What you need
| Sizes | S, M, L, XL, 2XL, 3XL · To fit bust 30, 34, 38, 42, 46, 50 inches · Finished chest 36, 40, 44, 48, 52, 56 inches - about 6 inches of positive ease. Total length 21 ¾ to 27 inches. The sample is size L. |
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| Yarn | Brushed mohair and silk lace weight, two strands held together, in ten colours (a single strand of chunky mohair blend also works): 425 to 825 yd as worked = 850 to 1650 yd of lace mohair, 4 to 8 balls of 25 g in all. Colour A needs one ball; each of the other nine needs 90 yd at most - perfect for leftovers. |
| Needles & notions | US 11 / 8 mm for the body, US 10.5 / 6.5 mm for the hem band and neckband. Stitch markers, a spare needle for the shoulder join, tapestry needle. |
| Gauge (tension) | 14 sts and 19 rows = 4 in / 10 cm in stockinette, blocked; 14 sts and 24 rows = 4 in / 10 cm in garter stitch. Knitted very loosely so the mohair halo blurs every colour change. |
Skills you’ll use
- Knit
- Purl
- Binding off mid-row
- Picking up stitches
- Three-needle bind-off
- Mattress stitch
- Beginner friendly - no increases, no decreases except two at each front neck edge, no colourwork: just one colour at a time. Honest warning: around 280 ends to weave in (the pattern shows how to weave them as you go, and includes a simplified 2-row version that halves them).
What’s in the PDF
- 14-page professionally laid out PDF, written in English, US terms
- Six sizes, fully graded - every number given for every size
- The complete stripe sequence: all 70 stripes, 124 rows, as a colour chart
- Colour chart, shaping diagram, construction diagram and schematic
- A troubleshooting table, and a simpler 2-row version if you want fewer ends
- A note on the numbers: the neckband sized from a real head measurement, the armhole a fixed share of the chest, and the stripe sequence tested against its own rules
Questions about this pattern
Is this a good project for leftover yarn?
Yes - that is the whole idea. Nine of the ten colours need 90 yards or less, well under one 25 g ball of lace mohair, so it is made for scraps. Only colour A (the burnt orange that works the hem, neckband and shoulder join) needs a full ball.
How hard are the stripes to manage?
There is no colourwork - you only ever knit with one colour at a time, and the full 70-stripe sequence is given as a colour chart you simply follow. The honest cost is the ends: about 280 of them. The pattern shows how to weave them in as you go, and includes a simplified 2-row version that halves the count.
Does it have sleeves or shaping to track?
No sleeves at all - the armholes are left bare with a firm chain selvedge. Front and back are two straight pieces worked flat from the hem up, with just a few stitches bound off at the underarm and two decreases at each front neck edge. Nothing to track while you count stripes.
