Large Scale Tumbling Blocks Jacket in Rowan Felted Tweed - Downloadable PDF

Large Scale Tumbling Blocks Jacket in Rowan Felted Tweed

What is Being Made

This is a knitted jacket designed by Kaffe Fassett, featuring a striking large-scale tumbling blocks colorwork pattern. The garment is constructed as a single piece beginning at the back hem edge, with front and back sections worked from the same chart but in opposite directions. The jacket is available in multiple sizes ranging from 28-30 inches to 60-62 inches chest measurement, making it suitable for a wide range of body types.

Techniques Used

The primary construction technique is seamless knitting, as the body is knitted in one continuous piece from the back hem upward. The design employs colorwork knitting using a chart-based pattern system. A distinctive design feature involves using the same chart for both back and front pieces: the back begins at chart row 1 and works upward toward the shoulder line, while the front sections use the chart turned upside down and work in the opposite direction toward chart row 1. This innovative approach creates visual interest and demonstrates advanced pattern manipulation. The garment is worked in stockinette stitch as the base fabric for the patterned sections.

Stitches Used

The primary stitch throughout the garment is stockinette stitch (knit on right-side rows, purl on wrong-side rows), which serves as the foundation for the tumbling blocks colorwork pattern. The tension is measured over patterned stockinette stitch, indicating that the colorwork is integrated into the fabric structure rather than applied as a surface decoration.

Materials

This pattern is designed for Rowan Felted Tweed yarn, a DK weight yarn. The colorway featured in this version is Astor 217. The pattern requires 5mm (US 8) needles when working with two strands of yarn held together, and 4½mm (US 7) needles for the initial body cast-on using single strands. The tension is set at 16 stitches and 23 rows to 10 centimeters measured over the patterned stockinette stitch when using the 5mm needles with two strands held together. This is an intermediate difficulty project, suitable for knitters with experience in colorwork and garment construction.