Rose garden sweater

Rose Garden Sweater by Dorothy Shaw

What is Being Made

The Rose Garden Sweater is a knitted pullover garment designed by Dorothy Shaw, available in four sizes ranging from UK 10 to UK 16 with chest measurements from 34 inches (86cm) to 40 inches (101.5cm). This intermediate-level knitting project creates a fitted sweater suitable for various body sizes.

Craft and Primary Technique

This project uses knitting as its primary craft method. The sweater is constructed using circular needles, which allow for seamless knitting in the round. This technique reduces seaming work and creates a more cohesive finished garment. The pattern employs both flat and circular knitting techniques to build the body and sleeves of the sweater.

Stitches and Stitch Techniques Used

The Rose Garden Sweater incorporates several fundamental knitting stitches and techniques:

• K2P2 Rib (Knit 2, Purl 2) – Used for the ribbed cuffs and welts, creating an elastic, textured edge that helps the garment fit snugly
• Stocking Stitch (St. st.) – The primary fabric stitch, created by knitting every row on the right side and purling every row on the wrong side, producing a smooth, classic sweater fabric
• Knit (K) and Purl (P) stitches – The foundational stitches that form all knitted fabric
• Decreases – Including K2tog (knit 2 together) and P2tog (purl 2 together) for shaping the garment
• Slip stitch (s1) and pass slip stitch over (psso) – Advanced decrease techniques used for shaping
• Cast-on using thumb method – A foundational technique for beginning the project with 236 to 272 stitches depending on size

Materials and Yarn Specifications

The Rose Garden Sweater uses West Yorkshire Spinners Signature 4-ply yarn, with 2 balls each in two contrasting colours. The 4-ply weight creates a lightweight, refined fabric suitable for a versatile sweater. The pattern encourages a random stripe effect by alternating between the two colours throughout the ribbed sections, adding visual interest to the finished garment.

Needles and Tools Required

This project requires multiple circular needles in two sizes to accommodate different sections of the sweater:

• Size 12 (2.75mm) circular needles – Available in 30cm, 40cm, and 80cm lengths, used for the initial ribbed cast-on and ribbed sections
• Size 10 (3.25mm) circular needles – Available in 40cm, 60/80cm, and 100cm lengths, used for the main body knitting after the ribbed sections
• 5 stitch holders – For temporarily holding stitches during construction
• Darning needle – For weaving in yarn ends and any finishing seams

Tension and Gauge

The pattern specifies a tension of 26 stitches and 31 rows to 10 centimetres using size 10 (3.25mm) needles. Achieving the correct tension is essential for the sweater to fit properly according to the specified measurements. Knitters should work a tension swatch before beginning the project to ensure their personal knitting tension matches the pattern requirements.

Construction Method

The sweater begins with a cast-on of 236 to 272 stitches using the thumb method on size 12 needles with the darker colour. The first 24 rounds are worked in K2P2 rib with alternating colours to create a random stripe pattern, establishing the lower edge of the garment. After completing the ribbed section, the knitter changes to size 10 needles to work the main body in stocking stitch, which forms the smooth, classic sweater fabric. This transition from smaller to larger needles creates the proper gauge and fabric density for the body of the sweater.

Difficulty Level

This project is rated as intermediate difficulty, making it suitable for knitters who have mastered basic stitches and simple garment construction. The pattern requires understanding of circular needle techniques, colour changes, decreasing, and garment