A Sweater for Usagi

"Thinking isn't going to get us anywhere."

– Usagi Tsukino, a.k.a., Sailor Moon

A photo collage of Harper, a white person with short green hair, wearing a handknit sweater against a white background. The sweater is knit out of pale lavender and white yarn with flecks of hot pink and gold, and features a crescent moon lace panel down the centre front, centre back, and the sleeves. It has a V-shaped sheer panel across the front chest.

This sweater was designed to be a literal dream: when Victoria of Purl Scout Yarns told me their idea of creating a colourway based on Sailor Moon’s bedsheets, I knew I wanted to try designing an Usagi-inspired sweater. With its voluminous sleeves, sheer V panel and crescent moon lace panels, this sweater is both high drama and ultra comfortable — a combination I think Usagi herself would approve of.

The following sections provide a detailed overview of Usagi's construction, sizing, yarn choices, and test knitter photos and feedback. If you're ready to purchase the pattern, check out the pattern listing! You can also check out the #UsagiSweater hashtag on Instagram to see related posts.

Construction

Usagi is a gently cropped, drop-shoulder sweater knit from the bottom up, with optional subtle waist shaping that helps maintain a graceful silhouette. The pattern includes instructions for custom waist shaping, and the armholes are carefully graded to achieve a consistent fit in the shoulder across all sizes. After separating for the armholes, the front and back panels are worked separately; the front panel includes a sheer panel worked using a modified intarsia technique. The shoulders are seamed together using Kitchener stitch or a 3-needle bind off. After picking up and knitting the neckband, you pick up stitches for the sleeves, which are worked in the round.

Harper, a white person with short green hair and glasses, sits on the floor against a white wall. They look slightly to the left and have their left arm slightly raised. They're wearing a handknit sweater knit out of lavender and white yarn. The sweater has a crescent moon lace panel down the front and a sheer v-shaped panel across the chest and shoulders.

Harper is 5'4" and wearing a Size 3 sample of the Usagi Sweater. They have a chest circumference of 30" / 76 cm, with a total of 10" / 25.5 cm of positive ease at their chest.

Materials

Yardage, needles and gauge information can all be found in the Usagi Schematics doc.

(It's worth noting that I am, apparently, an exceptionally tight knitter; while I achieved gauge using 4.5mm needles, most of my test knitters had to size down, with the most common needles used being 3mm and 3.5mm. Looser knitters, you've been warned!)

I knit my sample out of Purl Scout Yarns Starry Fingering (80% eco-processed superwash merino, 20% nylon) held double with PSY Astra (70% kid mohair, 30% silk), both in the colourway Usagi's Bed.

You're pretty safe to substitute the Starry Fingering with any fingering weight wool. If you're sensitive to mohair, you can substitute suri alpaca/silk blend, which gives a similar halo but is typically less irritating for people with sensitivity to mohair. Whatever you decide to use in place of the mohair-silk, make sure it has a silk or other strong fibre: the single-strand sheer section carries some weight from the rest of the sweater, so a pure alpaca yarn, for example, may not be strong enough for longterm wear.

I recognize that knitting an entire garment with two strands of yarn can be a big material and financial investment. Some test knitters opted to forgo the fluff: one person knit the body and sleeves with a single strand of sport weight wool, and worked the sheer panel only in mohair. Another test knitter didn't use any mohair at all, knitting the entire sweater in a single strand of fingering weight. You could experiment with subbing a non-fluffy laceweight yarn in place of the mohair to get more of a mesh effect. I encourage you to swatch and see what you like!

Techniques

Knitting in the round
Knitting flat
Kitchener stitch or 3-needle bind off
Short rows (wrap & turn, although you can substitute German short rows)
Picking up stitches
Directional increases & decreases, centred double decrease, yarn overs
Left- and right- twists (1x1 cables), including a special decrease twist, explained in pattern
Modified intarsia knitting

This is a relatively straightforward sweater with very few surprises. The most complicated element is the sheer-V panel on the front, which involves dropping your MC (fingering weight) strand, knitting with the CC (mohair) strand only, then picking up a second MC strand, while working some simple increases, decreases and twists. This is thoroughly explained in the pattern. I provide links to photo tutorials where possible for other techniques. The lace stitch pattern is provided in both chart and written form.

Sizing

1 (2, 3, 4, 5) [6, 7, 8, 9] (10, 11, 12, 13) {14, 15, 16, 17}, providing a range of full chest circumferences from 31.5" / 80 cm to 60.75" / 154 cm, graded for 6" / 15 cm of positive ease.

The pattern is divided into 2 PDFs for clarity: one contains sizes 1-9, the other sizes 10-17. You receive both PDFs with the full range of sizes with your purchase.

For full sizing schematics, see the Usagi Schematics.

This pattern was professionally graded by Heather Folkner.

I recommend choosing a size based on your upper chest circumference, with 4-10" / 7.5-25.5 cm of positive ease. While the pattern was graded for a standard 6" / 15 cm of positive ease, test knitters had success with as little as 3" / 7.5 cm of positive ease, and upwards of 10" / 15 cm of ease. Because this is a drop-shoulder construction, do pick a size that gives you a few inches of positive ease through your chest and shoulders.

Interesting to note about this pattern is that most test knitters found they did not need a full bust adjustment (usually achieved through short-row bust darts), even when they normally do for handknit garments. The sheer-V panel on the front of the sweater, because it's knit as such a loose gauge with a single strand of laceweight yarn, is very stretchy, both vertically and horizontally, and it accommodates a lot of real estate that normally has to be addressed through bust shaping. One test knitter who did insert bust darts on their sweater later actually had to do some sweater surgery to take them back out, because the extra fabric resulted some bunching under the neckline.

Like my other garment pattern, I've written in a number of custom-sizing notes throughout the pattern, particularly for body length and shaping, and armhole depth. It's always important to look over the schematics chart thoroughly, before you begin knitting: Take note of important sizing measurements such as the body and sleeve lengths, armhole depth, body and sleeve circumferences, etc, and compare them against your actual body measurements (or a garment you already own that fits the way you want your sweater to fit!). Heather and I have done our best to write you a pattern that gives a solid foundation for a wide range of sizes that balances clear instruction with room for modification. If you're still unsure about choosing the right size or how to modify to get your best fit, feel free to reach out to me (disyarning at gmail dot com) for pattern support!

Ready to knit? Check out the pattern listing.

Test knitter spotlight

A huge thank you to my spectacular group of test knitters: Charity, Ellyse, Cara, Sarah, Anna, Vida, Zara, Zero, Arianna, Johanna, Kinsey, Celyn, Zephyr, Eva, Yuka, Juliane, Ewan, Elliott, Vanessa, Kiernan, Tiffany, Maria, Krista, Soda, Susanne, Emily, Jess, Isabell, Jenn, Kim, Jenna, Ashley, Victoria, Bianca, Opal, Ida, Ruth, Bonni, Rebecca, Bebhinn, Cat, and Caoife.

Having multiple test knitters for almost every size meant we could play a lot more with modifications in both sizing and yarn choices. Test knitters were encouraged to choose their sizes based on what they felt would give them their desired fit, and to modify for length, etc, as needed. A few of the test knitters graciously consented to me sharing their FO pictures, so you can see how the pattern looks through the various sizes, on various bodies, with various modifications.

Anna (IG: anna_esthesia) - S3

Anna, an Asian woman with shoulder length black hair, stands on her patio with her hands crossed at her waist. She's wearing a blue handknit sweater with a lace panel down the front, back and sleeves, with a V-shaped sheer panel across the chest and shoulders.

Anna is 5'6 / 167.5 cm tall and wearing a Size 3. She has 7" / 17.75 cm of positive ease at her chest. She added 1.5" / 4 cm of length to the body for a total length (bottom hem to underarm) of 12" / 30.5 cm. Anna went for a very cool gradient effect by combining a number of different yarns, with an interesting effect regarding drape: the bottom of the sweater is knit with Malabrigo merino, while the top is knit with an alpaca silk (held double with mohair-silk throughout). The result is more drape at the top of the sweater than the bottom hem, which she says feels like it gives more waist shaping without any actual waist shaping. Using alpaca-silk for the neckband also resulted in the neckband stretching a bit more than outlined in the pattern schematics.

Anna mentions that if she were to knit her sweater again, she'd love to try an all alpaca-silk combination for a more luxurious, drapey fit, inspired more by Michiru / Sailor Neptune, rather than the cozy Cancer vibes of Usagi. Yes to all the Sailor Scout inspiration!

Zara (IG: zipsknits) - Size 4

Zara, a white woman with long brown hair, stands against a white wall wearing a light blue-grey handknit sweater. The sweater has a lace panel down the centre front, back and sleeves, and has a sheer V-shaped panel across the chest and shoulders.

Zara is 5'8" / 172.5 cm tall and wearing a Size 4, using the written waist shaping in the pattern. She has 7.25" / 18.5 cm of positive ease at her chest and made no modifications to length. She knit her sample out of La Bien Aimee Merino Sock and Wandering Flock silk mohair.

Arianna (IG: ariannafrasca82) - Size 4

A series of three photos of Arianna, a white woman with long dark hair, standing and sitting in her bedroom wearing a light pink handknit sweater and black leggings. The sweater has a lace panel down the centre front, centre back and sleeves, and a sheer V-shaped panel across the front and shoulders.

Arianna is 5'3 / 163 cm tall and wearing a Size 4. She added 3.5" / 9 cm to the body for a total length (hem to underarm) of 14" / 35.5 cm. She has 6" / 15 cm of positive ease at her chest. Her sample is knit out of Purl Scout Yarns Starry Fingering and Astra mohair-silk.

Arianna notes that she has very slim arms, so in retrospect, she would have knit her armholes and sleeves one size smaller than the body, as the sweater is designed with quite deep armholes and upper arm circumference.

Johanna (IG: yarn.me.up) - Size 5

Three images of Johanna, a white woman with shoulder-length auburn hair, standing outside wearing a forest green sweater. The sweater has a lace panel down the centre front, back and sleeves, and a V-shaped sheer panel over the chest and shoulders.

Johanna is 5'7 / 172 cm tall and wearing a Size 5. She knit the body and sleeve lengths to pattern, with about 7.75" / 17 cm of positive ease at her chest. Her sample is knit out of Featherfin Yarn Super Sock and Boredom Kills Design Breeze.

She notes that she has a long torso, so she feels her sweater falls a little more cropped on her, but she likes her sweaters to fit like that anyway. She's already knitting a second version using a single strand of black yarn for the body, and a nude shade of mohair for the sheer V panel to give a "magic neckline" illusion, which sounds incredible!

Celyn (IG: haprima) - Size 5

Celyn, a young woman with long dark hair, stands outside against a backdrop of hanging twinkle lights and a red curtain wearing a light pink sweater. The sweater has a lace panel down the centre front and sleeves, and has a V-shaped sheer panel across the chest and shoulders.

Celyn is 5' / 152.5 cm tall and wearing a Size 5. She knit the body and sleeve lengths to pattern and has about 6.5" / 16.5 cm of positive ease. Her sample is knit out of Purl Scout Yarns Starry Fingering and Astra mohair-silk.

Yuka (IG: mamamimade) - Size 6

A close up of Yuka wearing a handknit, light pink sweater. The sweater has a lace panel down the centre front, back and sleeves, and has a sheer V-shaped panel across the chest and shoulders.

Yuka is 5'5 / 165 cm tall and wearing a Size 6. She has about 6" / 15 cm of positive ease and made no modifications to the body length, but knit her sleeves about 0.5" / 1.25 cm shorter than the pattern. Her sample is knit out of Purl Scout Yarns Starry Fingering and Astra mohair-silk.

She notes that she's a very loose knitter and knit her sweater at a larger gauge than the pattern with a US 3 needle; she tried sizing down to a US 1 for her sleeve cuff ribbing and found that actually made the cuff too tight, so she cautions other knitters – don't use a US 1 for your ribbing if you want your hand to still fit through! :P

Eva (IG: thebluerabbithouse) - Size 6

A series of three images of Eva standing against a white background. She has long dark brown hair and is wearing a mustard coloured handknit sweater. The sweater has a crescent moon lace panel down the centre front, back and sleeves and a sheer V-shaped panel across the shoulders and chest.

Eva is 5'2 / 160 cm tall and wearing a Size 6, knit with the waist shaping written in the pattern. She has around 3.5" / 9 cm of positive ease at her chest, and added 4" / 10 cm of length to the body. Her sample is knit out of Biches et Büches le Petit Lambswool and Knitting for Olive silk-mohair.

She adds: "I absolutely love this sweater! I think for me personally, for a second version, I'd either knit a sleeve size down or might even knit plain sleeves. I do love the big sleeves as they're suuuper cosy and the lace pattern is so pretty!! The only downside is that the lace pattern swirls around a bit." This is a fair point! A long tube like a sleeve will naturally torque a little (the degree to which it happens depends on the amount of ease, your individual proportions, and your yarn properties), so if that bothers you, this is a helpful note!

Oskar Elliott (IG: anarcho_feminist_235) - Size 7

Oskar Elliott is 5'2 / 160 cm tall and wearing a Size 7. They have about 2" / 5 cm of positive ease and added an additional 4" / 10 cm of length to the body.

They knit their sample using a single strand of Hobbii cotton merino sport weight yarn for the body and sleeves, and knit the sheer V panel in Lana Grossa Setasuri (suri alpaca). The sheer panel by itself took less than 50 m of suri! They also split the neckband ribbing at the back of the neck and added a button and elastic loop.

Maria (IG: woolen.forest) - Size 9

Maria stands in her kitchen surrounded by potted plants with her dark hair tied up in space buns. She's wearing a handknit, purple-grey sweater that has a lace panel down the centre front and sleeves, and a sheer V-shaped panel across her chest and shoulders.

Maria is 5'3 / 160 cm tall and wearing a Size 9. She has about 5.5" / 14 cm of positive ease and knit the body length to pattern. She did modify the sleeves as she has shorter arms. She says: "I did the first set of decreases 10 times (instead of 13) and then went right into the second set of decreases (19 times fully) and did a final 20th decrease on row 8 to end the lace pattern and get me to the 69 stitch count." Her sample is knit out of Big Little Yarn Co, both superwash fingering and suri alpaca.

Soda (IG: sodaceratops) - Size 9

A closeup of a person wearing a handknit sweater and blue jeans. The sweater is pale blue with a light pink V-shaped sheer panel across the chest and shoulders. A crescent moon lace panel runs down the centre front and sleeves.

Soda is 5'9 / 175 cm tall and wearing a Size 9. They have approximately 2" / 5 cm of positive ease at their full chest, and shortened the body by .75" / 2 cm for a total underarm-to-hem length of 8.75" / 22 cm. They used their own hand-dyed yarn (@PrettyInPeachYarnery), using a merino-nylon fingering weight yarn and a mohair-silk lace weight.

Soda says: "It fits perfectly and I’m very happy with the size I chose. I was a little worried as the pattern does suggest to knit with at least 6” of ease but it worked out. I originally added bust darts and that was not necessary at all as the lace section compensated for the difference between the back/front length."

Kim (IG: sleepyoli) - Size 11

Kim, a woman with shoulder-length dark hair, stands against a brick wall wearing a mauve handknit sweater. The sweater has a lace panel down the centre front and sleeves and a V-shaped sheer panel across her chest and shoulders.

Kim is 5'5 / 165 cm tall and wearing a Size 11, with about 7" / 17.75 cm of positive ease at her chest. She knit her sample with the written waist shaping and no modifications to length. Her sample is knit out of Old Rusted Chair sock yarn and Ito Sensai.

Jenna (IG: fibre_ghoul) - Size 12

Jenna stands in her living room wearing a periwinkle handknit sweater. She has short black hair and has one hand propped on her hip. The sweater has elbow-length sleeves and a sheer V-shaped panel across the chest and shoulders. A crescent moon lace panel runs down the centre front and sleeves.

Jenna is 5'4 / 162.5 cm tall and wearing a Size 12. She has 7.25" / 18.5 cm of positive ease and added 3" / 7.5 cm of length to the body for a total length of 12" / 30.5 cm (bottom hem to underarm). Her sample is knit out of Purl Scout Yarns Cosmos fingering and Bramble Ridge suri lace. Jenna also modified the sleeves to be elbow length, switching to ribbing after completing the first set of decreases.

Opal - Size 13

Opal stands against a brick wall wearing a sea green handknit sweater. The have short curly brown hair and are wearing glasses and green lipstick. The sweater has a crescent moon lace panel down the centre front, back and sleeves, and a sheer v-shaped panel across the chest and shoulders.

Opal is 5'2 / 157.5 cm tall and wearing a Size 13. They have 7.5" / 19 cm of positive ease around their chest and stomach, and added one inch to the body length for a total of 9.75" / 24.5 cm (underarm to bottom hem). They also knit the neckline 4 sts wider than written in pattern. Their sample is knit out of Feather and Fleece 100% superwash BFL in a dreamy custom Sailor Neptune colourway, held with Drops brushed alpaca.

Bebhinn (IG: gorseknits) - Size 15

Bee, a white woman with long dark hair pulled back into a ponytail, stands outside in a snowy backyard. She's wearing a lavender handknit sweater with a lace panel down the centre front, back and sleeves of the sweater, and a sheer V-shaped panel across the chest and shoulders.

Bebhinn is 5'8 / 172.75 cm tall and wearing a Size 15, with about 12" / 30.5 cm of positive ease at her chest. She made no modifications to the body length or sleeves. She notes she has a 52" / 132 cm bust and 44" / 111.5 cm waist, so she has significantly more ease at the underbust and likes how the sweater fits. Her sample is knit out of Knit Picks Gloss and Knit Picks Aloft. Shoutout to her adorable dog in the third photo.

Check out the pattern listing here!