Lattice Armwarmers in Rowan Alpaca Soft DK (De) - Downloadable PDF

Lattice Armwarmers by Martin Storey – Knitting Pattern Summary (Rowan Alpaca Soft DK)

The Lattice Armwarmers is a knitting pattern designed by Martin Storey and published by Rowan (est. 1978) as a downloadable PDF (pattern reference ZB276-00004-DEP). The pattern is rated intermediate in difficulty and produces a pair of elegant, colourwork armwarmers — sometimes called stulpen or wrist warmers — that sit beautifully on the lower arm without covering the fingers. This makes them a highly practical and stylish accessory for cooler weather, offering warmth to the wrists and forearms while leaving the hands completely free.

What Is Being Made

The pattern creates a pair of armwarmers (Stulpen) worked in the round. Each finished armwarmer measures 11 cm wide (lying flat) and 30 cm long, making them a generous, wrist-to-forearm length accessory. The design features a striking two-colour lattice motif worked in traditional Fair Isle / Norwegian colourwork technique, framed at both the cast-on and cast-off edges by a neat two-colour ribbed border.

Yarn and Colours

The pattern calls for Rowan Alpaca Soft DK, a luxuriously soft double knitting weight yarn. Two colourways are used:

• Colour A – Rainy Day (shade 210): 2 x 50 g balls
• Colour B – Charcoal (shade 211): 2 x 50 g balls

The pairing of Rainy Day and Charcoal creates a sophisticated, neutral colourwork palette that suits a wide range of styles. Rowan Alpaca Soft DK is prized for its softness against the skin — an important quality for an accessory worn directly on the wrist and forearm.

Needles and Equipment

Two needle sizes are required:

• 3.25 mm needles – used for the two-colour ribbed borders
• 4 mm needles – used for the main colourwork chart section

Knitters may use either a set of double-pointed needles (DPNs) in each size, or circular needles at least 80 cm long in each size, worked using the Magic Loop technique. A stitch marker is also required to mark the beginning and end of each round. The Magic Loop method is a popular alternative to DPNs for knitting small circumferences in the round, using a single long circular needle.

Tension and Gauge

Achieving the correct tension is essential for the armwarmers to reach the stated finished dimensions:

• 28 stitches and 25 rows = 10 x 10 cm in two-colour rib on 3.25 mm needles
• 25 stitches and 26 rows = 10 x 10 cm in the Norwegian colourwork chart on 4 mm needles

Techniques Used

This pattern draws on several knitting techniques that place it firmly in the intermediate skill category:

• Knitting in the round – the armwarmers are worked entirely in the round, either on DPNs or using the Magic Loop method on circular needles
• Two-colour ribbing – the borders are worked in a 1 stitch knit in Colour A, 1 stitch purl in Colour B rib pattern, requiring the knitter to carry and cross both yarns at each colour change to avoid holes forming on the wrong side
• Norwegian / Fair Isle colourwork (Norwegermuster) – the main body of each armwarmer is worked in stranded colourwork following an 18-stitch repeat chart, repeated three times per round across all 63 chart rows; floats are carried across the wrong side of the fabric
• Magic Loop technique – an optional but recommended method for working small circumferences on long circular needles