Girl Meets Yarn

And takes on the world.

23OCT2012

Cropped Boatneck Sweater Pattern

posted in Knitting, My Craft Addiction, Patterns by Vi
Updated: December 25, 2012 with photos

Note: This pattern was adapted from the 1989 edition of Vogue Knitting: The Ultimate Knitting Book. No copyright infringement
intended. Pattern for personal use only. Do not sell or redistribute.

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(https://girlmeetsyarn.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/p1050534.jpg)This sweater is constructed with two identical

rectangles (front and back) and two trapezoids (the sleeves). That makes it easily adaptable for a full-length sweater, ¾
sleeves, or any shape and size. There is no neck shaping or any really advanced techniques so it’s a perfect sweater for
beginners.

Techniques you will need to know:

Rib stitch (Knit 1, Purl 1)

Stockinette stitch (Knit 1 row, Purl 1 row.
An increase technique (Make one, Knit front and back, etc.)
Blocking
Mattress stitch for seaming
Materials:

4 skeins of worsted weight yarn (approximately 850 yards)

Size 7 circular needles
Size 11 circular needles
Stitch markers or safety pins

(You will not be knitting in the round, but using circular needles as straight needles is helpful because the project gets
pretty long.)

Gauge:

4” = 11 stitches x 16 rows

(Gauge is not particularly important since this is an oversized sweater. Do not worry if you do not have the right sized
needles to get the right gauge.)

Approximate Finished Measurements:

Armpit to armpit: 24”

Length: 15”
Sleeve: 20”

Instructions:

For best results, keep track of how many rows/stitches it takes to knit each step so the front/back and left/right can be
exactly the same.

Front and Back (make two):

With smaller needles cast on 80 stitches.

Work in knit 1, purl 1 rib for 2.5”.
Change to larger needles.
Work in stockinette stitch until piece measures 9” from beginning.
At 9” mark each end for beginning of armhole.
Continue stockinette stitch until piece measures 7” from marker.
Change to smaller needles.
Knit 1 row.
Work in knit 1, purl 1 rib for 2”.
Bind off loosely in rib pattern.
Sleeves (make two):

With smaller needles cast on 38 stitches.

Work in knit 1, purl 1 rib for 3”.
Change to larger needles.
Continue in pattern as follows:
Row 1: Purl across.
Row 2: Knit across.
Row 3: Purl across.
Row 4: Knit across, increasing 1 stitch on each side.
Repeat rows 1-4 until piece measures 20” across.
Work in stockinette stitch until piece measures 20” from beginning.
Bind off.

Finishing:

Weave in loose ends.

Block all pieces.
Use mattress stitch to sew seams.
Sew shoulder seams together for 4.25”.
Sew top of sleeves to armholes between markers.
Sew sides and sleeve seams.

And you’re done!

As I mentioned earlier, the pattern is really easy to customize. You can make the length longer or shorter, make the
sleeves longer or shorter, add some colorwork such as stripes or intarsia, or add some more complex knitting stitches like
cables or bobbles. This simple sweater is a blank slate for your creativity!

(https://girlmeetsyarn.wordpress.com/2012/10/23/cropped-boatneck-sweater-pattern/sweater4/)
(https://girlmeetsyarn.wordpress.com/2012/10/23/cropped-boatneck-sweater-pattern/sweater2/)

(https://girlmeetsyarn.wordpress.com/2012/10/23/cropped-boatneck-sweater-pattern/sweater1/)
(https://girlmeetsyarn.wordpress.com/2012/10/23/cropped-boatneck-sweater-pattern/sweater3/)
(https://girlmeetsyarn.wordpress.com/2012/10/23/cropped-boatneck-sweater-pattern/sweater2/) For more pictures
please look  (https://girlmeetsyarn.wordpress.com/2012/10/23/cropped-boatneck-sweater-pattern/sweater1/)here
(https://girlmeetsyarn.wordpress.com/2012/10/21/a-sweater-for-myself-cropped-boatneck-sweater/) and 
(https://girlmeetsyarn.wordpress.com/2012/10/23/cropped-boatneck-sweater-pattern/sweater1/)here
(https://girlmeetsyarn.wordpress.com/2012/11/10/5-outfits-im-proud-of/). And in case you were wondering I’m a
petite little Asian girl and I usually wear size small.

boatneck, comfy, cozy, cropped, diy, knit, knitted, knitting, knitting pattern, oversized, pattern, slouchy, sweater  32
Comments

32 thoughts on “Cropped Boatneck Sweater Pattern”

Pingback: A Sweater For Myself: Cropped Boatneck Sweater « girlmeetsyarn

Karen Lindsay
October 29, 2012 at 12:45 am
Thank you for so generously sharing your lovely pattern!

Reply
Vi
October 29, 2012 at 12:18 pm
No problem! I’ve tried to make it as clear and easy to understand as possible but feel free to ask any questions if
you have any! :)

Reply
Kathleen Lambert
November 6, 2012 at 2:29 pm
the instructions are not printing

Reply
Vi
November 6, 2012 at 4:35 pm
Interesting… it works for me… You might want to copy and paste it into a word document and print from there.
Hope that helps!

Reply
Margaret
November 9, 2012 at 12:24 am
I’ve been looking for a pattern like this for ages and this is exactly what I need! Thank you so much for posting it :)

Reply
Vi
November 9, 2012 at 8:28 am
That’s exactly why I had to make my own pattern (or at least adapt one). I couldn’t find a pattern as simple. Good
luck knitting it! :D

Reply
mel
November 9, 2012 at 6:47 pm
hi! this is great, thank you for posting! what size would you say this pattern is? like a Small sweater? i’m 5’2 110
lbs..and i measured my arm length and it’s about 17″ (so the 20″ sleeves in the pattern would be too long) and from
arm pit to arm pit i’m about 16″ which seems much smaller than the 24″ in the pattern
(i realize it’s oversized, i dont want it tight by any means but just wondering if it’d be falling off me. i dont really want
it to be like those 80’s bare shoulder tops. thanks for your help!

Reply
Vi
November 9, 2012 at 11:24 pm
You’re about my size, just a couple pounds lighter and an inch shorter.

You can modify the sleeves easily. After you are done the with increases, just knit straight stockinette stitch for
however long you want it to be.

If you don’t want the sweater to be too oversized you’ll have to do a little calculating. First knit a swatch in
stockinette stitch. Then measure the gauge. What I would do is count how many stitches it takes to make an inch
lengthwise and then multiply that number by how wide you want the sweater to be. Remember, all the body is is 2
rectangles so you can make them as big or as small as you want.

I hope that helps!

Reply
mel
November 12, 2012 at 3:55 pm
Thank you Vi! This is awesome :)

Monica
November 10, 2012 at 5:16 am
Hi Vi! I finished the sweater and it’s wonderful. It’s exactly what I wanted. I’m not sure how to post a picture of it,
though!

Monica in London, Ontario, Canada.

Reply
Vi
November 10, 2012 at 10:09 am
That’s awesome! If you want to share a picture, upload it onto a photo sharing service like Flickr or Photobucket
and post the link. :)

Reply
Deborah
December 19, 2012 at 12:48 pm
Hi Vi,
Having been unable to find the sweater of my dreams (pale pink, oversized, boat neck and simple) for my tall frame, I
was delighted to find your blog. I haven’t knitted anything more complicated than a scarf for years but will try your
pattern – thank you very much for posting it. Your instructions to commenters are very useful, too. Merry Christmas!

Reply
Vi
December 19, 2012 at 2:21 pm
Thanks! I hope your end result is the sweater of your dreams. :) And if you need any help feel free to ask!

Reply
Jeanne poole
January 7, 2013 at 3:45 pm
Can you tell me where you found the original pattern. I think it’s the one my Mom made me and I have been looking
for it for years. Thank you

Reply
Vi
January 7, 2013 at 8:03 pm
 It’s an old Vogue Knitting: The Ultimate Knitting Book I picked up for $.25 at Goodwill. It’s from 1989 and can be
found on eBay here: http://www.ebay.com/ctg/Vogue-Knitting-Ultimate-Knitting-Book-Vogue-Knitting-
Magazine-Editors-1989-Hardcover-/510343

I’m not sure if this pattern can be found in newer editions, but it’s the boatneck sweater.

Reply
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penauthor.com
February 8, 2014 at 10:13 pm
Hi, I do believe this is an excellent blog. I stumbledupon it ;) I
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Reply
Jessica
February 24, 2014 at 10:09 pm
My gauge came to be 3in with size 8 needles and bulky yarn which Is way off but all I have right as far as materials

Reply
Vi
February 25, 2014 at 5:27 pm
If you are looking for advice I’d say use the gauge and multiply it out by how many inches you need to fit you for
a custom fit. Hope that helps!

Reply
Samantha Kymmell
July 28, 2014 at 10:59 pm
Hi Vi! I am currently working on this sweater and loving it so far. I am new to knitting — so I have a question. Can I
knit the sleeves in the round and still mattress-seam them onto the body pieces in the end?

Reply
Vi
July 29, 2014 at 7:21 pm
I don’t see why not. I think you’d just have to be careful about where the increase stitches end up and make sure
that it’s symmetrical when you sew them to the body.

Reply
Samantha
August 4, 2014 at 11:17 pm
hmm . . I hadn’t considered the increase stitches. I’ll have to plan this out. thanks so much!

Louisa
August 18, 2014 at 1:02 pm
Do you know what size the needles were in mm?
Thanks

Reply
Vi
August 20, 2014 at 9:43 am
Looks like the smaller size is 4.5 and the larger is 8.0. I just converted using this chart.
http://www.yarnfwd.com/main/needleconv.html

Reply
Louisa
August 20, 2014 at 10:28 am
Thank you!
 Erica
December 19, 2015 at 3:34 pm
Do you use 1 or 2 strands with the 8mm needles, this seems very loose for worsted weight yarn
Thanks
Erica

Vi
January 4, 2016 at 10:33 pm
I used one strand. It is pretty loose, you may choose to double up if it doesn’t make it too heavy.

Amy
September 10, 2014 at 1:40 pm
This is awesome, can’t wait to try it! This pattern looks very easy, so I’m tempted to try working a fair isle colour
pattern into it as well. I could totally see this having a rose pattern on it, like some of those high end oversized drop
shoulder sweaters that are really fashionable right now.

Great work, and thanks for sharing!

Amy

Reply
Mela Hartono
December 6, 2016 at 7:09 am
Hey, thank you for sharing this pattern!
I’m a beginner and want to challenge my self more so this pattern is perfect. My question is… is it okay if i’m using
smaller yarn+smaller needle? Bigger yarn quite rare in my country. Thanks :D

Reply
Vi
December 6, 2016 at 11:36 am
Using different yarn and needle sizes would be fine for this pattern. I would just make sure to knit a swatch and
check the gauge to make sure it will end up the right size. Hope this helps!

Reply
Mela Hartono
December 7, 2016 at 10:34 pm
Okay… i’m making swatch right now and will do some math after. Thanks!

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