Willingham Woods Jumper

This jumper is knitted using the mosaic technique. Mosaic knitting is very easy and yet can produce extremely complex looking patterns. It is worked by knitting and slipping (purl wise) stitches on a right-side row and then on the wrong side by knitting again those stitches that have been knit on the previous row, and slipping the stitches that were again slipped on the previous row. It can produce work that looks very similar to two-colour intarsia but most people seem to find the joy of mosaic working is that you only work in one colour at a time and do not end up with long “floats” at the back of the work. You change colour every two rows and the stitches that have been knit in the first colour then become the ones that you slip in the next two rows.

To work a mosaic pattern it is vital that the yarn does not obscure the slipped stitch when viewed from the right side. On RS rows the slip stitch is slipped with yarn in back, whilst on WS rows slip stitch with yarn in front. However, when working in the round for the body and sleeves the stitches will be worked in one round knit, one round purl so as to give a garter stitch effect. Thus, the slip stitch will ALWAYS be slipped with the yarn in back. I have provided a written version for the pattern but I WOULD STRONGLY RECOMMEND that you knit from the chart. I think, from feedback, most if not all the people I have taught to work mosaic knitting have found that, scary as it can look, working from charts is much more easy than keeping you eye on a long line of written instructions. So please, have a go at the chart versions of the pattern. I promise you won’t regret it. One other suggestion is that you might find it helpful to use stitch markers to indicate each pattern repeat.

The sizes are given in small, medium and large covering from 36” up to 54” bust/chest. One of the joys of mosaic is that it has lots of stretch (negative ease) and so somebody who fits a 36” and someone with a 42” measurement will find the jumper stretches beautifully to adapt to the size required. Blocking also helps; once you’ve finished the jumper, try it on and then de cide your blocking strategy. You might only want to smooth into shape or you might want to block quite fiercely, the choice is yours but whatever you decide the jumper will fit “just right”.