555 Monarda Pullover - Jumper Knitting Pattern for Women in Valley Yarns Berkshire

555 Monarda Pullover – Stranded Colorwork Yoke Pullover Knitting Pattern by Annie Foley

The 555 Monarda Pullover, designed by Annie Foley and published under the Valley Yarns brand, is a women's pullover knitting pattern featuring vibrant stranded colorwork concentrated around the yoke. The design is described as front-back reversible, meaning the colorwork yoke is equally attractive from either side — a thoughtful and practical design detail that sets this sweater apart from a typical pullover. It is a cozy, wearable garment worked in a rich, warm palette that makes it ideal for cooler seasons.

Garment Overview and Sizing

The Monarda Pullover is knitted to fit finished bust sizes of 32, 36, 40, 44, 48, and 52 inches, with the sample shown in size 36 inches. This generous size range makes the pattern accessible to a wide variety of body types. The construction is bottom-up and seamless, worked entirely in the round, which eliminates the need for seaming and creates a smooth, comfortable fabric throughout.

Construction and Techniques

The pattern uses a classic bottom-up seamless construction in which the body and sleeves are worked separately before being joined at the yoke — a method beloved by knitters for its clean finish and the satisfying moment when all pieces come together. Key construction techniques include:

• Bottom-up, in-the-round construction — both the body and the sleeves are cast on separately and worked circularly from the hem and cuffs upward
• Stranded colorwork — vibrant multi-color patterning is worked across the yoke using the Fair Isle or stranded technique, in which two or more yarn colors are carried across the back of the work to create the colorwork motif
• Joining sleeves to the body — after the body and sleeves reach the appropriate lengths, stitches are placed on holders at the underarms and the remaining sleeve stitches are joined to the body stitches to form the seamless yoke
• Yoke shaping — the yoke is worked in the round with decreases to shape the neckline, with stranded colorwork introduced across the full yoke circumference

Stitches Used

The Monarda Pullover draws on a focused set of knitting stitches and techniques that are well within reach of an intermediate knitter:

• Stockinette stitch (St st) — the primary fabric stitch, worked in the round as all knit stitches, forming the smooth body and sleeve fabric
• k2, p2 ribbing — used at the cuffs (6 rounds) and the body hem (12 rounds) to create a stretchy, neat edge that helps the garment retain its shape
• k2tog (knit 2 together) — a right-leaning decrease used in shaping
• m1 (make 1) — an increase worked by knitting into the back of the strand between stitches, used in the increase rounds on both the body and sleeves to add stitches before joining
• Stranded colorwork — multiple colors worked simultaneously across the yoke, requiring the knitter to carry unused yarn floats across the back of the work

Yarn and Color Palette

The pattern is written specifically for Valley Yarns Berkshire, a worsted weight yarn with a luxurious fiber blend of 85% wool and 15% alpaca, available in 100g skeins of approximately 141 yards each. The wool content provides structure and stitch definition ideal for colorwork, while the alpaca adds a soft, cozy halo and warmth. The color palette used in the pattern is rich and autumnal:

• Chocolate (Color A) — the main color, used for the body, sleeves, and as the background of the yoke; requires 4 (5, 5, 6, 7, 7) skeins depending on size
• Red (Color B) — 1 skein, used as a colorwork contrast in the yoke
• Navy (Color C) — 1 skein, used as a color