Luella Sweater in Rowan Fine Lace - Downloadable PDF

Luella Sweater in Rowan Fine Lace by Lisa Richardson – Pattern Summary

The Luella Sweater is an elegant, lace-knitted pullover designed by Lisa Richardson for Rowan. This free downloadable PDF pattern is rated advanced in difficulty and is suited to experienced knitters who are comfortable working multi-row lace repeats, shaping, and fine-weight yarn. The finished garment is a classic sweater or jumper silhouette with delicate all-over lace patterning, making it a sophisticated wardrobe piece ideal for layering or wearing as a statement top.

Sizing and Finished Measurements

The Luella Sweater is offered in five sizes designed to fit a range of bust measurements:

• Small (S): To fit bust 81–86 cm / 32–34 in
• Medium (M): To fit bust 91–97 cm / 36–38 in
• Large (L): To fit bust 102–107 cm / 40–42 in
• XL: To fit bust 112–117 cm / 44–46 in
• XXL: To fit bust 122–127 cm / 48–50 in

Finished garment measurements include:

• Length: 48–56 cm / 19–22 in (varies by size)
• Width: 46–71 cm / 18–28 in (varies by size)
• Sleeve seam: 33 cm / 13 in

What Is Being Made

The Luella Sweater is a fitted, lace-panelled pullover knitted in the round or flat sections and assembled as a traditional sweater with a back, front, and sleeves. The design features an intricate all-over lace pattern worked across the body and sleeves, giving the finished piece a lightweight, airy quality that is characteristic of garments knitted in lace-weight yarn. A ribbed welt provides structure at the lower edges before the lace pattern begins, creating a refined contrast between the firm ribbing and the open lacework above.

Techniques Used

This pattern draws on a range of advanced knitting techniques that make it best suited to experienced knitters:

• Lace knitting: The primary technique throughout the body and sleeves, involving carefully placed yarn-overs and decreases to form an open, decorative mesh pattern. Lace knitting requires close attention to stitch counts on every row, as errors in one row will affect the alignment of subsequent pattern rows.
• Ribbing: A two-row rib is worked at the lower edge of the back (and presumably the front and sleeves) to create a neat, elasticated border. The rib is worked until the piece measures approximately 14 cm before transitioning to the lace pattern.
• Increases (M1): Make-one increases are worked on the transition row between the rib and the lace pattern to adjust the stitch count to the correct multiple required by the lace repeat. The exact number of increases varies by size.
• Shaping: Standard garment shaping for a fitted sweater, including armhole and sleeve shaping.
• Reading a multi-row lace chart or written instructions: The lace pattern is presented as written row-by-row instructions, with right-side and wrong-side rows both specified. Knitters must track their position within the repeat carefully.

Stitches Used

The Luella Sweater pattern uses a combination of foundational and lace-specific stitches:

• Knit (K) and Purl (P): The basic building blocks of the ribbing and the reverse stocking stitch sections on wrong-side rows.
• Yarn forward (yfwd) / Yarn round needle (yrn): Used to create decorative yarn-over eyelets that form the open holes characteristic of lace. Yfwd is used on right-side rows and yrn on wrong-side rows.