This past Fall/Winter I released Audrey’s Pullover, a top-down v-neck pullover featuring a split hemline and subtle skinny stripes. The stitch gauge is 20 stitches = 4″/10 cm, making it suitable for either DK or Worsted-weight yarn. In the original, because I wanted a more Fall/Winter feel, I chose the worsted-weight Berroco Vintage (a wool/acrylic blend)…

It’s soft and cozy and makes a great cold-weather layering piece. Here is another version I made for myself, also out of Berroco Vintage…

But this sweater is a great example of the type of design that could also work in a Spring/Summer yarn (a cotton/linen blend).

Not all patterns translate well for cotton or linen yarns but this design definitely does. To prove this concept, I decided to knit another version of this sweater in the sport/DK-weight Berroco Remix Light and give it a bit more of a Summer-vibe by giving it 3/4 length sleeves as well. I also decided to omit the stripes just to show what it looks like plain. And here is the result!

About the Yarn…

Remix Light is a cotton/nylon/acrylic/silk/linen blend, so it has no wool in it (which is why it makes for a great warm-weather yarn). It’s classified as a DK-weight, but I find it a bit thinner, so I often refer to it as a sport/DK. So at first I wasn’t sure if it was too thin a yarn to use for this design, but I decided to swatch it up and see. And yes, the fabric was definitely loose at 20 stitches = 4″/10 cm, but I still liked it and thought it would provide lots of nice drape. It’s a great example of how you can often make a yarn do whatever you want gauge-wise, it’s just a question of whether or not you like the fabric at that given gauge.

As you can see in the above swatch, my stitches are not consistent. This is very common with non-wool yarns because cotton/linen blends have little elasticity. This makes them a bit unforgiving in terms of stitch consistency, especially when you are knitting a yarn like this at a looser gauge. But in this case I didn’t mind it because it’s such a textured yarn anyway. I was able to get the stitch gauge (in the round) on the same needle as listed in the pattern (a US 7). However, my row gauge was a bit tighter (another thing common in cotton/linen blends). But in a top-down design like this, it’s easy to make adjustments for a slightly-off row gauge.

Important note: Berroco also has a worsted-weight version of Remix (click here to view it). If you like the idea of knitting Audrey’s Pullover in a non-wool yarn but would prefer your fabric to not be as loose as this, then using this worsted-weight Remix instead of Remix Light would be a great option to consider!

Pattern Adjustments

Below are my notes on exactly what I did when making this Remix Light version of Audrey’s Pullover:

Gauge:

• As mentioned above, I was able to use the exact same needle size get stitch gauge as that listed in the pattern (a US 7 for the body). My row gauge was a little tighter but that’s not a big issue with top-down patterns such as this.

Raglan sections:

• My row gauge was tighter so my armhole depth measured 7.5″ instead of 8.25″ as listed in the pattern for size 2. I could have worked in stockinette stitch at the end of Raglan Section 5 (before the underarm divide) and added the .75″, but I decided for the shorter depth.
• But if you want to try using this yarn for this design, just keep in mind you may want to add those rows there (there’s a note in the pattern, at the bottom of page 4, that explains exactly what to do if you want to add more depth).

Body sections:

• I opted to do the no shaping version (although I think the A-line could totally work in this yarn as well).
• I omitted the stripes, and so just worked the underarm to above hem until I was 3″ from my desired underarm to hem length on my Front. I wanted to keep my sweater cropped, since I figured I would either be wearing it with high-waisted pants for the Summer or over a dress. But you can make it any length you like and I know many people opt to lengthen theres.
• I worked the hems exactly as written.

Sleeves sections:

• I shortened the sleeves so they were 14″ long instead of 17.5″ long. Typically when I make 3/4 length sleeves I make them 11-12″ long, so this is a bit longer than that, falling about 4″ above my wrist on my arms.
• For exact instructions on how to adjust the decrease sequence, check out my tips page where I have provided instructions for every size (and for both stripe and no-stripe options). Click here to go to that page now.

Neck Trim

• I followed the pattern exactly as written, but I did change how I picked-up stitches. On the tips page for Audrey’s Pullover, I link to this page for tutorials on how I work the neck trim. In it, when picking-up stitches along each front, I pick-up and knit the “v” stitch that is stitch in from each end. But in this Remix Light version, due to the loose gauge, I didn’t like how this looked. Instead, I picked up the very edge stitch instead and going 1 stitch in – at the looser gauge this looked much better.
• It’s a great example of how the technique you decide on for picking-up and knitting can very much depend on the yarn/fabric of your piece. And this is why there are so many methods out there! I talk about this in my YouTube lesson, 4 ways to pick-up and knit.

I hope seeing these photos and tips help for you to see how this pullover design can definitely be considered for your Spring/Summer knitting!