#866 Askja - Jumper Knitting Pattern For Kids in Valley Yarns Superwash DK by Valley Yarns

Pattern Summary: #866 Askja – Kids' Stranded Colorwork Pullover Knitting Pattern by Julie Turjoman for Valley Yarns

The Askja is a beautifully crafted, Icelandic-inspired pullover designed specifically for children by Julie Turjoman for Valley Yarns. Named after one of Iceland's famous highland volcanoes, this knitting pattern captures the spirit of traditional Nordic knitwear through coordinating stranded colorwork motifs and a classic seamless construction. Rated advanced in difficulty, this pattern is a rewarding project for experienced knitters looking to create a heirloom-quality, everyday-wearable garment for kids aged roughly 1 through 12 years.

What Is Being Made

Askja is a children's pullover sweater (also called a jumper) featuring a circular yoke construction with stranded colorwork panels at the yoke, sleeves, and hem. The design is available in six sizes to suit a wide range of children:

• Sizes: 1–2 yr, 2–4 yr, 4–6 yr, 6–8 yr, 8–10 yr, and 10–12 yr
• Finished Chest Measurements: 21¾ (23¾, 25½, 29, 31, 32¾) inches
• Designed to fit with 2–4 inches of positive ease, giving a comfortable, relaxed fit ideal for active children
• The sample shown in the pattern is knitted in size 6–8 yr

The coordinating colorwork panels on the yoke, sleeves, and hem give the sweater a cohesive, polished look that echoes traditional Icelandic and Scandinavian knitting traditions, where geometric and nature-inspired motifs are used to create striking visual interest across a garment.

Construction Techniques

Askja uses a seamless, bottom-up construction method that is characteristic of many Scandinavian-style sweaters. Key construction techniques include:

• Knitting in the round: Both the body and the sleeves are worked circularly from the cast-on edge upward, eliminating the need for seaming and producing a smooth, continuous fabric
• Bottom-up construction: The body is begun at the hem and worked upward; sleeves are worked separately in the round from the cuff upward
• Yoke joining: The sleeves are joined to the body at the yoke, a hallmark of the classic raglan or circular yoke sweater construction, allowing the colorwork to flow seamlessly across the upper portion of the garment
• Stranded colorwork: Multiple colors are carried across rounds simultaneously to create the patterned motifs; this technique, sometimes called Fair Isle or two-color stranded knitting, requires managing yarn floats on the wrong side of the fabric to maintain even tension
• Coordinating colorwork panels: The pattern features multiple colorwork sections at the hem, sleeves, and yoke that are designed to complement one another, requiring careful color management across all three areas of the garment

Stitches Used

As an advanced knitting pattern worked in the round with colorwork, Askja incorporates a variety of stitch types and techniques:

• Stranded colorwork stitches: The primary decorative element of the pattern, requiring knitters to work with multiple yarn colors in a single round, carrying unused colors as floats across the back of the work
• Stockinette stitch in the round: The main body fabric is formed by knitting every round when working circularly, producing a smooth, classic knit surface that serves as the backdrop for the colorwork motifs
• Ribbing: Typically used at the cuffs, hem, and neckline of pullover sweaters of this style to provide elasticity and a neat, finished edge
• Yoke shaping decreases: Shaping at the circular yoke requires decrease stitches to form the curved, fitted upper body of the sweater

Stranded colorwork at an advanced level demands consistent tension across both the main color and contrast colors. Knitters working this pattern should be comfortable managing multiple yarn strands simultaneously and catching long floats to prevent puckering on the inside of the garment.