#Stripesweater by Helenas Handarbeit: Knit a seamless colorblock sweater with circular needles

Hi, I’m Helena, founder of the creative blog Helenas Handarbeit. I love making new knitwear designs, trying different yarns and sharing my ideas with the knitting community through my blog, Instagram, and Pinterest. Social media is a never-ending source of inspiration for creative minds like myself. In fact, I learned to crochet just 3 years ago thanks to YouTube, and then moved onto knitting. I love fluffy yarns, like Katia Cotton-Merino and 50 Mohair Shades. These beautiful yarns have been the source of inspiration for the #Stripesweater, with a Scandinavian style and different colored stripes. Thanks to its straight lines, it is easy to knit and the perfect project for beginners. Knit this colorblock sweater following my pattern in 4 different sizes!

Seamless and Scandinavian

This is a knitting pattern for a colorblock sweater that will become a wardrobe staple. A straight-cut design in a soft texture with a double neckline. The seamless #stripesweater is knit on large circular needles. First, you knit the body in wide colored stripes from the bottom up. We use the 3-needle bind-off to cast off the shoulders. For the sleeves, you pick up stitches around the armholes and then knit in the round. To finish, the neckline is folded inwards and sown on the wrong side of the work. This type of neckline gives the colorblock sweater a very professional look.

Colorblock sweater

The #stripesweater’s wide colored stripes are both classic and modern at the same time. I admit that during the design process there was a moment where I wasn’t sure if the colorblocks might look jarring. But I was sure that the color order on the sleeves had to be a bit different. This is why the dark blue stripe in the middle of the sleeve isn’t in the same position on the body, but at the hemline. I love the end result, and I’m incredibly happy that I followed my instincts and broke the symmetry. Without a doubt, it gives it a modern and bold look.

Color combinations

The best thing about stripes and the colorblock sweater is that by combining different colors, you can create vastly different designs. This is why I recommend playing with the Katia Cotton-Merino and 50 Mohair Shades color range to easily create a customized design. Which is your favorite style?

Stripesweater by Helenas Handarbeit

Level. Beginner

Sizes or measurements

a) S b) M c) L d) XL

• Garment width: a) 44 b) 48 c) 52 d) 56 cm
• Garment length: a) 51 b) 53 c) 55 d) 57 cm
• Sleeve width (slightly puffed sleeves): a) 21 b) 23 c) 26 d) 28 cm
• Sleeve length: a) 39 b) 47 c) 55 d) 63 cm (incl. 4 cm of  rib)

This is a fitted, cropped, bottom-up sweater. To add width or length to your colorblock sweater, cast on more stitches and knit more rounds, or knit a larger size.

Materials

• Katia Cotton-Merino colors 131 (light blue), 130 (yellow), 100 (cream) a) 2, b) 3, c) 4, d) 5 balls of each; color 57 (midnight blue-black) a), b) & c) 1 ball, d) 2 balls
• Katia 50 Mohair Shades colors 31 (blue), 21 (yellow), 1 (cream), 35 (midnight blue) a) 1, b) 2, c) 2, d) 3 cones of each
• 7-mm circular needles and 80 cm cable.
• 6-mm circular needles or DPNs for the cuffs and neckline
• Optional: 7-mm DPNs for the sleeves
• Crochet hook
• Scissors
• Tapestry needle

Stitches and techniques used

Stocking stitch in the round and flat – worked in the round: knit all rounds; worked flat: knit row 1 and purl row 2.

1×1 rib – R1: *k1, p1*, rep from * to * to end. Following rnds/rows: k the knits and p the purls.Ç

Increase – M1R: with the LHN, pick up the strand between both sts from back to front and k1.

Decrease – k2tog: k 2 sts together.

Three-needle bind-off

Magic Loop

Gauge. Stocking stitch with 7-mm needles, 12 sts / 14 rows = 10 x 10 cm or 4 x 4”

Abbreviations

• BOR – beginning of the round
• DPNs – double-pointed needles
• k – knit
• k2tog – knit 2 stitches together
• LHN – left-hand needle
• M1R – make one right
• p – purl
• pm – place marker
• rep** – repeat
• R – round
• st st – stocking stitch
• st(s) – stitch(es)

Note. The sweater is worked double-stranded: with one strand of Cotton-Merino and one strand of 50 Mohair Shades held together. The body and sleeves are worked in the round; the sleeve stitches are picked up directly from around the armholes.

Body

With Katia Cotton-Merino colour 57 and 50 Mohair Shades colour 35 and 7-mm needles, cast on a) 105, b) 115, c) 125, d) 135 sts. Join to work in the round and pm to indicate BOR.

Work 1×1 rib for 4 cm.

Continue working the body in st st until work measures a) 9, b) 11, c) 13, d) 15 cm.

Change to Katia Cotton-Merino colour 131 and Katia 50 Mohair Shades colour 31, and continue working in st st until the work measures a) 15, b) 17, c) 19, d) 21 cm.

Next R: increase 12 sts evenly spread across the round (a) 117, b) 127, c) 137, d) 147 sts) and continue working in st st until the work measures a) 18, b) 20, c) 22, d) 24 cm.

Next R: increase 10 sts evenly spread across the round (a) 127, b) 137, c) 147, d) 157 sts) and continue working in st st until the work measures a) 23, b) 25, c) 27, d) 29 cm.

Change to Katia Cotton-Merino colour 130 and Katia 50 Mohair Shades colour 21, and continue working in st st until the work measures a) 30, b) 32, c) 34, d) 36 cm.
Next R: increase a) 11, b) 13, c) 15, d) 17 sts evenly spread across the round (a) 138, b) 150, c) 162, d) 174 sts).
Next R: split the work by separating a) 70, b) 76, c) 82, d) 88 sts for the  front and a) 68, b) 74, c) 80, d) 86 sts for the back.

Work front and back flat separately in st st.

Front

When the work measures a) 37, b) 39, c) 41, d) 43 cm, change to Katia Cotton-Merino colour 100 and Katia 50 Mohair Shades colour 1, and continue working in st st until the work measures a) 44 b) 46 c) 48 d) 50 cm.

For the neckline, put the a) 16 b) 18 c) 20 d) 22 center front sts on hold, and work the right and left shoulder sts separately.*

At the neckline edge, bind off 2 sts in row 1, and bind off 1 st in rows 3 and 5.

For the remaining a) 23 b) 25 c) 27 d) 29 sts, work 2 rows in st st, and put the sts on hold without binding off.*

Rep** for the other shoulder.

Back

Work a) 68, b) 74, c) 80, d) 86 sts in st st as for the front until the work measures a) 48, b) 50, c) 52, d) 54 cm. Leave the a) 20, b) 22, c) 24, d) 26 center sts on hold, and work the right and left shoulder sts separately.

*At the neckline edge, bind off 1 st in row 1, and work 1 row in st st with the remaining a) 23, b) 25, c) 27, d) 29 sts.*

Rep** for the other shoulder.

Join front and back: for each shoulder, join the a) 23 b) 25 c) 27 d) 29 sts from the front and back together using a three-needle bind-off.

Sleeves

With the help of a crochet hook, pick up a) 56, b) 58, c) 60, d) 62 sts around the armhole.

With 7-mm DPNs or circular needles (using Magic Loop) and Katia Cotton-Merino colour 100 and Katia 50 Mohair Shades colour 1, work a) 7, b) 9, c) 11, d) 13 cm in st st in the round.

Change to Katia Cotton-Merino colour 57 and Katia 50 Mohair Shades colour 35, and continue working in st st for a) 9, b) 11, c) 13, d) 15 cm.

Now, change to Katia Cotton-Merino colour 131 and Katia 50 Mohair Shades colour 31, and continue working in st st for a) 11, b) 13, c) 15, d) 17 cm, until the work measures b) 33, c) 39, d) 45 cm.

Change to Katia Cotton-Merino colour 130 and Katia 50 Mohair Shades colour 21, and continue working in st st for a) 5, b) 7, c) 9, d) 11 cm.

Decreases

R1: decrease 10 sts evenly spread across the rnd.

R2: k.

R3: decrease 10 sts evenly spread across the rnd.

Change to 6-mm needles:

R4: k.

R5: decrease 8 sts evenly spread across the round (a) 28 b) 30 c) 32 d) 34 sts).

Work 1×1 rib for 4 cm and bind off all stitches.

Repeat for the second sleeve.

Neckline

With Katia Cotton-Merino colour 100 and Katia 50 Mohair Shades colour 1 and  6-mm needles, pick up a) 54, b) 60, c) 66, d) 72 sts around the neckline (including those on hold from the front and back) and work a) 8, b) 9, c) 10, d) 11 cm in 1×1 rib.

Bind off all stitches loosely, fold the rib inwards and sew onto the wrong side of the work.

Finishing touches. Weave in the ends.