Butterfly Yoke Pullover

Butterfly Yoke Pullover by Lily Tang

What is Being Made

The Butterfly Yoke Pullover is a knitted sweater featuring a distinctive butterfly motif on the yoke. This pullover is designed as a classic crew-neck sweater available in six sizes ranging from Small to 3X-Large, with actual chest measurements from 35 inches (89 cm) to 54 inches (138 cm). The garment combines a fitted yoke with a relaxed body, making it suitable for various body types and styling preferences.

Knitting Techniques

This intermediate-level knitting project employs several key techniques to create its finished design. The sweater utilizes stranded colorwork on the yoke to create the butterfly pattern, a technique where multiple yarn colors are carried across the row to form the design. The body and sleeves are worked in stockinette stitch, providing a smooth, classic fabric base. The garment is constructed using circular needles for seamless knitting, which is a modern approach to sweater construction that minimizes seaming and creates a more polished final product. The pattern includes both flat and in-the-round knitting sections, with the sleeves worked separately before being joined at the yoke.

Stitches Used

• Stockinette Stitch: Used for the body and sleeves, creating the smooth, flat fabric that forms the foundation of the sweater
• Stranded Colorwork: Applied on the yoke section to create the butterfly motif using two contrast colors worked simultaneously with the main color

Materials and Gauge

The Butterfly Yoke Pullover is worked in sport weight yarn, a lightweight yarn that creates a delicate, breathable fabric ideal for layering or warm-weather wear. The suggested yarn is Rowan Felted Tweed, which offers a beautiful blend of 50% Merino wool, 25% Alpaca, and 25% Rayon fibers. This fiber composition provides softness, warmth, and a subtle texture.

The color palette includes three coordinating shades: the main color (MC) in Seafarer (color 170), a cool blue-grey tone that serves as the primary sweater color, requiring 6 to 11 balls depending on size; Gilt (color 160, CC1), a warm metallic accent used for the butterfly pattern, requiring 1 ball; and Clover (color 162, CC2), a green accent color, also requiring 1 ball.

The project requires two sets of size 4 and 5 (3.5 and 3.75mm) needles in addition to one 80cm circular needle in each size. The smaller needles are used for ribbed sections and create a tighter gauge, while the larger needles are used for the main fabric. The gauge is 22 stitches and 30 rows over 4 inches (10 cm) in stranded pattern using the larger needle, and 22 stitches and 32 rows over 4 inches (10 cm) in stockinette stitch using the smaller needle. Checking gauge before beginning is essential to ensure the finished sweater meets the intended measurements.

Size and Fit Information

The pattern provides six size options with detailed measurements. The length to underarm ranges from 14.5 inches (37 cm) for sizes Small and Medium to 16 inches (40.5 cm) for the largest sizes, while sleeve length to underarm measures between 18 and 19 inches (45.5 to 48 cm) across the size range. The model pictured wears size Small with a 32-inch (81 cm) chest.