Vanessa Sweater in Erika Knight British Blue 100 - Downloadable PDF

Vanessa Sweater by Erika Knight – Knitting Pattern Summary

The Vanessa Sweater is a beautifully structured knitting pattern designed by Erika Knight, available as a downloadable PDF for personal use. This pattern creates a wide, cropped aran-style sweater featuring a longer back hem, a wide relaxed neckline, and wide, boxy sleeves — a silhouette that balances casual ease with thoughtful textural detail. It is rated as an intermediate level project, making it ideal for knitters who are comfortable with basic techniques and ready to explore more complex stitch panels and shaping.

What Is Being Made

The finished garment is a cropped pullover sweater with a distinctly relaxed, oversized aesthetic. Key design features include:

• Wide, boxy body with generous ease across all sizes
• Longer back length compared to the front, creating a fashionable dipped hem effect
• Wide neck opening for a relaxed, off-the-shoulder or boat-neck feel
• Short, wide boxy sleeves with a consistent 20cm (8in) sleeve length across all sizes

Size Range and Finished Measurements

The pattern is offered in four sizes — S, M, L, and XL — with the following finished measurements:

• Finished chest: 128cm / 50½in (S) · 148cm / 58¼in (M) · 168cm / 66¼in (L) · 188cm / 74in (XL)
• Front length: 50cm / 19¾in (S) · 55cm / 21¾in (M) · 60cm / 23¾in (L) · 60cm / 23¾in (XL)
• Back length: 55cm / 21¾in (S) · 60cm / 23¾in (M) · 65cm / 25¾in (L) · 65cm / 25¾in (XL)
• Sleeve length: 20cm / 8in across all sizes

Yarn and Materials

The pattern is specifically designed for Erika Knight British Blue 100, a 100% pure British Bluefaced Leicester wool yarn. This is a DK weight yarn, sold in 100g / 3oz hanks with approximately 220m / 240yds per hank. The colourway shown in the pattern photography is Regent's Park.

• Yarn quantity required: 6 (6 : 7 : 8) hanks depending on size
• Fibre: 100% pure British Bluefaced Leicester wool — a breed-specific British wool known for its soft handle, subtle lustre, and excellent stitch definition, making it particularly well suited to textured aran-style patterns

Needles and Notions

• 3.75mm / US 5 straight or standard knitting needles — used for the main body fabric
• 3.25mm / US 3 circular needle — used for edgings or neckband finishing
• Cable needle — required for working the cable stitch panels

Stitches and Techniques Used

The Vanessa Sweater draws its visual interest from a combination of classic knitting stitches worked in panels. The textural surface is characteristic of traditional aran knitting, where different stitch patterns are arranged side by side to create a richly detailed fabric.

Panel A – Double Moss Stitch

Double moss stitch (also known as seed stitch or Irish moss stitch in some traditions) is a reversible, richly textured stitch worked over a multiple of 2 stitches plus 1. It alternates knit and purl stitches in a shifting pattern across rows, creating a bumpy, dense fabric with excellent body and drape. In the Vanessa pattern, Row 1 is worked as: K1, [P1, K1