Sabine Colourwork Yoke Jumpers in West Yorkshire Spinners Bo Peep Pure - DBP0238 - Downloadable PDF

Sabine Colourwork Yoke Jumper in West Yorkshire Spinners Bo Peep Pure DK – Pattern Summary

About This Design

The Sabine Colourwork Yoke Jumper is an intermediate-level knitting pattern designed by Sarah Hatton and published as a downloadable PDF by West Yorkshire Spinners. The pattern is worked in Bo Peep Pure DK yarn and features a striking colourwork yoke, making it a standout addition to any handknitter's wardrobe. The design combines classic jumper construction with decorative stranded colourwork concentrated at the yoke, creating a garment that is both wearable and visually impressive.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a colourwork yoke jumper — a pullover sweater distinguished by a decorative yoke section worked in multiple colours. The yoke is the circular panel that sits across the shoulders and upper chest, and in this design it serves as the focal point of the garment. The body and sleeves are worked in a more straightforward manner, allowing the colourwork section to take centre stage. This style of jumper has strong roots in Scandinavian and Fair Isle knitting traditions, where stranded colourwork yokes have long been a beloved technique.

Construction and Techniques

The Sabine jumper uses a combination of techniques suited to an intermediate knitter who is comfortable with both flat and circular knitting. Key construction elements include:

• Raglan sleeve shaping – the sleeves are set in using raglan lines, which are worked by decreasing stitches at regular intervals to shape the armhole and sleeve cap simultaneously. The pattern notes recommend using mattress stitch for seaming the raglan sleeve into the body.
• Colourwork yoke – the upper section of the jumper is worked in stranded colourwork, a technique where two or more yarn colours are carried across each row or round, with the unused colour floated or woven in at the back of the fabric.
• Working in the round – sections of the jumper are knitted in rounds rather than flat rows, which is particularly well suited to seamless yoke and sleeve construction. Double pointed needles (DPNs) are referenced in the abbreviations, indicating their use for smaller circumference sections such as sleeve cuffs.
• Flat knitting in rows – portions of the garment are also worked back and forth in rows, with right side (RS) and wrong side (WS) rows distinguished throughout the pattern.
• Increases and decreases – shaping is achieved using techniques including m1 (make 1, worked by picking up the loop between the last and next stitch and knitting into the back of it), psso (pass slipped stitch over), and standard decrease methods worked tbl (through the back of loops) to create neat, directional shaping.
• Seaming with mattress stitch – the pattern specifically recommends mattress stitch for joining seams, producing an invisible and professional finish on the completed garment.

Stitches Used

The pattern employs a range of stitches and stitch techniques, including:

• Stocking stitch (st-st) – the primary background stitch of the jumper, worked as knit on right side rows and purl on wrong side rows when knitting flat, or as every-round knit when working in the round.
• Colourwork pattern stitches – the yoke features a charted or written colourwork pattern worked across multiple stitches and rounds, creating the decorative motif that defines the design.
• Knit (K) and Purl (P) – fundamental stitches used throughout the body, sleeves, and any ribbed or textured edgings.
• Slip stitches (sl1 knitwise) – used as part of decrease sequences and shaping techniques.
• Marker placement and slipping (sm) – stitch markers are used to denote key points in the round, such as raglan lines and pattern repeats, helping the knitter keep track of shaping and colourwork sections.

Materials – Yarn, Needles, and Tension

This pattern is designed specifically for West Yorkshire Spinners Bo Peep Pure