Cormorant Sweater in Valley Yarns Haydenville DK - 974 - Downloadable PDF

Cormorant Sweater in Valley Yarns Haydenville DK – Pattern #974 by Julie Turjoman

The Cormorant Sweater (Pattern #974) is a beautifully feminine yoke pullover designed by Julie Turjoman and knitted in Valley Yarns Haydenville DK. This advanced-level knitting pattern combines a single-color body with a richly detailed stranded colorwork yoke, creating a garment that is both visually striking and elegantly wearable. The deep yoke drapes gracefully over the shoulders to form natural cap sleeves, giving the sweater a soft, draped silhouette that flatters a wide range of body types.

What Is Being Made

The Cormorant is a pullover sweater featuring a scoop neckline, waist shaping, and a deep stranded colorwork yoke that doubles as cap sleeves. It is worked in just two flat pieces — a front and a back — which are then seamed together, making the construction more approachable in terms of managing colorwork floats while still producing a polished, structured finished garment. The design is available in eight sizes ranging from XS through 4XL, with finished bust measurements spanning 32 to 60 inches and 1–2 inches of positive ease built in for a comfortable, relaxed fit. The sample shown in the pattern is knitted in Size S.

Construction and Techniques

This pattern is rated Experienced (Advanced) and is best suited to knitters who are comfortable working with multiple yarn colors simultaneously and managing tension across floats. Key techniques used in this pattern include:

• Worked flat: Both the front and back pieces are knitted flat, row by row, rather than in the round. This approach simplifies the stranded colorwork sections by allowing the knitter to always see the right side of the fabric on knit rows.
• Stranded colorwork: The deep yoke features a multi-color stranded pattern using all three yarn colors — Sand (MC), Grey (CC1), and Spring Leaf (CC2). Stranded knitting involves carrying unused yarn colors across the back of the work, creating a double-layered fabric with beautiful color patterning on the right side. Managing float tension is essential for a smooth, even result.
• Seamed construction: The two flat pieces are joined using seaming techniques, which give the finished sweater structure and help the garment hold its shape over time. Seaming also provides clean, stable edges at the sides and shoulders.
• Knit bound neckline: The scoop neck is finished with a knitted bind-off technique, creating a neat, professional edge that lies flat and frames the neckline attractively.
• Waist shaping: Increases and decreases are worked into the body of the sweater to create a tailored waist, giving the garment a feminine, fitted silhouette rather than a boxy appearance.

Stitches Used

While the pattern does not enumerate every stitch in the attributes, the construction of this type of sweater typically draws on the following foundational knitting stitches and techniques:

• Knit and purl stitches for the flat stockinette body sections
• Stranded colorwork stitches across the yoke, worked with two or more colors per row
• Decrease and increase stitches for waist shaping and yoke shaping
• Bind-off stitches for the knit-finished neckline edge

Yarn and Materials

The pattern is designed specifically for Valley Yarns Haydenville DK, a DK weight yarn with a fiber composition of 60% Superwash Merino Wool / 40% Acrylic Microfiber, available in 50g skeins of 136 yards each. The superwash treatment makes the finished sweater easy to care for, while the merino wool content provides softness and drape. The acrylic microfiber adds durability and helps the yarn hold its shape over time — an ideal combination for a garment with intricate colorwork.

Three colorways are used in this pattern:

• MC (Main Color):