One of the perks of my job is that I get an early preview of some fabulous new designs, and I’ve been excitedly waiting for the release of Gudrun Johnston’s Yokey Dokey Sweater since it first landed in my inbox at the end of April. Working with Gudrun is an absolute joy, and I have really enjoyed seeing the test knitters working on a range of beautiful colourways over on Instagram. You can browse what they have been up to with the #yokeydokeysweater hashtag.
Photo © Gudrun Johnston
Based on a vintage piece of Shetland Trader knitwear designed by her mother, this jumper features a circular yoke worked seamlessly from the top down with OXOs and peerie motifs in four contrast colours. The pattern includes options for a balloon sleeve or straight sleeve and also has a nifty hem, shaped using short rows. I love that this design feels simultaneously modern and retro.
Photo © Gudrun Johnston
The pattern, which I tech edited, includes ten sizes ranging from 87.5-147.5 cm [34.5-58 in]. The finished garment is intended to be worn with 5-15 cm [2-6 in] positive ease.
Gudrun used colourwork classic Jamieson & Smith 2ply Jumper Weight for this design, and we’ve had a lot of fun dreaming up colourways for some kits to let you dive right into knitting them. The colour possibilities are really endless, but ultimately, we we whittled it down to four options (and let me tell you, it was hard!).
Photo © Gudrun Johnston
In addition to the original colourway used by Gudrun (shown above in the modelled photos) — a warm, deep chocolate brown with neutral contrast colours — you’ll find a dark grey colourway with pops of sky blue and wisteria:
A pale grey colourway that, like Gudrun’s pattern, feels a little bit retro and a little bit modern:
And a pleasingly nautical blue colourway (wouldn’t it look great paired with dark blue jeans?):
… over in the online shop! The kits cost between £37 and £58 depending on sleeve and size options. Kits include all the yarn needed for your chosen size + sleeve option, plus a project bag. Please note these kits only include the yarn you’ll need to knit this fab sweater: you’ll need to purchase the Yokey Dokey pattern directly from Gudrun over on Ravelry! And if you fancy putting together your own colourway, we’ve got PLENTY of shades of Jamieson & Smith 2ply Jumper Weight (as well as starter pack colour bundles) over in the online shop.
Okey dokey, are you ready to cast on? If so, as always, we’d love to see your progress over in our Ravelry group! We’ve also collected together all our stranded colourwork tutorials in one handy spot to help you on your way. Over the next few days, we’ll be sharing a few tips on swatching for colourwork projects and some more colour inspiration, so do stay tuned!