Sweater with Drop Stitch Yoke and Sleeves in Schachenmayr Tahiti - 2176 - Downloadable PDF

Sweater with Drop Stitch Yoke and Sleeves in Schachenmayr Tahiti – Pattern Summary

This free downloadable knitting pattern from Schachenmayr guides you through constructing a pullover sweater featuring a dramatic drop stitch yoke and matching drop stitch sleeves. The design is worked in Schachenmayr Tahiti, a lace-weight yarn, held double throughout to create a fabric with beautiful drape and subtle texture. The pattern is sized to fit a range of figures, covering European sizes 32/34, 36/38, 40/42, 44/46, and 48/50, making it a versatile project for a wide audience.

What Is Being Made

The finished object is a classic pullover sweater distinguished by its decorative yoke and sleeves worked in an eye-catching Fantasiemuster — a German term meaning fancy stitch pattern or novelty stitch pattern. This textural panel is created using a drop stitch cable technique that produces elongated, twisted loops arranged in a repeating six-stitch motif. The body and lower sleeves are worked in a large seed stitch (Großes Perlmuster), while the cuffs and lower body band are finished in a classic rib stitch (Bündchenmuster) for a neat, fitted edge. The combination of these three stitch patterns gives the sweater a sophisticated, multi-textured appearance that is nonetheless achievable by knitters with intermediate skills.

Construction Overview

The sweater is constructed in separate flat pieces — a back, a front, and two sleeves — which are seamed together at the end. This traditional construction method makes it straightforward to check measurements and adjust fit as you go. The back piece begins by casting on between 80 and 122 stitches depending on size, and the ribbed hem is worked for 18 cm before transitioning into the large seed stitch body. The yoke section transitions into the drop stitch fancy pattern, creating a clear visual distinction between the body and the upper garment. Sleeves follow a similar structure, beginning with a ribbed cuff and moving through the seed stitch before the drop stitch pattern takes over on the upper sleeve and shoulder area.

Stitch Patterns Used

• Bündchenmuster (Rib Stitch): A classic knit-and-purl ribbing used for the cuffs and lower body band, providing elasticity and a tidy, professional finish at the edges.
• Großes Perlmuster (Large Seed Stitch): An alternating knit-and-purl pattern worked over the body and lower sleeves, creating a subtle, reversible texture with excellent stitch definition. The gauge for this section is 20 stitches and 34 rows to 10 cm × 10 cm, worked with two strands of yarn held together.
• Fantasiemuster (Drop Stitch Cable Pattern): This is the signature stitch of the design and the most technically interesting element. It is worked over a multiple of 6 stitches plus 2 selvedge stitches and repeats over a 10-row sequence. The pattern works as follows:
  • Rows 1–3 are worked in plain knit stitch.
  • Row 4 (a wrong-side row) is worked in purl, but with each stitch the working yarn is wrapped three times around the right needle, creating two extra yarn-overs per stitch.
  • Row 5 is the key action row: stitches are worked in groups of six, with the first three stitches placed on a cable needle held to the front. As each stitch is worked, the extra yarn-overs are deliberately dropped and the stitch is drawn out long, creating the characteristic elongated drop stitch effect. The three stitches from the cable needle are then knitted, completing a left-leaning six-stitch cable cross with elongated loops.
  • Rows 6–9 repeat the yarn-over and cable-cross sequence, and Row 10 is a plain knit row before the pattern begins again.

The vertical gauge for the Fantasiemuster is notably compressed compared to the seed stitch: