Blue Split

Blue Split Sweater by Iscula

What is Being Made

Blue Split is a contemporary knitted sweater designed with a flattering silhouette that combines fitted shoulders with a comfortable, wider hip area. The design features a distinctive split construction that allows for both form-fitting and relaxed proportions in a single garment. This sweater is engineered for light yarns with a soft touch, making it an ideal project for creating garments with excellent drape and a refined, youthful aesthetic.

Construction Method

Blue Split is worked seamlessly from the top down using a hybrid construction technique. The sweater begins with raglan increases worked in the round, creating a smooth yoke that tapers from the neckline through the shoulders. After the raglan shaping is complete, the sleeve stitches are temporarily placed on hold while the body continues to be worked in the round with strategic increases that create a subtle A-line shaping. At the split point, the construction transitions from circular knitting to flat knitting in rows, allowing for the distinctive split design. Once the body is completed to the hem, the sleeve stitches are picked up again and worked top down in the round to finish the sleeves.

Stitches and Techniques Used

• Stockinette Stitch: The primary stitch throughout the sweater. When worked flat, Stockinette stitch is created by knitting on the right side rows and purling on the wrong side rows. When worked in the round, Stockinette stitch is achieved by knitting every round, creating a smooth, uniform fabric with a distinctive V-pattern texture on the right side.
• Raglan Increases: Used in the yoke section to create the seamless shoulder shaping and establish the proper proportions between the body and sleeves.
• Backwards Loop Cast On: A special cast-on technique employed at the beginning of rows where additional stitches are picked up to expand the piece during the split construction phase.
• Stitch Pickup: Stitches are strategically picked up from the body to resume sleeve knitting after the body is completed, maintaining seamless integration between sections.

Materials

Blue Split is designed to be worked with 4-ply yarn weight, a lightweight yarn that provides the soft touch and excellent drape essential to this design. The pattern is suitable for use with needles appropriate for 4-ply yarn, with construction utilizing both circular needles for in-the-round sections and straight needles or circular needles used flat for the row-based split sections.

Skill Level

This pattern is rated as intermediate difficulty, making it suitable for knitters with foundational skills who are ready to tackle seamless top-down construction, raglan shaping, and the unique hybrid flat-and-round knitting technique that defines the split design.