Grocery Sweater in Rowan Pure Wool Superwash Worsted - ZB299-00002-FR - Downloadable PDF

Grocery Sweater in Rowan Pure Wool Superwash Worsted by Chloe Thurlow

The Grocery Sweater is a colour-block pullover sweater designed by Chloe Thurlow and published by Rowan in 2021. This advanced-level knitting pattern is worked in Rowan Pure Wool Superwash Worsted, a 100% superwash wool yarn in a worsted weight, making it both practical and beautifully soft. The design features bold, graphic colour work distributed across the body and sleeves, giving the finished garment a striking, contemporary aesthetic that has made it a popular choice among experienced knitters.

Garment Overview

The Grocery Sweater is a classic pullover construction featuring a front, back, and two separately knitted sleeves. The pattern is sized to fit a range of bust measurements from 81–86 cm up to 122–127 cm, with a finished garment bust measurement ranging from 110 cm to 158 cm, offering a relaxed, oversized silhouette. The design is rated advanced in difficulty, making it well suited to knitters who are comfortable with colourwork charts, shaping, and multi-colour yarn management.

Colourway and Yarn

The pattern calls for Rowan Pure Wool Superwash Worsted in three distinct shades, each playing a specific role in the colour-block design:

• Colour A – Carnation (shade 196): used as the primary body colour, requiring 3 to 4 x 100 g balls depending on size.
• Colour B – Tiger (shade 201): a warm accent colour used in sections of the body and sleeves, requiring 1 to 2 x 100 g balls.
• Colour C – Teal (shade 197): a rich, cool-toned contrast colour also used across the garment, requiring 2 to 3 x 100 g balls.

Rowan Pure Wool Superwash Worsted is a smooth, round, single-ply worsted weight yarn that knits up cleanly and takes colour beautifully, making it an ideal choice for bold colourwork designs. Its superwash treatment means the finished garment can be machine washed, adding everyday wearability.

Needles and Tension

The pattern is worked on two needle sizes:

• 4 mm needles (US size 6) for the ribbed welts and cuffs.
• 4.5 mm needles (US size 7) for the main body and sleeves worked in stocking stitch.

Techniques and Construction

The Grocery Sweater is knitted flat in separate pieces — back, front, and sleeves — and then seamed together. Key construction techniques include:

• Casting on and working ribbed welts at the lower edges and cuffs for a neat, fitted finish.
• Stocking stitch (jersey endroit) as the primary fabric throughout the body and sleeves, creating a smooth, even surface that showcases the colour-block design.
• Rib stitch worked at the lower body and sleeve cuffs, providing elasticity and structure at the edges.
• Colourwork using charts: the front and back are worked from Chart A and Chart B respectively, meaning knitters must be comfortable reading and following knitting charts to place the colour blocks accurately.
• Sleeve shaping through paired increases: stitches are increased one stitch each side at regular intervals — every 2nd, 4th, or 6th row depending on size — to shape the sleeve from cuff to underarm. This graduated shaping requires careful row counting.
• Yarn management across colour sections: colours are introduced and cut at specific points in the pattern, requiring neat joining and weaving in of ends.

Stitches Used

• Stocking stitch (stockinette): the dominant stitch pattern, worked by alternating knit rows on the right side and purl rows on the wrong side.
• Rib stitch: used at the