Stripe 3

Stripe 3 Striped Jumper by James McIntosh

What is Being Made

Stripe 3 is a downloadable knitting pattern for a striped jumper designed by James McIntosh. This intermediate-level knitting project creates a colorful pullover sweater available in 6 sizes ranging from 97 to 122 cm (38 to 48 inches) in chest circumference. The design features horizontal stripes in multiple coordinated colors, making it an engaging project for knitters with some experience.

Yarn Materials

This pattern is designed to be worked in Sublime Extra Fine Merino DK, a double knit weight yarn made from premium merino wool. The project uses six different color shades to create the striped effect:

• Shade 409 - Blackcurrant (A): 3 [3:3:3:4:4] x 50g balls
• Shade 017 - Redcurrant (B): 2 [2:2:2:3:3] x 50g balls
• Shade 349 - Sunday (C): 2 [2:2:2:2:2] x 50g balls
• Shade 003 - Alabaster (D): 2 [2:2:2:2:2] x 50g balls
• Shade 015 - Clipper (E): 3 [3:3:3:3:4] x 50g balls
• Shade 483 - Taupe (F): 3 [3:3:3:4:4] x 50g balls

The yardage requirements vary by size, with the bracketed numbers indicating quantities for each of the six available sizes. The merino content provides softness, breathability, and excellent drape suitable for a wearable jumper.

Knitting Needles and Equipment

The pattern requires two pairs of knitting needles in different sizes to achieve proper tension and fabric structure:

• 4mm knitting needles: Used for the main knitting of the jumper body and sleeves
• 3.5mm knitting needles: A smaller needle size (0.5mm smaller than the main needles) used for ribbed sections that require a tighter gauge

Additional equipment needed includes a row counter for tracking progress through the pattern repeats, a measuring tape for checking garment dimensions, four stitch holders for managing stitches during construction, scissors, a sewing needle for seaming and finishing, and notepad and pen for pattern notes.

Knitting Techniques and Stitches

As an intermediate-level pattern, Stripe 3 incorporates fundamental knitting techniques suitable for knitters with prior experience. The pattern uses stranded colorwork or striped knitting as its primary design feature, requiring knitters to work with multiple yarn colors in a planned sequence to create horizontal stripes throughout the garment.

The construction method involves working flat pieces on straight needles, which are then seamed together. The use of different needle sizes indicates the inclusion of ribbed knit sections, typically found at cuffs, waistbands, and necklines. Ribbing is created by alternating knit and purl stitches in a regular pattern, producing an elastic fabric that hugs the body at garment edges.

Knitters will need to be comfortable with basic stitches including knit and purl, as well as techniques for changing colors smoothly when transitioning between stripe sections. The pattern requires attention to tension consistency across multiple colors to ensure even fabric and proper garment fit.

Pattern Format and Sizing

Stripe 3 is provided as a downloadable PDF pattern document, making it accessible for immediate use. The pattern accommodates six different sizes with graduated measurements, allowing knitters to select the size that best matches their desired finished chest circumference. Size options are clearly bracketed throughout the pattern instructions, with the first number representing the smallest size and subsequent numbers corresponding to progressively larger sizes.