Crossing Pullover by yamagara

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The Crossing pullover by Bernice of yamagara is a lightweight yet bulky sweater. This is another knit project that I did not include in my 2024 Make Nine list. Back in March, Bernice contacted us about participating in a test knit for one of her new sweater designs. I had already knit her Hikari tee for our mom, and I was in the process of knitting her Ginger pullover for myself.

The pullover pattern is included in Laine Publishing’s new book, 52 Weeks of Chunky Knits, which was published 8 November 2024. 52 Weeks of Chunky Knits is the newest addition to Laine Publishing’s popular 52 Weeks book series. Forty-six talented designers from all over the world contributed to the book.

I ended up testing size 4, which has a bust circumference of 140 cm / 56″. The pullover has 6-12″ of positive ease, and it’s like wearing a cozy cloud! The pattern suggested using a fluffy, bulky, alpaca yarn for the main colour, and then two strands of laceweight mohair as the contrast colour. The gauge is rather loose, 14 stitches and 20 rows in 10 cm / 4″. I went to Romni Wools, one of our favourite local yarn shops, to get my yarn. I originally planned to knit the Crossing pullover for myself in a rust or mustard colour. However, they didn’t have an appropriate yarn in the colours that I wanted for myself. Thankfully, Tomiko came with me, so we decided to choose colours in her palette, and I would knit it for her.

In the end, I used Baby Llama Air by Estelle Yarns in Teal as the main colour. This is a 75% alpaca, 25% nylon bulky-weight yarn. It is soft and fluffy, and oh-so-light. For the contrast colour, I used Kid Seta by Pro Lana in the Seafoam colourway. This is a laceweight 70% mohair, 30% silk yarn. Even though the finished pullover is so light, it is very warm!

The pattern has you knit the sweater top down and in the round. You use short rows to shape the back for a better neckline fit. Increases are worked around the yoke with gradually widening stitch pattern repeats. The sweater has plenty of positive ease, fully featuring the light fluffiness of the yarn combination. You knit the sheer stripes with two strands of lace weight yarn, while a single strand of the main yarn layers long crossed stitches rhythmically over parts of the stripes.

I really enjoyed participating in my first ever test knit. Bernice created a private instagram group chat for all the testers to share their feedback, questions, and progress. I mostly lurked because just as I started the test knit, I got pregnant. First trimester fatigue paired with running after a 3-year-old and still working at my job meant that I couldn’t knit as fast as I normally do. Often I went to bed at the same time as my toddler! I found seeing which colours other testers used so interesting and inspiring. I am also happy with the colours that Tomiko and I chose. Some projects went with really high contrast, and others had a more muted palette. As I was knitting a bit behind the other testers, I didn’t find any errors in my size.

Get the 52 Weeks of Chunky Knits from Laine Publishing from their website here, or from your local yarn store.