrast between the colourful body and the neckline finish is prominent and any irregularities will be visible.

Stitches Used

As a sport-weight knitted jumper worked flat, the Riley Wave Jumper draws on fundamental knitting stitches and stitch patterns typical of structured garment knitting:

• Knit and purl stitches form the foundation of the fabric, used to create the main body panels.
• Ribbing is commonly used in MillaMia garment patterns for welts, cuffs, and neckbands to provide stretch and a neat, professional edge — consistent with the seamed, bottom-up construction described.
• Shaping stitches including increases and decreases are used to shape the armholes, sleeve caps, and neckline, giving the jumper its fitted, wearable silhouette.

Materials – Yarn and Needles

The pattern is designed specifically for MillaMia Naturally Soft Cotton, a sport-weight yarn available in 50 g / 1¾ oz balls. This yarn is a 100% cotton construction known for its smooth stitch definition, making it particularly well suited to colourwork and stripe patterns where clean colour transitions are important. The quantities required per colourway are as follows for the main colourway: