Valeria Sweater - Knitting Pattern for Women in Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino

Valeria Sweater – Knitting Pattern for Women by Debbie Bliss in Baby Cashmerino

The Valeria Sweater is a beautifully crafted women's pullover knitting pattern designed by Debbie Bliss, worked in the beloved Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino yarn. This intermediate-level pattern produces a classic, structured sweater featuring elegant cable detailing and stranded colourwork, making it a rewarding project for knitters who are ready to move beyond basic techniques. The pattern is available as a downloadable PDF and covers a generous range of sizes to suit a wide variety of figures.

Sizing and Finished Measurements

The Valeria Sweater is designed to fit chest measurements ranging from 81–86 cm (32–34 in) up to 142–147 cm (56–58 in), spanning seven sizes in total. The finished chest measurements run from 105 cm (41½ in) to 165 cm (65 in), offering comfortable positive ease across all sizes. The length to back neck ranges from 47 cm (18½ in) to 59 cm (23¼ in) depending on size, and sleeve lengths range from 44 cm (17¼ in) to 47 cm (18½ in), ensuring a well-proportioned fit throughout the size range.

What Is Being Made

The finished garment is a women's pullover sweater — a classic, seamed construction with set-in or structured sleeves. The sweater combines textural cable panels with stranded knitting elements, giving it visual interest and a timeless, sophisticated aesthetic. It is the kind of garment that works equally well as a wardrobe staple or a statement piece.

Construction and Techniques

The Valeria Sweater is constructed using a bottom-up, worked flat method, meaning each piece — the back, front, and sleeves — is knitted flat on straight or circular needles from the lower edge upward, then assembled using seaming. This traditional construction approach gives the finished sweater excellent structure and shape retention, and it allows knitters to work each piece independently before joining them.

• Bottom-up construction: Each section begins at the cast-on edge and is worked upward toward the shoulders, a familiar and approachable method for intermediate knitters.
• Worked flat: The pieces are knitted back and forth in rows rather than in the round, using knit and purl stitches on right-side and wrong-side rows respectively.
• Seamed finishing: The completed pieces are sewn together, a technique that adds durability and a clean, professional finish to the garment.
• Cable knitting: The pattern features both cr3r (cable 3 right) and cr3l (cable 3 left) cable crossings. The cr3r involves slipping one stitch to a cable needle held at the back, knitting two stitches, then purling the held stitch — creating a right-leaning cable twist. The cr3l reverses this, with two stitches held at the front while one stitch is purled, then the two held stitches are knitted, producing a left-leaning twist. Together, these crossings form the signature cable motifs that give the Valeria Sweater its textural character.
• Stranded colourwork: The pattern also incorporates stranded knitting, a technique in which two or more yarn colours are carried across a row, with the non-working yarn floated or woven across the back of the fabric. This technique requires attention to tension to keep the fabric smooth and even.

Stitches Used

• Knit (k) and purl (p) — the foundational stitches used throughout all sections of the sweater
• Stocking stitch (stockinette stitch) — alternating knit rows on the right side and purl rows on the wrong side, forming the smooth main fabric of the sweater
• Cable stitches — specifically cr3r (cable 3 right) and cr3l (cable 3 left), worked with a cable needle to create twisted rope-like textures
• Make 1 (m1) — an increase stitch worked by picking up the horizontal loop lying between two needles and knitting into the back of it, used for shaping