Florence in MODE at Rowan Mohair Soft - Downloadable PDF

Florence Seamless Colorwork Sweater Knitting Pattern by Quail Studio – Mode at Rowan Mohair Soft

The Florence pattern, designed by Quail Studio and published as part of the Mode at Rowan collection, is a beautifully constructed seamless colorwork sweater knitted in the luxuriously soft Mohair Soft yarn. This downloadable PDF pattern offers knitters an intermediate-level project that combines elegant construction with striking Fair Isle colorwork, resulting in a garment that feels as impressive to wear as it is to make.

What Is Being Made

Florence is a seamless pullover sweater worked in the round from the hem upward to the armholes, where the body is then split and worked flat for the front and back sections separately. Once the shoulders are joined, the sleeves are picked up directly from the body and knitted downward to the cuff. This top-down sleeve construction eliminates the need for sewing in sleeves, keeping finishing work to a minimum and maintaining the seamless aesthetic throughout.

The pattern is available in nine sizes, designed to fit chest measurements ranging from 71–76 cm (28–30 in) up to 152–157 cm (60–62 in), with actual garment chest measurements spanning from 94 cm (37 in) to 169 cm (66½ in). This generous size range makes Florence an inclusive pattern suitable for a wide variety of body types.

Construction Technique

The defining construction feature of Florence is its seamless, in-the-round knitting method. The body is cast on and worked circularly from the hem to the underarm, which produces a smooth, uninterrupted fabric with no side seams. This technique is particularly well-suited to colorwork, as knitting in the round means the right side of the work is always facing the knitter, making it easier to follow and read the Fair Isle chart throughout.

At the armholes, the body stitches are divided and the front and back are each worked flat in rows to complete the upper body shaping. Shoulders are then joined before the sleeves are picked up from the armhole edges and worked downward in the round to the cuff — a method often called top-down or pick-up sleeve construction. A neckband is also worked as part of the finishing, using double pointed needles to create a neat, circular collar.

Colorwork and Fair Isle Technique

A central design element of Florence is its Fair Isle colorwork panel, worked from a dedicated chart spanning 42 rows. Fair Isle knitting is a traditional stranded colorwork technique in which two or more yarn colors are carried across each row, with the unused color stranded loosely across the back of the fabric. This creates a double-layered fabric that is both warm and structured.

The pattern uses four colors of Mohair Soft yarn — Color A: Whisper (10203), Color B: Chocolate (10202), Color C: Winter (10200), and Color D: Charcoal (10209) — to build the colorwork design. The pattern notes specifically instruct knitters to ensure their tension remains consistent over the Fair Isle section, as colorwork can tighten gauge if floats are not managed carefully. After the colorwork chart is complete, the pattern continues in Color A (Whisper) only, simplifying the upper body and sleeve sections.

Stitches Used

• Stocking stitch (st st) – the primary stitch used throughout the body and sleeves, worked in the round as knit every round, and worked flat as knit on right side rows and purl on wrong side rows
• Fair Isle / stranded colorwork – worked from a charted 42-row repeat using up to four colors
• SSK (slip, slip, knit) – a left-leaning decrease used for shaping; worked by slipping two stitches one at a time knitwise, then knitting them together through the front loops
• Circular knitting in the round – used for the body, sleeves, and neckband
• Flat row knitting – used for the upper front and back after the armhole split

Materials – Yarn

Florence is knitted in Mode at Rowan Mohair Soft, a DK