Men Cable Sweater with Roll Neck in Bergere de France Alaska - 71136-294 - Downloadable PDF

Men's Cable Sweater with Roll Neck in Bergère de France Alaska – Pattern 71136-294

This downloadable PDF knitting pattern from Bergère de France provides full instructions for a men's cable sweater with a roll neck, worked in the brand's chunky-weight Alaska yarn. Rated as Expert (advanced) difficulty, this project is ideal for experienced knitters looking to challenge their skills with intricate cable constructions and raglan shaping across five sizes: S, M, L, XL, and XXL.

What Is Being Made

The finished garment is a men's pullover sweater featuring a prominent roll neck, an all-over cable pattern across the body, and raglan sleeve shaping. The sweater is constructed with a separate Back and Front, each worked flat from the bottom up, with raglan decreases shaping the armhole and shoulder area. The roll neck adds a cosy, contemporary finish well suited to chunky knitwear.

Yarn and Materials

• Yarn: Bergère de France Alaska (chunky weight), shade Fusil 29949
• Quantity: 17 balls (S), 19 balls (M), 20 balls (L), 22 balls (XL), or 23 balls (XXL)
• Needles: 4.5 mm needles for the ribbed welts and 5.5 mm needles for the main body and raglan sections
• Additional tool: A cable needle (cn) is required throughout for all cable crossings

Techniques Used

• Flat knitting – both the Back and Front are worked back and forth in rows
• Raglan shaping – armhole and sleeve-head shaping is achieved through paired decreases on right-side rows, worked consistently across 21 to 27 decrease rows depending on the size
• Cable needle crossings – multiple distinct cable crossing techniques are used throughout, requiring confident handling of a cable needle
• Neck shaping – stitches are cast off at the neck edge after the final raglan decrease row
• Increasing – selected sizes (M, XL, and XXL) require a single increase at each end of the final ribbing row before transitioning to the main pattern

Stitches Used

• 2/2 Rib – worked on 4.5 mm needles for approximately 7 cm (2¾ in) / 16 rows at the lower edge, forming the classic knit-2, purl-2 welt
• Reverse Stocking Stitch (Rev St st) – used as a background texture flanking the cable panel, with the number of stitches varying by size (3, 6, 5, 8, or 12 stitches per side)
• Cable Pattern – a large, chart-based cable panel worked over 74, 74, 82, 82, or 82 stitches depending on size, incorporating 10 increases on the first cable row to set up the pattern correctly
• Slip stitch (Slip 1) – worked purlwise with yarn on the wrong side, used as a selvedge or decorative element within the pattern

Cable Crossing Abbreviations Explained

The pattern employs a rich vocabulary of cable crossings, all requiring a cable needle. Understanding each abbreviation is essential before casting on:

• 4CL (4-stitch Cross Left): Slip 2 stitches onto the cable needle and hold at the front of the work, knit 2, then knit 2 from the cable needle – creates a left-leaning 4-stitch cable cross
• 4CR (4-stitch Cross Right): Slip 2 stitches onto the cable needle and hold at the back of the work, knit 2, then knit 2 from the cable needle – creates a