Dunbar Sweater in Erika Knight Wild Wool - 72001105 - Downloadable PDF

Dunbar Sweater by Jacinta Bowie in Erika Knight Wild Wool – Pattern Summary

The Dunbar Sweater is an intermediate-level knitting pattern designed by Jacinta Bowie and published by Erika Knight. It is worked in Erika Knight Wild Wool, a chunky, characterful aran-weight yarn, and produces a beautifully textured hip-length pullover sweater with distinctive cable detailing and a relaxed, wearable silhouette. This is a downloadable PDF pattern, suitable for knitters who are comfortable with cables and more complex construction techniques.

What Is Being Made

The Dunbar Sweater is a hip-length pullover sweater featuring a round neckline, full sleeves that taper from a tight ribbed cuff, and deep cable stitch trims on both the body and sleeves. One of the most distinctive construction details is that the body panels are knitted sideways rather than in the conventional bottom-up or top-down direction, giving the finished fabric a unique structural quality and allowing the cable details to run in an interesting orientation across the garment. The sample garment shown in the pattern photography is a size medium, knitted in the colourway Pootle.

The sweater is available in six sizes, ranging from XS through to XXL, with finished chest measurements spanning from 85cm / 33in up to 138.5cm / 54½in. Lengths range from approximately 62cm to 67cm, and sleeve lengths from 46cm to 48cm, making this a versatile pattern for a wide range of body types.

Techniques Used

• Sideways knitting: The body panels are constructed by knitting sideways, a less common but highly effective technique that changes the direction of the stitch fabric and can create a more structured, tailored drape. Knitters new to this approach will find it a rewarding challenge.
• Cable knitting: Deep cable stitch trims are worked on both the body and the sleeves, requiring the use of a cable needle to cross stitches over one another and create the characteristic twisted rope or braid effect. Cables are a hallmark of traditional knitwear and add both texture and visual interest.
• Ribbing: Tight cuffs are worked in rib, providing elasticity and a neat, fitted finish at the wrist.
• Shaping: Standard knitting shaping techniques including increases and decreases are used throughout to shape the sleeves and body panels. Specific decrease methods referenced in the pattern include P2tog (purl two together) and P2togtbl (purl two together through the back loops).
• Seaming and finishing: As a constructed sweater with separate panels, the Dunbar requires seaming and finishing using a large-eyed blunt-tipped sewing needle.
• Tension/gauge swatching: The pattern specifies two distinct tension measurements — one over stocking stitch and one over the left twist panel B — making accurate gauge swatching particularly important for achieving the correct finished dimensions.

Stitches Used

• Stocking stitch (St st): The primary background fabric of the sweater, worked by alternating knit rows on the right side and purl rows on the wrong side.
• Cable stitch: Deep cable panels are featured as trims on the body and sleeves, worked using a cable needle to create crossed stitch patterns.
• Left twist panel B: A specific textured stitch panel referenced in the tension instructions, indicating a defined cable or twist pattern that forms a key design element of the sweater.
• Rib stitch: Used for the tight cuffs on the sleeves, providing stretch and a snug fit at the wrist.
• P2tog and P2togtbl: Decrease stitches used in shaping sections of the garment.

Materials

Yarn

The pattern calls for Erika Knight Wild Wool, an aran-