Ladie’s Sweater with yoke in Schachenmayr Merino Extrafine Cotton 120 - 2066 - Downloadable PDF

Ladies' Sweater with Yoke in Diagonal Pattern – Schachenmayr Merino Extrafine Cotton 120 (Design 2066)

This free downloadable knitting pattern (Design 2066) from Schachenmayr guides knitters through creating a beautiful ladies' pullover sweater featuring a rounded yoke worked in a striking diagonal rib pattern. The design is worked in Schachenmayr Merino Extrafine Cotton 120 in the shade Jeans (colour 00552), a DK-weight yarn that blends the softness of merino wool with the breathability of cotton — making it an excellent choice for a versatile, wearable-season sweater.

What Is Being Made

The pattern produces a classic women's pullover sweater with a circular yoke. The body is constructed in separate front and back pieces, along with sleeves, all of which are ultimately joined to work the rounded yoke in the round. The finished sweater is available in three sizes, with stitch counts given as 95–107–119 stitches for the cast-on, scaling up through the construction accordingly. The design is elegant yet approachable, combining structured ribbing at the lower body with a decorative diagonal texture panel at the yoke.

Design Details and Construction

The back piece is cast on with 95–107–119 stitches and begins with a single wrong-side purl row before transitioning into a rib pattern consisting of alternating 3 stitches of garter stitch and 3 stitches of stocking stitch, framed by border stitches. At 30 cm in height, paired increases are worked — once on each side, then twice more every second row — bringing the stitch count to 101–113–125 stitches. Stitches are placed on hold at 32 cm after a wrong-side row.

The front piece mirrors the back in its lower construction but introduces a decorative feature: over the central 45 stitches, a panel of 2 purl stitches, 41 knit stitches, and 2 purl stitches is worked for 2 rows, after which the central 41 stitches transition into the signature diagonal pattern. The 2 purl stitches on either side of this panel are maintained throughout. After the increases are complete, all stitches revert to the rib pattern before being placed on hold at the same height as the back.

The sleeves are cast on with 59 stitches and begin with a wrong-side purl row, then continue in a structured layout of rib pattern panels flanking a central stitch, with further details continuing into the yoke construction.

The Diagonal Pattern – Key Technique

The standout feature of this sweater is its diagonal rib pattern (Diagonalmuster), which creates a visually dynamic texture that travels diagonally across the yoke from lower left to upper right on the right side of the fabric. The pattern is formed by alternating 3 stitches of stocking stitch and 3 stitches of reverse stocking stitch, then shifting the pattern by one stitch to the left on every wrong-side row and one stitch to the right on every right-side row. This simple but effective offset technique creates the characteristic diagonal movement without the need for cables or complex stitch manipulation, making it accessible to intermediate knitters comfortable with reading pattern repeats.

Stitches Used

• Stocking stitch (glatt rechts): Knit on right-side rows, purl on wrong-side rows; knit every round when working in the round
• Garter stitch (kraus rechts): Knit on both right-side and wrong-side rows
• Rib pattern (Rippenmuster): Alternating 3 stitches garter stitch and 3 stitches stocking stitch, framed by border stitches
• Diagonal rib pattern (Diagonalmuster): 3 stitches stocking stitch and 3 stitches reverse stocking stitch alternated, with a one-stitch offset applied every row to create diagonal movement
• Reverse stocking stitch (glatt links): Purl on right-side rows, used to