Aft - Jumper Knitting Pattern For Men in The Yarn Collective Bloomsbury DK by Ella Burch

Aft Jumper Knitting Pattern for Men by Ella Burch – Detailed Pattern Summary

The Aft Jumper is a sophisticated men's pullover knitting pattern designed by Ella Burch and published under The Yarn Collective brand. Rated as an advanced level project, this downloadable PDF pattern delivers a structured, textured knit that showcases classic cable techniques in a contemporary menswear silhouette. The name "Aft" hints at a nautical sensibility, and the dense cable work reinforces that heritage-inspired aesthetic.

What Is Being Made

The Aft is a men's jumper (pullover sweater) designed to be knitted in the round and flat sections as required. It is a substantial, textured garment suited to cooler weather, featuring prominent cable panels as a central design feature. The pattern is available as a downloadable PDF, making it immediately accessible after purchase.

Yarn and Materials

The pattern is written specifically for Bloomsbury DK by The Yarn Collective. This yarn comes in 100g / 3.5oz skeins, each measuring 350 metres / 382 yards, making it a generously sized skein well suited to larger garment projects such as men's jumpers. The DK weight (double knitting) yarn provides excellent stitch definition, which is particularly important for showcasing the cable patterns central to this design.

• Yarn: Bloomsbury DK by The Yarn Collective
• Weight: DK (double knitting)
• Skein size: 100g / 3.5oz – 350m / 382 yards
• Needles: The pattern specifies needle sizes appropriate for DK weight knitting, with tension (gauge) noted as a key reference point before beginning

Tension and Gauge

As with all garment patterns, tension (gauge) is explicitly referenced in the Aft pattern. Knitters are expected to achieve a specific stitch and row count over a defined swatch area before casting on for the jumper. Because this is an advanced pattern with intricate cable panels, achieving correct tension is especially critical — cables naturally draw in fabric, and even small deviations can significantly affect the finished dimensions of a men's jumper.

Techniques Used

The Aft Jumper is firmly positioned as an advanced knitting project, and the techniques required reflect that level of skill. The defining feature of this pattern is its use of cable knitting, a technique in which stitches are crossed over one another using a cable needle to create twisted, rope-like or lattice textures on the fabric surface. Cables are worked by slipping a set number of stitches onto a cable needle, holding them either at the front or back of the work, knitting the next stitches from the left-hand needle, and then knitting the held stitches — creating the characteristic twist.

• Cable knitting – the primary decorative and structural technique throughout the garment
• Holding stitches to the back – used in back-cross cables (C4B, C6B) to create right-leaning twists
• Holding stitches to the front – used in front-cross cables (C4F, C6F) to create left-leaning twists
• Alternating stitch sequences – the abbreviation alt (alternate) appears, indicating the pattern uses alternating rows or rounds as part of its cable repeat structure
• Standard knit and purl construction – forming the background fabric and cable panels

Stitches Used

The abbreviation list within the pattern PDF confirms the following stitches and cable definitions are used throughout the Aft Jumper:

• K2, K3 – knit stitches worked in groups of two and three, forming the fabric base and cable segments
• C4B – Cable 4 Back: slip 2 stitches to cable needle held at back, knit 2 from left needle, knit 2 from cable needle — creates a 4-stitch right-leaning cable cross