251 Cranberry Boat Neck Pullover - Sweater Knitting Pattern for Women in Valley Yarns Longmeadow

251 Cranberry Boat Neck Pullover – Knitting Pattern Summary

The 251 Cranberry Boat Neck Pullover is a women's pullover sweater knitting pattern designed by Mickey Landau and published under the Valley Yarns brand. This intermediate-level pattern produces a classic, elegant pullover featuring a boat neckline and decorative cable panels, making it a versatile wardrobe staple suitable for a range of occasions. The pattern is available as a downloadable PDF.

What Is Being Made

This pattern creates a women's boat neck pullover sweater — sometimes called a jumper — worked in a flattering silhouette with structured cable detailing. The boat neck is a wide, horizontal neckline that sits close to the collarbone, offering a sophisticated and timeless look. The sweater is designed in four finished sizes:

• 34 inches
• 38 inches
• 42 inches
• 46 inches

The finished garment is worked in Valley Yarns Longmeadow in color #19 Red, giving the sweater its signature cranberry tone referenced in the pattern name.

Construction Techniques

The 251 Cranberry Boat Neck Pullover is constructed using a bottom-up, seamed, worked-flat method. This means the knitter begins at the lower edge of the garment pieces and works upward toward the shoulders. The individual pieces — typically a front and a back — are knitted flat on straight or circular needles and then joined together using seaming techniques. This traditional construction approach gives the finished sweater excellent structure and durability, and many knitters find seamed garments easier to block and shape precisely.

Shaping is achieved through increase rows worked at regular intervals. The pattern uses named increase techniques including RInc (right-leaning increase) and LInc (left-leaning increase), which are placed symmetrically to create smooth, mirror-image shaping on either side of cable panels and at the edges of the fabric.

Stitches and Stitch Patterns Used

The pattern incorporates a combination of foundational and decorative knitting stitches:

• Stockinette stitch (St st) – The primary background fabric, created by knitting on right-side rows and purling on wrong-side rows, producing a smooth, classic knitted surface.
• Cable stitch (C3) – A three-stitch cable that forms the decorative panels. Cables are created by temporarily placing stitches on a cable needle and crossing them over or under adjacent stitches, producing a twisted, rope-like texture. In this pattern, cables are worked in groups of three repeats separated by single purl stitches, creating a defined panel.
• Purl stitches (p1) – Used as dividers between cable repeats within the cable panel, providing visual separation and texture contrast against the knit stitches.
• Knit stitches (k3, k1) – Used both within the cable columns and throughout the stockinette sections.

The cable panel repeat is structured as [p1, C3] three times, p1 on right-side rows, with corresponding wrong-side rows worked as [k1, p3] three times, k1 to maintain the cable rib texture from the reverse side. Stitch markers are used throughout to delineate the cable panels from the surrounding stockinette fabric, helping knitters track pattern placement accurately.

Materials Required

The pattern is designed specifically for Valley Yarns Longmeadow, a DK weight yarn with a fiber composition of 60% Pima Cotton and 40% Microfiber, sold in 50g / 117-yard skeins. The cotton-microfiber blend gives the finished sweater a soft hand, subtle sheen, and comfortable drape — qualities well suited to a boat neck pullover intended for year-round or transitional-season wear.

• Yarn: Valley Yarns Longmeadow, color #19 Red
• Yarn weight: DK
• Skeins required: 8 (8, 9