Flora Jumper - Knitting Pattern For Women in Debbie Bliss Fine Donegal, Rialto DK & Angel

Flora Sweater Knitting Pattern by Debbie Bliss – Detailed Summary

The Flora Sweater is a beautifully textured women's pullover designed by Debbie Bliss and released in 2019. This intermediate-level knitting pattern produces a richly coloured, seamed jumper worked flat in pieces, featuring stranded colourwork that gives the finished garment its distinctive, painterly floral character. The pattern is available as a downloadable PDF and is a wonderful project for knitters who are comfortable with multi-yarn colourwork and are ready to explore the luxurious combination of three different Debbie Bliss yarn types in a single design.

What Is Being Made

The finished project is a women's stranded colourwork jumper — commonly called a sweater or pullover — designed to be worn with a relaxed, generously oversized fit. It is sized to fit bust measurements ranging from 82–87 cm (32–34 in) up to 112–117 cm (44–46 in), with actual finished bust measurements of 109 cm, 120 cm, 131 cm, and 142 cm across the four sizes. The finished length ranges from 62 cm to 68 cm depending on size, and the sleeve length is a consistent 46 cm (18 in) across all sizes. The generous ease built into the pattern gives the Flora Sweater a contemporary, relaxed silhouette.

Techniques Used

• Seamed construction: The garment is worked flat in separate pieces — typically a front, back, and two sleeves — which are then sewn together. This traditional approach gives the finished fabric excellent structure and stability.
• Stranded colourwork: Multiple yarn colours are carried across rows simultaneously, creating the intricate patterned fabric. Stranded knitting requires managing several yarn ends and maintaining even tension so that floats on the wrong side do not pucker the fabric.
• Worked flat: All pieces are knitted back and forth on straight needles rather than in the round, which is well suited to seamed garment construction and makes the colourwork chart easier to follow row by row.

Stitches Used

The main fabric is worked over a stranded colourwork pattern, with a tension of 22 stitches and 30 rows to a 10 cm square using 4mm (US 6) needles. As is typical with Debbie Bliss designs, the pattern also incorporates rib or moss stitch at the welts, cuffs, and neckband — standard finishing stitches used on the smaller 3.75mm (US 5) needles to create a neat, elasticated edge.

Materials – Yarns

One of the most distinctive features of the Flora Sweater is its use of three different Debbie Bliss yarn bases, each contributing a different texture and weight to the colourwork palette:

• Debbie Bliss Rialto DK (DK weight / 4-ply equivalent in this multi-yarn context): Used in Citrus 69, Bark 87, and Apple 09. The quantities required are 1–2 balls of Citrus and Bark, and 4–5 balls of Apple, depending on size. Rialto DK is a smooth, mercerised Merino wool that provides a crisp stitch definition ideal for colourwork.
• Debbie Bliss Fine Donegal (4-ply / lace weight): Used in Leaf 13 (200g), Flint 26 (100g), and Soft Grey 03 (100g). Fine Donegal is a delicate, tweedy yarn with characteristic flecks of colour woven through its fibre, adding rustic warmth and visual depth to the stranded pattern.
• Debbie Bliss Angel (lace weight / halo yarn): Used in Black 02, Charcoal 03, Denim 08 (one 25g ball each), and Silver 07 (four 25g balls). Angel is a superfine kid mohair and silk blend with a soft halo that adds a luminous, ethere