1219 Shenandoah - Sweater Knitting Pattern for Women in Valley Yarns Leverett

1219 Shenandoah – Women's Color-Block Tee Knitting Pattern by Julie Turjoman

The 1219 Shenandoah is a women's knitted tee designed by Julie Turjoman and published by Valley Yarns. This warm-weather pullover makes a striking style statement through vertical color blocking, dividing both the front and the back of the garment into two contrasting halves. The design is further enriched by an allover seeded rib check texture, which adds subtle surface interest without overwhelming the clean, graphic color split. The result is a garment with what the pattern itself describes as a "split personality" — sophisticated yet approachable, and perfectly suited to the breezy comfort of a cotton-linen yarn.

Garment Overview

The Shenandoah tee is a short-sleeved pullover jumper with a classic, relaxed silhouette. It is designed to be worn with 0–4 inches of positive ease, making it a comfortable, slightly relaxed fit rather than a body-hugging one. The garment features short sleeves created through armhole increase shaping, a neat neckline finished with a narrow garter stitch border, and short-row shoulder shaping that adds drape and improves the overall fit across the shoulders. Garter stitch hems appear at the bottom edge and sleeve edges as well, providing tidy, stable finishing throughout.

The pattern is available in nine sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL, 2XL, 3XL, 4XL, and 5XL, with finished bust measurements ranging from 31¼ inches up to 60 inches. The sample shown in the pattern is knitted in Size S. The hem-to-underarm length ranges from 15 to 17 inches depending on size, and the pattern notes that the piece can be lengthened if desired, though additional yarn will be required.

Construction and Techniques

The Shenandoah is constructed in four separate flat pieces: a Right Back, a Left Back, a Right Front, and a Left Front. Each of the four pieces is equal in width, and the color blocking is achieved by knitting each half of the front and each half of the back in a different colorway. This means Color A is used for the Right Back and the Left Front, while Color B is used for the Left Back and the Right Front, creating a mirrored, diagonal-feeling color division when the garment is assembled.

Once the four pieces are complete, they are seamed together at the center front, center back, side seams, and shoulders. This fully seamed construction gives the finished garment excellent structure and durability — a particularly good quality in a fabric knitted from cotton and linen, which benefits from the added stability that seams provide.

• Worked flat: All four body pieces are knitted back and forth in rows, making this a great pattern for knitters who prefer or are building confidence with flat knitting.
• Seamed construction: Selvage stitches are added to each side edge of every piece specifically to facilitate neat, even seaming.
• Stripes / color blocking: The two-color vertical design is achieved through separate piece construction rather than intarsia or stranded colorwork, keeping the knitting process straightforward.
• Short-row shoulder shaping: Short rows are used at the shoulders to create a gentle slope and improve drape across the upper body.
• Worked in the round: While the body pieces are worked flat, circular needles and double-pointed needles are used for finishing elements such as the neckline and hem borders.
• Bottom-up construction: The garment is built from the hem upward, with armhole shaping and sleeve increases added as the knitting progresses.

Stitch Patterns

The primary stitch pattern throughout the Shenandoah is the Seeded Rib Check, a textured pattern that combines elements of seed stitch and ribbing to create a subtle, grid-like surface. This type of stitch alternates knit and purl stitches in a structured sequence that produces a fabric with gentle visual depth — neither as flat as stockinette nor as pronounced as a cable. It is a particularly effective choice for a color-block design because the texture reads clearly in both colorways without competing with the bold vertical division.

Narrow garter stitch borders are worked at the hem, sleeve edges, and