Hattie

Hattie Pullover Sweater by Deb Hoss

What Is Being Made

Hattie is a fitted pullover sweater designed by Deb Hoss featuring a modern top-down construction. This intermediate-level knitting project creates a sophisticated garment with a distinctive wide shawl collar and optional color-blocking capabilities. The sweater is available in seven sizes ranging from 30½ inches to 54½ inches bust circumference, offering options for a range of body types. The design is modeled and photographed by the designer herself, showcasing the finished garment's elegant proportions and wearability with no ease for a close, fitted silhouette.

Construction Technique

Hattie employs a top-down knitting method, which allows knitters to try on the garment as it progresses and make adjustments before binding off. The sweater body and sleeves are worked in-the-round using circular knitting techniques, creating seamless fabric in these sections. The long, straight sleeves are constructed in-the-round from the armhole downward. A distinctive feature is the ribbed front panel and wide shawl collar, which are created by picking up stitches along the center front and neckline edges after the main body is complete. The center panel is then seamed to the lower left bodice, adding both structural integrity and visual interest to the design.

Stitches and Shaping Techniques

This pattern requires intermediate knitting skills and incorporates several essential techniques:

• Cast-on methods: Long-tail cast-on and cable cast-on are used to begin the project
• Decreasing: Slip, slip, knit (ssk) and knit two together (k2tog) decreases are employed for shaping
• Increasing: Make one right (m1R) and make one left (m1L) increases are used for shaping the garment
• Short-row shaping: Applied at the shoulders and sleeve caps to create proper fit and cap shaping
• Stitch pick-up: Stitches are picked up around the neckline and center front edges to create the ribbed panel and collar
• Seaming: The center panel is seamed to the lower left bodice for a finished appearance

Yarn and Materials

Hattie is designed to be worked in aran weight yarn, which is a medium-heavy yarn weight that allows the project to work up quickly while maintaining excellent stitch definition. The pattern notes that worsted weight yarn is also suitable for this design, providing knitters with flexibility in yarn selection. Circular needles are required for the in-the-round construction of the body and sleeves, and the pattern accommodates the color-blocking option if desired, allowing creative knitters to select multiple yarn colors for visual impact.

Design Features

The Hattie sweater combines classic construction with contemporary styling. The fitted silhouette is achieved through strategic shaping at the shoulders and sleeves, while the wide shawl collar adds a modern, fashion-forward element. The optional color-blocking feature allows knitters to customize their garment, making each Hattie unique to its maker. The ribbed front panel provides textural contrast and helps define the center front of the sweater, creating visual interest while maintaining structural support.