711 Vertical Pullover - Sweater Knitting Pattern for Women in Valley Yarns Southwick

711 Vertical Pullover – Knitting Pattern for Women by Nadya Stallings in Valley Yarns Southwick

The 711 Vertical Pullover, designed by Nadya Stallings, is a hip-length, roomy women's pullover featuring elbow-length set-in sleeves and a rounded neckline. The design is worked in separate pieces and then seamed together, with the neckline band added afterward by working in the round — a satisfying combination of classic flat knitting and circular finishing. This is an intermediate-level knitting pattern available as a downloadable PDF.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a relaxed, hip-length pullover sweater sized for women. It is designed to be worn with approximately 3 inches of positive ease at the bust, giving it a comfortable, roomy silhouette. Finished bust measurements range from 35 to 55 inches across six sizes (35, 39, 43, 47, 51, and 55 inches), with the sample shown in size 39 inches. The elbow-length set-in sleeves add a stylish, practical element, and the rounded neckline is neatly finished with a worked band.

Techniques Used

• Seamed construction: The body and sleeves are knitted flat in separate pieces, then sewn together. This traditional method gives the finished garment excellent structure and stability.
• Working in the round: After seaming, the neckline band is picked up and worked in the round, creating a smooth, seamless finish at the collar.
• Set-in sleeve shaping: The sleeves are shaped with set-in armhole construction, which provides a tailored, fitted look at the shoulder.
• Sewn bind off: A sewn bind off technique is used, which involves cutting the working yarn to approximately three times the length of the finished edge, threading it onto a blunt needle, and grafting stitches together for a stretchy, polished edge — ideal for necklines and other areas that benefit from flexibility.

Stitches and Stitch Patterns

The defining visual feature of this pullover is its texture stitch pattern, which creates the vertical, tactile surface detail referenced in the pattern's name. Two versions of the texture stitch are used — one for the body and one for the sleeves — each adapted to the different stitch counts of those sections. Both versions are worked over a four-row repeat.

• Slip stitch with yarn over and pass-over technique: A key element of the texture stitch involves slipping a stitch, knitting the next stitch, making a yarn over, then passing the slipped stitch over both the knit stitch and the yarn over. This creates a distinctive elongated, twisted stitch that contributes to the vertical texture and visual interest of the fabric.
• Purl columns: Paired purl stitches frame each panel of texture stitches, creating structured vertical ribs that enhance the elongating effect of the design.
• Knit columns: Groups of knit stitches alternate with the textured and purl sections, maintaining the rhythm of the four-stitch repeat across the fabric.
• Slipped edge stitches: Each row begins with a slipped stitch, creating a neat, chained selvedge edge that makes seaming cleaner and more precise.
• Wrong-side rows: Rows 2 and 4 are worked as straightforward wrong-side rows with knit and purl stitches, allowing the texture pattern to develop on the right-side rows without excessive complexity.

The gauge for this pattern is 5 stitches and 6 rows to 1 inch in the texture stitch, which is a relatively firm gauge for a DK-weight yarn and helps the fabric hold its shape beautifully.

Materials – Yarn and Needles

The pattern calls for Valley Yarns Southwick, a DK-weight yarn with a luxurious fiber blend of 52% Pima Cotton and 48% Bamboo. Each skein contains 50 grams and approximately 105 yards. The sample is shown in color 10 Nantucket Blue. The cotton-bamboo blend gives the finished fabric a beautiful drape, a subtle sheen, and excellent breathability — qualities that make this pullover particularly well-suited to warmer seasons or transitional weather.