Alana Cabled Sweater in West Yorkshire Spinners The Croft - DBP0053 - Downloadable PDF

Alana Cabled Sweater in West Yorkshire Spinners The Croft – Pattern Summary

About This Knitting Pattern

The Alana Cabled Sweater is a beautifully crafted knitting pattern designed by Sarah Hatton and published by West Yorkshire Spinners as a downloadable PDF. It is part of a thoughtfully curated collection of garments created to showcase the distinctive qualities of West Yorkshire Spinners The Croft yarn, a 100% Shetland wool yarn developed in association with the renowned Jamieson & Smith of Shetland. This pattern is rated as intermediate in difficulty, making it an ideal project for knitters who are comfortable with foundational techniques and ready to explore the satisfying world of cable knitting.

What Is Being Made

The pattern produces a cabled sweater — a classic, structured pullover featuring prominent cable detailing throughout. Cables are one of the most timeless and recognisable features in knitwear design, creating raised, rope-like or lattice-style textures by crossing groups of stitches over one another. The result is a garment with depth, visual interest, and a traditional yet contemporary aesthetic that suits a wide range of wardrobes. Sarah Hatton's design brings a refined, practical elegance to the sweater, making it both a wearable everyday piece and a rewarding knitting project.

Techniques Used

• Cable knitting – The defining technique of this pattern, cables are formed by slipping a set number of stitches onto a cable needle, holding them either to the front or back of the work, knitting the next stitches from the main needle, and then knitting the held stitches. This crossing action creates the characteristic twisted, interlocking appearance.
• Shaping – As with all fitted or semi-fitted sweater construction, the pattern involves shaping techniques to form the neckline, armholes, and body silhouette.
• Blocking and finishing – The care instructions specify reshaping whilst damp, which is a standard and important finishing step for wool garments, particularly those worked in Shetland wool, to help the stitches settle and the cables open up beautifully.
• Tension/gauge management – Achieving the correct tension is essential for a well-fitting sweater. The stated tension is 18 stitches over 10cm/4 inches using 5mm (US8) needles.

Stitches Used

• Cable stitches – The primary decorative and structural stitch of the design, worked across panels of the sweater to create the signature cabled texture.
• Knit and purl stitches – The foundational stitches of all knitting, used both within the cable panels and in the background fabric to set off the raised cable motifs.
• Rib stitch – Commonly used in sweater construction for cuffs, hems, and neckbands to provide stretch and a neat, professional finish; typical of Aran-weight sweater patterns of this style.

Materials – Yarn

The pattern is designed specifically for West Yorkshire Spinners The Croft, an Aran weight yarn spun from 100% Shetland wool. Each hank contains 166 metres (182 yards) per 100g. The Croft is produced in collaboration with Jamieson & Smith of Shetland, drawing on the centuries-old tradition of crofting on the Shetland Islands — a practice deeply embedded in the cultural and agricultural heritage of the region.

Shetland wool is internationally celebrated for its fineness, warmth, and strength, with high levels of natural crimp and wave in the fleece that make it exceptionally well-suited to hand knitting. The Croft is finished with a soft, silky handle while retaining excellent durability. What sets this yarn apart is its Shetland Tweed character — achieved using state-of-the-art dyeing machinery to create intricate, subtle colour fusions that give the yarn a sophisticated, multi-tonal depth. This tweed effect adds an extra layer of visual richness to the cable textures of the Alana Cabled Sweater, making the finished garment truly distinctive.

Materials