Góa Sweater in LOPI Fjallalopi

Góa Sweater in LOPI Fjallalopi – Knitting Pattern Summary

The Góa Sweater is a beautifully crafted colorwork pullover designed by Védís Jónsdóttir and published under the LOPI brand. Its name is drawn from the fifth month of winter in the old Icelandic calendar — a time when the sun climbs higher and spring begins to make itself known. That evocative inspiration is reflected in the sweater's warm, earthy palette and its traditional Icelandic yoke construction. The pattern is available as a downloadable PDF and is rated intermediate in difficulty, making it an excellent project for knitters who are comfortable with colorwork and working in the round but are ready to take their skills further.

What Is Being Made

The Góa Sweater is a seamless, round-yoke pullover worked in the round from the lower edges upward. The body and sleeves are knitted separately in the round from the lower edge to the underarm, then joined together to form the iconic circular yoke. This construction method is a hallmark of traditional Icelandic sweater design and produces a garment with minimal seaming and a beautifully smooth finish. The yoke features a stranded colorwork chart that creates a decorative band of pattern across the shoulders and upper chest, graduating in stitch count through regular decreases to shape the rounded yoke. The finished sweater includes a 2x2 ribbed neckband worked in two colors for a neat, structured collar.

The pattern is offered in seven sizes, ranging from XS to 3XL, with finished yoke chest measurements spanning 87 cm to 131 cm. This generous size range makes the Góa Sweater accessible to a wide variety of body types and knitting preferences.

Sizes and Measurements

• Sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL, 2XL, 3XL
• Yoke chest circumference: 87, 94, 102, 109, 116, 124, 131 cm
• Length to underarm: 26, 27, 29, 30, 32, 33, 35 cm
• Sleeve length to underarm: 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 48 cm

Techniques Used

The Góa Sweater employs several techniques that are central to Icelandic and Scandinavian knitting traditions:

• Working in the round: Both the body and the sleeves are knitted entirely in the round on circular needles, producing a seamless tube with no purling required in the main fabric sections.
• Seamless yoke construction: Body and sleeves are joined at the underarm and worked together in the round to create the characteristic circular yoke. Underarm stitches are placed on stitch holders and later grafted together using the Kitchener stitch (grafting) for a smooth, invisible join.
• Stranded colorwork: The yoke features a multi-color stranded knitting chart worked with up to five colors. Knitters carry unused yarn across the back of the work, creating a warm double layer of fabric in the yoke section — a practical feature in cold-weather garments.
• Yoke decreases: Decreases are worked as indicated in the colorwork chart, shaping the yoke evenly around the full circumference as the pattern progresses toward the neckline.
• 2x2 ribbing: The neckband is finished with a classic knit 2, purl 2 rib, worked first in color E (moss) and then completed in color A (light moorit) before a loose bind-off in rib.
• Needle changes: Knitters switch between longer and shorter circular needles as the stitch count decreases through the yoke, and use double-pointed needles where necessary for smaller circumferences.

Stitches Used

• Stockinette stitch (St st): The main body and sleeves are worked in stockinette stitch in the round, which appears as smooth knit fabric on the right side.
• 2x2 rib (k2, p2):