923 Pitaya - Sweater Knitting Pattern for Women in Valley Yarns Amherst

Pattern #923 Pitaya – Women's Textured Yoke Jumper Knitting Pattern by Julie Turjoman

The Pitaya jumper is a beautifully crafted women's pullover sweater pattern designed by Julie Turjoman and published under the Valley Yarns brand. This intermediate-level knitting pattern is available as a downloadable PDF and delivers a modern, polished take on the classic yoke sweater silhouette. With its fitted waist shaping, feminine scoop neckline, and mid-hip length, Pitaya is a versatile wardrobe staple that balances timeless construction with contemporary design sensibility.

What Is Being Made

Pitaya is a fitted women's pullover jumper worked from the bottom up in the round. The garment features a textured yoke as its focal point, setting it apart from plain stockinette sweaters and giving it a rich, tactile quality. The body includes waist shaping for a tailored silhouette, and the sweater falls to mid-hip length, making it flattering and practical for everyday wear. The neckline is a feminine scoop neck, adding elegance without complication. The design is worked in a single solid color, allowing the stitch texture to take center stage.

The pattern is sized to fit a wide range of bodies, offered in eight sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL, 2XL, 3XL, and 4XL, with finished bust measurements ranging from 31½ inches to 58 inches. The sample shown is knitted in Size 35½ inches and is designed to be worn with 1 to 2 inches of positive ease for a comfortable, flattering fit.

Construction Techniques

Pitaya is constructed using a bottom-up, seamless, worked-in-the-round method — one of the most popular and practical approaches in modern sweater knitting. This technique means the body and sleeves are knitted as tubes on circular needles, then joined at the yoke and worked upward to the neckline without any seaming required. The result is a smooth, professional finish with minimal finishing work.

• Bottom-up construction: The sweater begins at the hem and works upward, allowing knitters to try on the garment as they go and make fit adjustments along the way.
• Seamless, in-the-round: Worked entirely on circular needles and double-pointed needles, eliminating the need for mattress stitch or any seaming, which is ideal for knitters who prefer a streamlined finishing process.
• Waist shaping: Increases and decreases are worked strategically through the body to create a fitted, feminine silhouette.
• Yoke construction: The body and sleeves are joined to form a single circular yoke, a hallmark of the modern seamless sweater tradition that draws inspiration from classic Fair Isle and Icelandic styles while embracing a cleaner, more contemporary aesthetic.

Stitches and Stitch Patterns

The defining feature of Pitaya is its textured yoke stitch pattern, which incorporates both purl stitches and twist stitches. These techniques work together to create surface interest and dimension without the complexity of colorwork, making the design accessible to intermediate knitters who are comfortable with basic stitch manipulation but may not yet have colorwork experience.

• Purl stitches: Used within the yoke pattern to create raised texture and contrast against the surrounding fabric.
• Twist stitches: A technique where stitches are crossed without the use of a cable needle, creating a subtle rope-like or braided effect that adds visual interest and structure to the yoke.
• Stockinette stitch: Implied throughout the body and sleeves as the base fabric, providing a smooth backdrop that highlights the textured yoke.
• Waist shaping increases and decreases: Standard knitting shaping techniques used to sculpt the fitted silhouette.

Yarn and Materials

The pattern is specifically designed for Valley Yarns Amherst, a 100% Merino Wool worsted weight yarn sold in 50-gram skeins of approximately 109