Rhona Oversized Jacket in West Yorkshire Spinners The Croft Shetland Colours - DBP0079 - Downloadable PDF

Rhona Oversized Jacket by Sarah Hatton – Pattern Summary

The Rhona Oversized Jacket is a beautifully relaxed, oversized knitted jacket designed by Sarah Hatton and published as a downloadable PDF pattern. Worked in West Yorkshire Spinners The Croft Shetland Colours yarn, this design draws on the rich textile heritage of the Shetland Islands to create a garment that is both timeless and deeply rooted in traditional British wool craft. The pattern is rated as intermediate in difficulty, making it an ideal project for knitters who are comfortable with core techniques and ready to take on a more substantial, rewarding make.

About the Garment

The Rhona Oversized Jacket is a full-sized outerwear piece designed with a deliberately generous, relaxed silhouette. The oversized fit gives it a contemporary, casual feel while remaining a classic wardrobe staple. As a jacket, it is intended to be a statement layering piece — substantial enough to wear as an outer layer across cooler seasons, yet crafted from a natural wool that breathes and regulates temperature beautifully.

The design reflects Sarah Hatton's signature aesthetic: clean, wearable shapes that celebrate the quality and character of the yarn itself. The use of West Yorkshire Spinners The Croft Shetland Colours brings an authentic connection to Shetland's crofting tradition, where sheep farming and wool production have been central to island life for centuries.

Yarn and Materials

This pattern is specifically written for West Yorkshire Spinners The Croft Shetland Colours, an aran weight yarn spun from 100% Shetland wool. Shetland wool is internationally recognised for its fineness, warmth, and durability — qualities that make it particularly well suited to outerwear such as this jacket. Each hank contains 166 metres (182 yards) and weighs 100g, giving knitters a generous amount of yarn per skein.

The Shetland Colours range celebrates the natural landscape and heritage of the Shetland Islands, with colourways inspired by the rugged, beautiful environment of this northerly community. The wool itself comes from Britain's most northerly native sheep breed, reared by the rural agricultural communities whose crofting practices have shaped the islands' cultural identity for generations.

• Yarn: West Yorkshire Spinners The Croft Shetland Colours
• Fibre: 100% Shetland Wool
• Weight: Aran
• Yardage per hank: 166 metres / 182 yards
• Hank weight: 100g

Needles and Tension

The pattern calls for 5mm (US 8) knitting needles. Achieving the correct tension is essential for a well-fitting oversized jacket, and the stated tension is 18 stitches over 10cm / 4 inches in stocking stitch (or the relevant pattern stitch). Knitters are encouraged to swatch carefully before beginning, as even small variations in tension can significantly affect the finished dimensions of a garment of this scale.

• Needle size: 5mm / US 8
• Tension: 18 sts per 10cm / 4" square

Techniques and Stitches

As an intermediate level knitting pattern, the Rhona Oversized Jacket employs a range of standard knitting techniques suited to garment construction. Knitters working on this project can expect to use skills including shaping, seaming, and working separate garment pieces that are joined during finishing. The aran weight yarn and relatively straightforward needle size make the knitting process satisfying and relatively quick compared to finer weight garments.

Typical techniques involved in a project of this type include:

• Cast on and bind off methods appropriate for garment edges
• Knit and purl stitches forming the foundation fabric
• Stocking stitch as the primary fabric construction method
• Shaping techniques including increases and decreases for armholes, sleeves, and n