Loch Sweater in Erika Knight Gossypium Cotton - Downloadable PDF

Loch Sweater by Erika Knight – Knitting Pattern Summary

The Loch Sweater is a stylish, contemporary knitting pattern designed by Erika Knight, available as a downloadable PDF for personal use. This pattern produces a long sleeve, round neck crop sweater with a relaxed yet structured silhouette, making it an excellent project for intermediate knitters looking to develop their skills in colourwork and shaping techniques.

What Is Being Made

The finished garment is a cropped pullover sweater featuring long sleeves and a classic round neckline. Its cropped length gives it a modern, fashion-forward feel, while the structured round neck keeps it versatile and wearable. The pattern is offered in three sizes:

• Small: Finished chest 96cm / 37¾in, length 52cm / 20½in, sleeve length 41cm / 16in
• Medium: Finished chest 106cm / 41¾in, length 53cm / 20¾in, sleeve length 41cm / 16in
• Large: Finished chest 116cm / 45½in, length 58cm / 22¾in, sleeve length 38cm / 15in

Techniques Used

The Loch Sweater is knitted using several key construction and shaping techniques that make it suitable for knitters with some prior experience:

• Integral armhole shaping – shaping is worked directly into the fabric as the knitting progresses, creating clean, structured armhole curves without the need for seaming inserts
• Sleeve top shaping – the tops of the sleeves are shaped to match the armhole, ensuring a neat and professional set-in sleeve finish
• Neck shaping – the round neckline is achieved through careful decreasing and shaping at the front and back of the garment
• Two-colour striped colourwork – the sweater features a 12-row repeating stripe pattern worked in two colours, requiring confident yarn management and the ability to carry or join yarn neatly at the edges
• Stitch holder usage – stitches are placed on holders during neck and armhole shaping, a standard intermediate technique for managing live stitches

Stitches Used

The entire sweater is worked in a single, textural stitch pattern that gives the fabric a beautiful, rhythmic surface:

• 2-row rib stitch – the body and sleeves are knitted throughout in a 2-row rib, creating a fabric with gentle elasticity and visual interest that works beautifully with the two-colour stripe repeat
• Knit (K) and Purl (P) – the foundational stitches of the rib pattern
• P3tog (purl 3 stitches together) – a decrease stitch used in shaping sections, noted as a special abbreviation within the pattern
• Yarn forward (yfwd) and yarn over (yo) – listed abbreviations indicating additional stitch techniques used within the pattern's shaping or detailing
• Increases (inc) – worked to shape the sleeves as they taper toward the body

Materials Required

The pattern is designed specifically for Erika Knight Gossypium Cotton, a 100% cotton DK weight yarn that gives the sweater a breathable, natural quality ideal for year-round wear. Each ball weighs 50g / 1¾oz and measures approximately 100m / 109yds.

Two colours are used throughout:

• Colour A: 4 (5:6) balls – shown in the photograph in Pitch
• Colour B: 4 (5:6) balls – shown in the photograph in Milk

The contrast between the deep, dark Pitch and the soft, neutral Milk creates a bold yet classic stripe effect that highlights the 12-row