Women V Neck Sweater in Bergere de France Ideal - 60508-416 - Downloadable PDF

Women's V-Neck Intarsia Sweater in Bergere de France Idéal – Pattern 60508-416

This intermediate-level knitting pattern from Bergere de France produces a classic women's V-neck sweater worked in colourful intarsia, combining a bold geometric or pictorial colour design with clean stocking stitch fabric and neat ribbed edges. The pattern is available as a downloadable PDF and is graded across five sizes: Small, Medium, Large, XL, and XXL, making it a versatile addition to any knitter's wardrobe.

What Is Being Made

The finished garment is a women's pullover sweater featuring a V-neckline, set-in or shaped armholes, and a colourwork panel worked in the intarsia method. The sweater is constructed in separate pieces — a Back and a Front — each beginning with a ribbed welt before transitioning into the main stocking stitch and intarsia body. Shoulder shaping and careful neck decreases give the finished sweater a tailored, flattering fit.

Yarn and Materials

The pattern is designed specifically for Bergere de France Idéal, a DK weight yarn. Four colourways are used across the design:

• Meije (shade 51253) – Colour A: the main background colour, requiring 7–10 balls depending on size
• Figue (shade 23589) – Colour B: 2–3 balls depending on size
• Girolle (shade 29051) – Colour C: 2 balls across all sizes
• Truffe (shade 22002) – Colour D: 2 balls across all sizes

Two needle sizes are required: 3.0 mm needles for the ribbed sections and 3.5 mm needles for the main stocking stitch and intarsia body. A spare needle or stitch holder is also needed for managing the V-neck shaping, where stitches are placed on hold while each side of the front neckline is worked separately.

Tension and Gauge

Achieving the correct tension is essential for a well-fitting result. The pattern specifies a gauge of 24 stitches and 31 rows over 10 cm (4 inches) in stocking stitch or intarsia, measured over a tension square worked on 3.5 mm needles. Knitters are advised to work a tension swatch before beginning and to adjust needle size if necessary to match this gauge precisely.

Stitches and Techniques Used

• 1x1 Rib (1/1 Rib): worked on 3.0 mm needles for the welts at the lower edges, creating a neat, stretchy border approximately 3 cm (1¼ inches) deep over 12 rows
• Stocking Stitch (St St): the primary fabric of the sweater body, worked on 3.5 mm needles with right-side knit rows and wrong-side purl rows
• Intarsia Colourwork: a key technique in this pattern, intarsia involves working blocks of colour using separate lengths or bobbins of yarn for each colour section, rather than carrying yarn across the back of the work. Knitters must cross the yarns at the back when changing colour to prevent holes forming at colour joins — a fundamental principle of intarsia construction. The colour design is followed using Chart No. 1 included in the PDF, with the chart section used varying according to the size being knitted
• Armhole Shaping: worked through a series of cast-offs at the armhole edge, with decreases graduated across multiple rows to create a smooth, shaped armhole
• V-Neck Shaping: the front neckline is divided at a central cast-off stitch, with each side then worked separately. Neck edge decreases are made on right-side rows using a k1, k2tog decrease, worked in a structured repeat pattern — twice on every RS row, then once every 4th row — to create the characteristic V-shape. This sequence is repeated multiple times and then continued on select RS rows to complete the neckline