Ptarmigan Pullover

This is a knitting pattern. You will receive an email upon purchase. More details are below.

Worked with two strands of fingering weight yarn, or one strand of worsted weight, this is a classic crew or turtleneck, top-down raglan, oversized pullover with 18 - 23 cm (7 - 9 in) positive ease, a feather motif fluttering down the top of the sleeve and trimmed with ribbing. The motif is adapted from lacy pattern 38, page 33, in The Japanese Knitting Stitch Bible by Hitomi Shida.

This snuggle of a pullover is named after the Willow Ptarmigan, a bird of the partridge-like grouse family found in the Canadian Arctic tundra. If you’re familiar with Canadian television in the 1970s - 90s, you might recognize this commercial made by the National Film Board for Canadian Wildlife Services.

Skill Level

Intermediate - This project is suitable for knitters who are comfortable or willing to learn how to work in the round, right- and left-leaning increases, work the Tubular Cast-On and the Tubular Bind-Off, Japanese Short-Rows, and follow multiple instructions at the same time. Links to tutorials are included in the instructions.

Sizing

1 [2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9] 

To fit 70 - 75 (80 - 85, 90 - 95, 100 - 105, 110 - 115, 120 - 125, 130 - 135, 140 - 145, 150 - 155) cm (28 - 30 [32 - 34, 36 - 38, 40 - 42, 44 - 46, 48 - 50, 52 - 54, 56 - 58, 60 - 62] in) circumference at the widest part of the chest

Finished Measurements

Chest/Hem circumference after blocking: 92 [99, 108, 117.5,  124.5, 134, 146, 155.5, 167] cm (36.75 [39.5, 43.25, 47, 50, 53.75, 58.25, 62, 67.75] in).

Yarn

Hinterland, Dusk, 70% single-ply woollen spun farm-sourced Rambouillet, 30% homegrown alpaca - Pender Island, British Columbia, Canada

112 grams (3.95 oz) / 360 m (400 yards) colour 1: Snow 

112 grams (3.95 oz) / 360 m (400 yards) colour 2: Honey

Topsy Farms, Worsted Weight, 100% homegrown wool - Amherst Island, Ontario, Canada

113 grams (4 oz) / 183 m (200 yards) colour Olive

Hinterland Dusk yarn is a single-ply woollen spun with a lot of character, smells of the farm, and is honestly rustic. 

Topsy Farm Worsted Weight yarn is a two-ply woollen spun unbleached with natural lanolin and sturdy with unbroken fibres. 

Look for a yarn with a good stitch definition, a healthy amount of elasticity, and a little drape.

See the Ptarmigan Pullover BK Ravelry page for yarn alternatives.

Yarn Requirements

3 [3, 3, 3, 4, 4, 4, 4, 5] skeins, per colour, Hinterland, Dusk, or fingering weight

3 [3, 3, 3, 4, 4, 4, 4, 5] skeins, Topsy Farms, or 2-ply worsted weight yarn
814 [876, 955, 1041, 1103, 1186, 1292, 1375, 1479] m (891 [959, 1045, 1139, 1206, 1297, 1413, 1505, 1617] yards)
253 [273, 297, 324, 344, 370, 403, 429, 460] grams (10 [10, 11, 13, 14, 14, 15, 16, 17] oz)

Needles

5.5 mm (US 9) or size required to obtain gauge 60 cm - 100 cm (24 - 40 in) long circular needles for the body and sleeves

4.5 mm (US 7) or one set of circular needles two full sizes smaller than the largest needles that obtain gauge 60 cm (24 in) long needles, using the magic loop method with the circular or use the same size dpns for the ribbing

3.5 mm (US 4) or one set five sizes smaller than the largest needle of any length longer than 30 cm (12 in) for tubular cast-on

Gauge 

17 sts and 25 rnds give 10 cm x 10 cm (4 x 4 in) in stockinette using 5.5 mm (US 9) needles or size needed to get gauge, after washing and blocking

26 sts and 24 rnds give 10 cm x 10 cm (4 x 4 in) in 1 x 1 ribbing using 4.5 mm (US 7) needles or the size needed to get a gauge, after washing and blocking

Notions

11 stitch markers, two sets of four markers (one set for the Raglan details, the other set for the Feather Motif sections), one magnificent marker to note the beginning of the round, and two removable stitch markers for the short rows.

Waste yarn or stitch holder

Darning needle

Notes 

Worked with two strands of fingering weight yarn, or one strand of worsted, this is a snuggle of a pullover with a classic crew or turtleneck, top-down raglan, and oversized with 18 - 23 cm (7 - 9 in) positive ease.

Cast on the neckline, build the ribbed neck, est front, back, and sleeve raglan sections, and build up the back neck using short rows while at the same time working the motif on the shoulders.

Once the sleeves are separated from the body, the body is a steady knit in stockinette and then finished with a ribbed hem. Pick up a few stitches to close up the armhole and continue with the sleeves in stockinette while adorning the top of the sleeve with the motif.