Luke Sweater in BC Garn Shetland Wool - 4018BC - Downloadable PDF

Luke Sweater in BC Garn Shetland Wool – Pattern No. 4018BC by Vithard Villumsen

The Luke Sweater is a beautifully crafted colorwork pullover designed by Vithard Villumsen and published by BC Garn as pattern number 4018BC. This free downloadable PDF pattern produces a classic, structured sweater worked primarily in the round with colorwork detailing, making it an excellent project for knitters who enjoy stranded or charted colorwork techniques. The design is available in three sizes — Small, Medium, and Large — with finished chest measurements of 97 cm, 103 cm, and 109 cm respectively, and lengths ranging from 66 to 68 cm.

What Is Being Made

The Luke Sweater is a fitted pullover jumper featuring a structured body with colorwork panels, a seed stitch border and yoke, shaped armholes, and a carefully constructed neckline with both front and back neck shaping. The sweater transitions from working in the round to working flat at the neck, giving it a polished, tailored finish. It is a garment suited to intermediate and experienced knitters who are comfortable with chart reading, working in the round, and basic garment shaping techniques.

Yarn and Materials

The pattern calls for BC Garn Shetland Wool, a DK weight yarn, used in five distinct colorways to create the sweater's colorwork design. The yarn colors are designated as follows:

• MC (Main Color) – ny26: 250 g (S), 300 g (M), 350 g (L)
• CC (Contrast Color) – ny39: 150 g (S), 200 g (M), 250 g (L)
• PC1 (Pattern Color 1) – ny38: 50 g across all sizes
• PC2 (Pattern Color 2) – ny47: 50 g across all sizes
• PC3 (Pattern Color 3) – ny20: 50 g across all sizes

BC Garn Shetland Wool is a traditional wool yarn known for its durability, stitch definition, and suitability for colorwork, making it an ideal choice for this type of patterned knitting. The natural fiber content also means the yarn blooms slightly after washing, which is why the pattern specifies gauge should be measured on a washed swatch.

The required needles are 3mm circular needles in various lengths, accommodating both working in the round for the body and transitioning to flat knitting for the upper portion of the sweater.

Gauge

Achieving the correct gauge is essential for this pattern. The specified gauge is 28 stitches × 40 rows = 10 cm × 10 cm in stockinette stitch on 3mm needles, measured on a washed and blocked swatch. Knitters are encouraged to wash their gauge swatch before measuring, as Shetland Wool can shift slightly in size after its first wash.

Techniques and Construction

The Luke Sweater employs a range of knitting techniques that make it a rewarding and educational project:

• Seed stitch (k1, p1 ribbing variation): Used for the lower border and the upper yoke/neck area, seed stitch creates a textured, non-curling edge that frames the colorwork beautifully.
• Colorwork from a chart (Chart I): The body features a colorwork pattern introduced after the seed stitch border, worked from a provided chart using multiple colors of BC Garn Shetland Wool. Knitters increase evenly around the body when transitioning from the border into the colorwork section.
• Working in the round: The body is cast on and worked in the round on circular needles, with markers placed at the beginning of the round and at the center (side seam) to guide shaping.
• Armhole shaping: Armholes are created by binding off stitches on either side of the markers and then casting on new stitches to bridge the gap, allowing the front and back to be worked flat from this point onward.
• Flat knitting: After armhole creation