Knit your own Marinière, with a splash of colour!

Pattern includes instructions for womens’ sizes XS, S, M, L and XL.

Eternally stylish breton stripes in navy and white give way to a deep intricately patterned fair isle yoke, using an unusual mix of jewel-like colours and peerie motifs. Small flashes of bright tangerine orange give this traditional technique an original and modern look. This is a great design for using up your leftover colours from past projects and experimenting with your own colour combinations.

A flattering and chic medium-weight sweater, it has a loose, square shaping around the body, balanced out with fitted shoulders and sleeves. My sample has been knitted as 4 flat panels (front and back body + 2 sleeves) with seams up the sides to keep a certain amount of structure to the sweater (and also to make for jogless stripes). The 4 pieces are then put on a circular needle so that the yoke can be knitted in the round, all in one piece. However, instructions are also given for knitting the entire sweater in the round, from the bottom up. The sweater is washed and scrubbed in hot water so that the fibres felt slightly, giving a vintage-feel fabric, that is soft and durable.

Suggested yarn:

For the main body, look for a super fine (1) or fingering -weight yarn that knits to 28 stitches in 10 cm on 2.25-2.75mm (US 1-2, UK 13-12) needles. I prefer a non-superwash wool that will bloom and blend with the other yarns around it once washed. My sample uses 2 strands held together of Z. Hinchcliffe & Sons Lambswool Yarn, (2/17nm; 2-ply; 100% wool) in Indigo Melange (MC) and Ecru (CC).

Available at Uppingham Yarns (wools.co.uk)

Needles and other materials:

1 pair of size 2.25mm straight needles (US 1, UK 13)

(or 4-5 x size 2.25 dpns (US 1, UK 13) if working in the round for the cuffs)

(or 1 size 2.25mm circular needle (US 1, UK 13) 80cm (32 inches) long, if working in the round)

1 pair of size 2.75mm straight needles (US 2, UK 12)

1 size 2.75mm circular needle (US 2, UK 12) (at least 80cm (32 inches) long, for ease of working yoke stitches)

5 x 2.75mm dpns (US 2, UK 12) (for neck ribbing)

or needles to get gauge

8 stitch holders or waste yarn

Level of difficulty and skills required

Advanced. Pattern requires chart-reading skills and knowledge of how to do short rows. Pattern also assumes knowledge of the fair isle technique (stranded colourwork), cable cast-on and grafting. I suggest binding off using Elizabeth Zimmerman’s stretchy sewn bind-off which gives a neat edge, and ease of getting the sweater over your head. A link to a tutorial for this, as well as one for short rows, is included.