Aloe Slipover in Rowan Tweed Haze - ZB325-00002-DEP - Downloadable PDF

Aloe Slipover in Rowan Tweed Haze by Georgia Farrell – Pattern Summary

The Aloe Slipover is a chunky-weight knitted slipover designed by Georgia Farrell and published by Rowan. Available as a downloadable PDF (ZB325-00002-DEP), this intermediate-level pattern produces a sleeveless pullover with a relaxed, textured aesthetic that suits a wide range of body sizes. The design is worked in two pieces — a back and a front — and features a shaped neckline, armhole shaping, and a two-colour ribbed hem, making it an excellent project for knitters who are comfortable with basic shaping and are ready to explore simple colourwork details.

What Is Being Made

The Aloe Slipover is a sleeveless top — sometimes called a vest or tank — intended to fit a wide range of bust measurements. The pattern includes nine sizes, covering bust measurements from 71–76 cm up to 152–157 cm, with corresponding knitted bust measurements ranging from 81.5 cm to 164 cm. This generous size range makes the pattern accessible to a broad audience. The finished garment features a front neckline with gradual shaping and a back neckline with a held-stitch construction for a neat finish, along with shaped armhole curves on both front and back panels.

Yarn and Materials

The pattern calls for Rowan Tweed Haze, a chunky-weight yarn sold in 50 g balls. Two colourways are used in the design:

• Colour A – Rainy 552
• Colour B – Midnight 553

The yarn quantities vary by size, ranging from 2 to 5 balls of Colour A (Rainy 552) and 1 to 2 balls of Colour B (Midnight 553). Rowan Tweed Haze is a characterful chunky yarn with a tweed texture, lending the finished slipover a warm, rustic quality well suited to layering over shirts or knitwear.

Needles

The pattern requires two sizes of straight or circular knitting needles: size 5.5 mm and size 6 mm. The smaller needles are used for the ribbed borders, while the larger needles are used for the main body sections worked in stocking stitch.

Tension and Gauge

The stated tension is 14.5 stitches and 20 rows to 10 × 10 cm, measured over stocking stitch using 6 mm needles. As with all garment knitting, achieving the correct tension swatch before beginning is strongly recommended, particularly given the chunky weight of the yarn, where even small deviations can result in significant differences in the finished measurements across the nine available sizes.

Techniques Used

The Aloe Slipover is constructed using a selection of classic knitting techniques appropriate for an intermediate knitter:

• Flat knitting – Both the back and front panels are worked flat, back and forth in rows.
• Two-colour knitting – The ribbed border is worked in a stripe sequence, alternating between Colour A (Rainy 552) and Colour B (Midnight 553), requiring yarn joins and colour changes within the rib section.
• Armhole shaping – Decreases are worked at the beginning of rows to create the curved armhole edges on both the back and front panels.
• Neckline shaping – The front neckline is shaped through a series of decreases worked over multiple rows, with stitches placed on a holder for the centre front neck. The back neckline similarly uses a stitch holder for the centre back neck stitches.
• Shoulder shaping (short-row style cast-offs) – Shoulder slopes are formed by casting off a set number of stitches at the beginning of successive rows, a standard method for creating a neat, angled shoulder seam.
• Stitch holders