Falling Water Sweater: for Beginner Colorwork Knitters

If you’re looking or an easy and gratifying project, the Falling Water Sweater may be the one you’re looking for. With it’s simple construction and eye-catching motif, it’s a great yoke project for beginner colorwork knitters who are nervous about colorwork but want to try a new skill. The chunky yarn ensures this won’t be a project that languishes in a project bag for very long. When you’re finished, you’ll have a stunning and cozy new addition to your winter wardrobe.

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Where to Buy the Falling Water Sweater Pattern

Shop on Ravelry

Shop on Etsy

Get the complete knit kit from Lion Brand Yarn

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The Inspiration

As indicated by its name, the Falling Water Sweater is inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright’s iconic Falling Water House. Although I’ve never been, I love the different vertical and horizontal elements all stacked together and cantilevered out over a waterfall. The house seems to blending effortlessly into its natural environment. I tried to bring those vertical and horizontal elements to life in each section of the yoke, and used a variegated yarn to represent the journey, in a way, through the yoke. A bit abstract maybe, but I like the balance of color and minimalism in the motif.

Yarn, Yardage, and Measurements

The Falling Water Sweater uses Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick and Quick, although I’m sure you can find and use alternative super bulky weight yarns. I appreciate the different colorways in the Wool Ease Thick and Quick line – there’s plenty of variegated options, as well as heathers and tweeds. There’s so many color combos available – keep scrolling to see some of the combinations my testers picked out.

Below are the finished measurements and yardage requirements for sizes XS to 5XL of the Falling Water Sweater, including both the Main Color and Contrast Color.

MC: 450 (500, 550, 650)(700, 750, 800, 850, 900) yds / 411 (457, 503, 594)(640, 685, 731, 777, 823)m of Category 5, bulky weight yarn

CC: (55 (60, 65, 70)(75, 80, 85, 90, 95) yds / 50 (55, 59, 64)(69, 73, 78, 82, 87)m of Category 5, bulky weight yarn

Lion Brand Yarn Wool Ease Thick and Quick (6oz/ 170g, 106yd/ 97m)

5 (5, 6, 7)(7, 8, 8, 9, 9) skeins in MC: Fisherman

1 skein in CC: Spice Market

Skill Level

The Falling Water Sweater is a Level 2, Easy knitting pattern. You will need to be familiar with knitting in the round, the stockinette stitch, and a 1×1 ribbing. There are a few techniques to challenge a beginner or advanced beginner knitter – the pattern uses German short rows, and a centered double decrease to ensure a correct fit. And of course, there’s the colorwork itself. The motifs are straightforward for beginner colorwork knitters. For most sections, you can carry the unworked yarn on the inside of the yoke, but on a few rounds, you’ll need to know how to capture a float.

Bonus Tip:

Always capture the float at a different point for each round, so they’re not stacked on top of each other, which creates a visible gap on the front of your work!

Testers

As with the Lola Hooded Vest, I had some wonderful testers confirming the fit of this sweater. They also picked out some beautiful and unexpected color combinations. Take a look below, and give them a follow to see more of their work!

@najettemae used Wool Ease Thick and Quick in Eggplant and Eden

 

@firesidehandmade use Wool Ease Thick and Quick in Glacier and Dusk

 

@beautifulyarnthings used Wool Ease Thick and Quick in Fisherman and Hudson Bay

 

@bluecricketknits used Wool Ease Thick and Quick in Obsidian and Fisherman

 

@meganinstitches used Wool Ease Thick and Quick in Spiced Apple and Jam Cookie

 

@macleanknits used Wool Ease Thick and Quick in Eggplant, Fisherman, and Mustard

@piece_o_knit used Wool Ease Thick and Quick in Carousel and Raspberry

@darlingferals used Wool Ease Thick and Quick in Hudson Bay and Fisherman

If you’re a beginner colorwork knitter, or just love colorwork yokes, share your projects with  me on Instagram @1dogwoof and tag your makes with #FallingWaterSweater!