Honey Bee

Honey Bee Knitted Sweater by La rose du rang

What is Being Made

The Honey Bee is a knitted sweater designed by La rose du rang, available as a downloadable PDF pattern. This garment is a yoke-based pullover sweater suitable for beginners, featuring a construction method that starts at the neckline and works downward. The pattern includes multiple size options ranging from 180 meters to 1190 meters of yarn, accommodating various finished garment dimensions.

Construction Technique

The Honey Bee sweater employs a top-down yoke construction method, a popular technique in modern knitting design. The yoke is worked in the round using circular needles, establishing the shoulder and upper body shaping. Once the yoke reaches the desired depth, the work is separated to create individual sleeves and the main body, which are then worked separately in the round. This modular approach allows knitters to easily customize the length of both the body and sleeves by simply working additional pattern rows as desired, making it an excellent choice for achieving a personalized fit.

Stitches and Techniques Used

The Honey Bee pattern employs fundamental knitting stitches and shaping techniques appropriate for beginner-level knitters:

• Knit stitch (k) – the basic stitch forming the primary fabric
• Purl stitch (p) – used in combination with knit stitches for texture variation
• Stockinette stitch – the main fabric structure, created by alternating knit and purl rows, worked in the round for a smooth, finished appearance
• Knit front and back (kf&b) – an increase technique that adds one stitch by working into both the front and back loops of the same stitch
• Make one (m1) – an additional increase method for adding stitches with minimal visibility
• Knit two together (k2tog) – a decrease technique that combines two stitches into one
• Cast on (CO) – the foundation method for creating the initial stitches
• Bind off (BO) – the finishing technique for securing stitches and completing edges

Materials Required

The Honey Bee pattern calls for specific materials to complete the project:

• Yarn: Fingering weight yarn in two colors – a main color (MC) shown in Fibrelya Marbelous Goldrush (speckled) and a contrast color (CC) shown in Julie Asselin Cité d'or (solid). Yardage requirements vary by size, ranging from 180 to 1190 meters for the main color and 200 to 1100 meters for the contrast color. Note that adjusting the size or length will require additional yarn beyond the specified amounts.
• Needles: 4 mm circular needles, or the appropriate size needed to achieve the specified gauge
• Notions: Two stitch markers for tracking pattern repeats and round beginnings, and two stitch holders or scrap yarn for temporarily holding stitches during construction

Gauge and Finishing

The pattern specifies a gauge of 25 stitches and 26 rows per 4-inch square when worked in stockinette stitch, in the round, and blocked. Achieving the correct gauge is essential for proper fit and is particularly important in a fitted garment like a sweater. The blocking process helps even out the stitches and set the final dimensions of the finished piece.

Skill Level

Designed as a beginner-friendly project, the Honey Bee sweater introduces knitters to essential techniques including circular needle work, in-the-round construction, basic increases and decreases, and garment shaping. The straightforward yoke-to-hem construction and use of fundamental stitches make it an accessible introduction to sweater knitting.