Designer Yuka Tomioka @yety_knits continues to accompany us this autumn, and we are delighted to share with you her new ‘Nonna sweater’ design, which is both elegant and cosy!
Following her springtime ‘Nonna vest’ in Candide, Yuka has designed a sweater that is both comfortable and very feminine, featuring lace and twisted stitches, with a modern silhouette and pretty, rounded balloon sleeves.
CONSTRUCTION
The Nonna Sweater is a drop-shoulder sweater and has a relaxed fit. The sweater is worked from the top down and starts at the back yoke, with increases to shape shoulder slant to the full width of the back. Then stitches are picked up for the front yoke and worked back and forth while shaping the neckline. The fronts are joined and worked back and forth to the underarms where the front and back are joined, then the body is worked in the round to the hem. The hem is worked with a 1×1 twisted ribbing. Then, stitches are picked up for the neckband and worked in the round. Lastly, sleeve stitches are picked up around the armhole opening and worked in the round. Sleeve stitches are decreased in order to make a balloon sleeve and tight cuff.
All sections have charts so you can easily recognize how stitches are incorporated within the pattern.
TECHNIQUES USED AND SKILL LEVEL
This pattern is intermediate to advanced level and will require knowledge of knitting lace and twisted stitches, Long-Tail cast-on, binding off, increasing and decreasing, knitting in the round and picking up stitches, tubular bind-off (optional).
The pattern includes charts and written instructions for the motif part and video tutorials for the techniques used (increases).
HOW TO PICK YOUR SIZE
The « Nonna sweater » is available in 5 sizes corresponding to the final measurements:
Finished bust circumference: 96 (109.5, 123, 137) 150.5 cm / 37.75 (43, 48.5, 54) 59.25 inches
Upper arm circumference: 48 (48, 48, 54.5) 54.5 cm / 19 (19, 19, 21.5) 21.5 inches
It is designed to be worn with 10-25 cm / 4-9.75 inches of positive ease at the bust.
- the Gilliatt “cacao” sample is a size 1 with 16 cm of positive ease at the chest,
- the Robinson “citronnade” sample is a size 2 with 29,5 cm of positive ease at the chest,
- the Gilliatt “poivre blanc” sample is a size 2 with 19,5 cm of positive ease at the chest.
To choose your size, you can refer to the chest measurement of the finished sweater, taking into account the ease you desire.
For example, if your chest measurement is 95 cm, you can choose:
- size 2 for a positive ease of 14,5 cm at the chest for a slightly more fitted result which will be similar to the Gilliatt “cacao” version,
or
- size 3 for a comfortable 28 cm ease at the bust for a result which will be close to the Robinson “citronnade” version.
The top-down construction allows you to easily adjust the length of the sleeves and lower body to your preference.
THE YARN
This sweater lends itself well to variations in style and material, and Yuka has knitted two versions in different yarns to wear all year round: a warm and cosy version in Gilliatt (mérinos d’Arles and black merino from Portugal ; 250 m (202 yd)/100g) in the deep “cacao” colour and the other, very comfortable and fresher, in Robinson (70% 70% Organic merino d’Arles (France) and 30% recycled cotton, 270 yards (250 m) / 100g) in the colourway « citronnade »; a natural light yellow obtained from reseda extract.
For our sample, we chose Gilliatt in the natural colour ‘poivre blanc’ for a beautiful, soft classic look 🙂
This pattern is designed for worsted weight yarn, which will give a gauge of 19 sts x 30 rows. The suggested needle size to achieve this gauge is 4.5 mm. Please be sure to swatch carefully and try different needle sizes if necessary to achieve the correct tension.
Yardage to knit the pattern in Gilliatt or in Robinson: 5 (5, 6, 6) 7 balls or 1095 (1265, 1410, 1505) 1680 m of yarn of a similar weight.
Yuka Tomioka’s ‘Nonna Sweater’ pattern is available in French and English on our website and in English, Japanese and Korean on Ravelry.
I hope it makes you want some soft lace!
About the designer:
Yuka draws inspiration from her observations of the feminine silhouette, her travel memories, and the unique qualities of the yarn itself.
She particularly enjoys playing with patterns to create designs that are both feminine and versatile. Her creations are designed to easily complement an everyday wardrobe, adding a special charm.
Yuka lives in Tokyo with her husband and two children.
Ravelry: yetymama
Instagram: @yety_knits
Photo credits of the Gilliatt “cacao” and Robinson “citronnade” versions: Yuka Tomioka
Our “poivre blanc” Gilliatt sample was knitted by the expert hands of Morgane @morgane_di_noia, thank you Morgane!