Friendly Fair Isle Sweater
Being partial to lore and a sucker for furry creatures with power, each year leading up to Groundhog’s Day I wonder what Punxsutawney Phil will predict. And each year, I am conflicted. Do I want the warmth and light that come with an early spring, or do I want six more weeks of winter cold so I can keep knitting with gloriously thick and wooly yarns?
Well, my ambivalence didn’t stop Phil from deciding. His decree: six more weeks of winter. But fear not, those who’ve grown weary of windburn, this Friendly Fair Isle Sweater is for you! Not only is it cuddly warm for an enduring winter season, but this punchy sweater also spreads the brightness and cheer of spring. And just in case Punxsutawney Phil’s meteorological skills aren’t quite on point this year, the Friendly Fair Isle is such a fun, quick knit, you’ll be weaving in your ends long before that early spring arrives!
I designed this no-fuss pullover with a classic cut and a raglan sleeve shoulder. And for speed and coziness, I used Purl Soho’s aptly named Super Soft Merino. The colors, I picked purposely to pop out like spring’s first flower buds peeking through the earth.
Since Phil is as unpredictable as the weather itself, I’m glad that this year I have my bases covered, a toasty sweater for winter, done well before spring… no matter when it comes!
For more information about the Friendly Fair Isle Sweater, please read below. -Laura
Designed by Purl Soho designer, Laura Ferguson.
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, #PurlSohoFriendlyFairIsleSweater, and #PurlSohoSuperSoftMerino. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Materials
(Please Note: The Purl Soho Friendly Fair Isle Sweater Pattern has been discontinued from purchase. For assistance, please contact us at customerservice@purlsoho.com.)
8–10 skeins of Purl Soho’s Super Soft Merino, 100% merino. Each skein is 87 yards/ 100 grams.
- Main Color (MC): 7 (8, 8, 9) skeins; approximately 595 (645, 695, 770) yards required. We used the color Sea Salt.
- Contrast Color (CC): 1 skein; approximately 60 (65, 70, 75) yards required. We used the color Super Pink.
You will also need…
- US 11 (8 mm), 16- and 32-inch circular needles
- A set of US 11 double pointed needles
- Stitch markers, including one unique
- 4 stitch holders or scrap yarn
Gauge
Sizes
36 (40, 44, 48)
- Finished Chest Circumference: 36 (40, 44, 48) inches
- Finished Length from Shoulder to Bottom Edge: 22¾ (23, 23¼, 24) inches
- Finished Length from Underarm to Bottom Edge: 13 inches
- Finished Length from Cuff to Armhole: 18½ (18½, 19, 19) inches
Ease: This garment is designed with a 3–4 inches of ease around the chest.
Sample: We knit the size 36.
Pattern
Please Note: The Purl Soho Friendly Fair Isle Sweater has been discontinued from purchase. For assistance, please contact us at customerservice@purlsoho.com.
Hi, I signed up and I was told that I’d get a free pattern. I didn’t receive it so I’m confused… What did I miss?
Hey, KaTie!
Thank you for writing in! I am sorry to hear that you didn’t get your free pattern! Please send us an email at customerservice@purlsoho.com. Let us know which pattern you’d like and we’ll send it over!
Best,
Kumeko
Hi, I’m allergic to wool. What cotton or acrylic yarns would make good substitutes for your recommended yarn? Thank you, Laura
Hi Laura,
Thank you for writing in. Unfortunately we don’t sell any plant fiber yarns that are thick enough for this pattern, but I do have some suggestions. You could certainly double up the Blue Sky Skinny Cotton and knit the sweater on an 11. You might have to play around with the needle size and gauge. Let me know how it goes if you decide to do it!
-Adam
Thanks, Adam!
Hi! If i want to make it for a guy what adjustments i need to make?
Hi Anel,
Thanks for writing in! Given that this sweater does not have bust shaping, the main adjustment that I would suggest would be to perhaps knit the body a little longer. I would recommend measuring a sweater that the recipient likes the fit of and knitting the body to that length!
I hope that this helps!
Cassy
I started this sweater 2 years ago but never completed it …. now I really want to finish it but I seem to not be able to attach the sleeves correctly – help!
The pattern says that I should start with the Stich to the right of the Stiches on hold ….. would that mean I knit one, then basically skip the Stiches on the holder and then continue?
I feel like I would start attaching by knitting the first Stich on the left
Sorry!
Hi Julia,
Thanks for the question. When you end up at the stitches on hold for the body I’d match the held stitches on the sleeve with the ones on the body. Next, you’ll want to put your sleeve stitches on a circular needle. From here you’ll use the working yarn coming from your body to knit across the sleeve, making sure that your stitches on hold are still facing each other. After you finish knitting the sleeve you’ll simply join for the other side of the body and repeat for the second sleeve. I hope this clears everything up!
All the best,
Adam
Hi, I would like to knit this sweater. Is the chest circumference measurement the actual measurement of the finished sweater or the measurement of the body you want the sweater to fit? I would like it to be a bit loose fitting like in the pictures and my chest circumference measures 36″. So do I knit the 36″ size – or size up for some room? Thanks!
-Claire
Hi Claire,
Thank you for your message! Great question! In this pattern, we list the finish chest circumferences. The sweater is intended to be made with 2-6 inches of positive ease. That is to say that you would take the measurement of the fullest part of your bust and add 2-6 inches and choose the size with the closest measurement. For example, if your bust is 39 inches, your measurement would be 41-45 inches. You would choose the 44 inch size!
I hope that this helps!
Cassy
Hi, I’m trying to decide whether I should purchase the kid or adult pattern to knit this sweater for a 12 year old, since the pattern’s largest size for kids is a 10. She is approximately 5’1, and usually wears a kid size 12. However, if the sizing runs big, she sometimes wears size 10. Please help! Thanks!
Hi Cynthia,
Thanks for writing in! The best way to decide is to measure the fullest part of the recipient’s chest. The sweater is meant to be worn with 3-4 inches of positive ease. So, if your child’s chest measurement is 29″, 29+3 = 32″. I would select the largest size of the child pattern as it is a 32. If your child’s chest measures 31, 31+4= 35. I would select eh smallest adult size as it is a 36.
I hope that this clears things up!
Cassy
I just bought the salt and pepper super soft merino and want to make a simple turtleneck sweater. Can I take the simple fir isle and adjust it to a turtleneck?
Hello Deborah,
Thank you for reaching out! You could certainly try this out. In theory you could just continue the neck bank to make it into a turtle neck. The only thing you might have to adjust is adding in a couple of decreases to make the neck less wide. You will have to do a bit of experimenting, but it shouldn’t be to complicated.
Happy knitting!
-Marilla
I am now at the yoke with the fourth row decrease. There are 4 markers and the instructions say to knit two together and the ssk at the next marker and continue this till the end of the round. However, it says I would have decreased 8 inches. But there are only four markers. What am I missing?
Hi Deborah,
Thanks for writing in! For this row, in each section before slipping a marker, you will be k2tog and ssk. This will decrease by 2 stitches so with 4 markers and 4 sections when you decrease 2 stitches per section, this will add up to a total of 8 stitches decreased in the row!
I hope that this clears things up!
Cassy
Hi
Can you recommend any other (easy) sweater patterns for the super soft merino yarn?
Thank you!
I just bought 10 skeins 🙂
Hi Autumn,
Thanks for writing in! I am afraid that this is the only sweater that we have for Super Soft Merino. We do have a large variety of other projects that use this lovely yarn and they can all be found here: https://www.purlsoho.com/create/tag/purl-sohos-super-soft-merino/ You might try using Super Soft Merino for Jen Geigly’s Midnight sweater, found in her book Luna. Originally knit in our Shepherdess Alpaca, the gauge should work for Super Soft Merino.
I hope that this helps!
Cassy
After round 10, it says to repeat rounds 3-10 two more times (for a small). My question is that rounds 5 and 7 have me repeat the step four times each… I am on my last ball of yarn! This doesn’t seem right. Is it? Thanks!
Hi Rebecca,
Thanks for writing in! This is correct. On rounds 5 and 7, you will repeat the steps 4 times each. However, each time you get to these rounds, you will be working with less stitches than the previous time that you worked the them as you decrease on rounds 4 and 6. That is to say that each successive repeat will be over less stitches and use less yarn. As to the amount of yarn that you have left, I am not sure at what point in the pattern we started with our last skein of yarn as we knit the original so long ago. We do pad our yardages by about 10% to allow for slight differences in personal gauge. However, especially with projects using bulkier yarn, being off by as little as a 1/2 stitch over 4 inches can result in using more or less yarn!
I hope that this helps!
Cassy
I have completed knitting 13 inches of the body.After knitting 54 stitches, what do you mean by placing the previous 5 stitches on a holder and then repeat from the * once more?
Thank you for your help.
Hello Jule,
Thank you for reaching out! When the pattern says to “place previous 5 stitches on a stitch holder” It means that you will be placing the 5 stitches that you most recently knit on a holder. You then repeat this section from* so you will K54 place previous 5 stitches on a stitch holder. I hope this helps and let us know if you have any further questions!
Happy knitting, \
Marilla
Hello,
I would like the women’s pattern but when I add to my basket it’s showing as being for toddlers and kids – is this an error or does the pattern include the women’s sizes?
Many thanks, Eimear
Hi Eimear,
Thanks for reaching out! We have two version of this pattern, one for Toddlers + Kids and the other for Women. You can select which one to purchase using the drop-down menu at the top of the product page!
I hope that helps!
Julianna