For the Bees

For the Bees Knitted Sweater by Annie Haas

What Is Being Made

For the Bees is an intermediate-level knitted sweater featuring a distinctive lace motif at its center. This pullover design incorporates both decorative and functional elements, making it a versatile piece suitable for everyday wear. The sweater is available in multiple sizes, ranging from smaller to larger proportions, with yardage requirements scaling accordingly across the size range.

Design Features and Construction

The sweater showcases a thoughtfully designed silhouette with practical styling details. A split hem adds visual interest to the garment's lower edge, while bracelet-length sleeves provide a modern, cropped aesthetic that has made this design a popular handmade wardrobe staple. The combination of these elements creates a contemporary yet wearable piece.

Stitches and Techniques Used

This pattern employs two primary stitch techniques that work together to create the sweater's distinctive character:

• Variation Honeybee Lace Motif: The central focal point features the "Variation Honeybee" stitch pattern, sourced from Barbara Walker's stitch dictionaries. This lace motif provides delicate openwork detail in the sweater's center.
• Honeycomb Brioche Stitch: The designer combined the lace motif with the honeycomb brioche stitch, a textured technique that creates a dimensional, waffled appearance. Brioche knitting involves yarn overs and knitting into stitches from the previous row, producing a stretchy, reversible fabric with distinctive ridged texture.

These stitch combinations demonstrate intermediate-level knitting skill, requiring familiarity with lace chart reading and brioche knitting techniques.

Yarn and Materials

The pattern calls for premium natural fiber yarns in complementary weights:

• Sugarplum Circus BFL 4 Ply Fingering Weight Yarn: 100% Bluefaced Leicester fiber, available in 438 yards per 100g skeins. This yarn provides a smooth, lustrous base with excellent stitch definition ideal for showcasing lace and brioche work.
• Sugarplum Circus Mohair Lace: A lace-weight mohair option available in 459 yards per 50g skeins, adding softness and drape to the finished garment.

Total yardage requirements vary by size: smaller sizes require approximately 740 yards, mid-range sizes need 800–1020 yards, larger sizes require 1120–1300 yards, with the largest size calling for 1490 yards total.

Needles and Tools

Construction requires two sizes of circular needles to create proper gauge and fabric characteristics:

• US Size 6 (4.0 mm) circular needles with a minimum 30-inch cord
• US Size 7 (4.5 mm) circular needles with a minimum 30-inch cord

The circular needle format allows for seamless construction and accommodates the sweater's width during knitting.

Skill Level and Pattern Format

Designed for intermediate knitters, this pattern requires comfort with lace chart interpretation, brioche stitch techniques, and seamless garment construction. The pattern is provided as a downloadable PDF document, created by designer Annie Haas of This.Bird.Knits Designs and intended for personal use only.