Hummingbird Pullover
We had gray winter landscapes (and wardrobes!) in mind when we created our Hummingbird Pullover, named for its bright colors, feathery texture, and lightness of spirit!
Brilliant color and texture taking center stage, we kept this construction classic. The Hummingbird Pullover knits in the round from the bottom up with raglan-shaped shoulders. The resulting fit is loose and roomy, light and fluffy, perfect for layering over tees or thermals.
Along the way you’ll find little thoughtful details: a split hem along the bottom ribbed edge, architectural shoulder decreases, and a neckline that folds under to the inside for a soft, rounded finish.
Simple in construction and design, the Hummingbird Pullover really takes flight with our mohair-silk Tussock. A fine laceweight with substantial body and bloom, you’ll hold two strands of Tussock together for a fun, lofty fabric. Go all-in on one color, or like we did, choose two to create visual depth and a distinctive marle.
Whether you’re a color maximalist or tend to keep to neutrals, the Hummingbird Pullover is downy, soft, and feather light, a rare bird!
Designed by Purl Soho designer, Adam Aronowitz.
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, #PurlSohoHummingbirdPullover, and #PurlSohoTussock. We can’t wait to see what you make!
MATERIALS
- Purl Soho’s Tussock, 60% super fine kid mohair and 40% silk. Each skein is 328 yards/ 25 grams.
- Color A: 4 (4, 5, 5, 6) (6, 6, 7, 7) skeins; approximately 1095 (1225, 1380, 1490, 1695) (1815, 1975, 2090, 2200) yards required. We used Alpine Phlox.
- Color B: 4 (4, 5, 5, 6) (6, 6, 7, 7) skeins; approximately 1085 (1215, 1370, 1480, 1685) (1805, 1965, 2080, 2185) yards required. We used Bright Thistle.
- US 6 (4 mm), 24-inch circular needles
- A set of US 6 double pointed needles
- US 7 (4.5 mm), 40-inch circular needles
- US 7, 24-inch circular needles
- A set of US 7 double pointed needles
- US 3 (3.25 mm), 16-inch circular needles
- US 2 (3 mm), 16-inch circular needles
- Stitch markers, including one unique marker
- Stitch holders or scrap yarn
- Please Note: The Hummingbird Pullover Pattern is no longer available for purchase. For assistance, please contact us at customerservice@purlsoho.com.
NOTE: Looking to knit your sleeves in double-time? Swap the double pointed needles for 32-inch or longer circular needles, and check out our Magic Loop: Two At A Time Tutorial!
GAUGE
24 stitches and 30 rows = 4 inches in stockinette stitch on largest needles, holding one strand of Color A and B together
SIZES
NOTE For help picking a size, please check out our Understanding Ease + Selecting Size Tutorial!
40¼ (44¼, 48¼, 52¼, 56¼) (60¼, 64¼, 68¼, 72¼)
To fit actual chest circumference of 28–31 (32–35, 36–39, 40–43, 44–47) (48–51, 52–55, 56–59, 60–63) inches, with 9–12 inches of ease
- Finished Chest Circumference: 40¼ (44¼, 48¼, 52¼, 56¼) (60¼, 64¼, 68¼, 72¼) inches
- Finished Length From Shoulder To Bottom Edge: 23 (23¾, 25¼, 25¾, 27¼) (27¾, 28¾, 29, 29½) inches
- Finished Sleeve Length From Underarm To Cuff: 15 (15, 15½, 15½, 16) (16, 16½, 16½, 17) inches
SAMPLE: The sweater pictured here is size 44¼ inches with 10 inches of ease.
PATTERN
NOTE: The Hummingbird Pullover is no longer available for purchase.
love it, but not in Ravelry? that’s where I save pattern ideas. may have to buy it anyway.
Hi Judith,
Thanks for writing in! This lovely pattern is now on Ravelry!
Best,
Cassy
Lovely color and texture! I am a little wary of holding two yarns together. Do you have another yarn recommendation that may meet gauge?
Hi Danielle,
Thanks so much for the kind words! I would suggest substituting Mulberry Merino or Season Alpaca as they should knit up to the correct gauge when worked as a single strand; however, we don’t have anything that will match the airy, soft halo of Tussock at that gauge! Holding two yarns together may sound intimidating, but it’s really quite easy so I do hope you will give it a try!
Best,
Julianna
How soon for the cardigan?
Hi Debby,
Thanks for writing in! We do not have a cardigan version of this sweater but I will certainly pass your suggestion along to the design team!
Best,
Julianna
why is this pattern only available in PDF is there anyway I can get a hard copy I do not mind paying more for a hard copy
Hi Donna,
Thanks for reaching out! In an effort to reduce our impact on the earth, we are now offering some of our patterns only in digital download form. If you are ordering your yarn from us, we would be happy to print out a copy for you! Just drop us a note in the order comments asking for a printed pattern and we will include it in your shipment.
Best,
Julianna
Hello,
I love this pattern and was wondering if Orange Pekoe and Squash Blossom would be a good combination.
Hello Laurie,
Thank you for reaching out. This sounds like beautifully cheerful combination – I say go for it!
Happy knitting,
Marilla
This sweater looks gorgeous! Tussock is such a beautiful yarn, especially with two different shades held together— I am partway through an Elementary wrap in Anjou Pear/Wild Guava that is a lovely peachy rose. Would you consider doing a post showing more swatches of various color combinations in Tussock? There are some on the Elementary wrap page but since this sweater is more of an investment in number of skeins, it would be neat to see more color possibilities before ordering.
Hello Megan,
Thank you for reaching out and for all of your kind words! I love this suggestion and I will certainly pass it along.
Happy knitting!
-Marilla
I completely agree with Megan! I’m personally curious about some of the blue/green combinations (e.g., are Bright Verdigris and Blue Lagoon together a bit over the top? Or how might one of those look with Blue Fjord?) – I see one combination of Blue Lagoon and Balsam Green on the Elementary Wrap page, but would like to see some other options before taking the plunge with such a big online purchase/investment.
Jennifer, agreed on the blues/greens! I am also curious how the neutral shades look, either with a brighter color or each other. Here’s hoping someone at PS feels like knitting a bunch of beautiful swatches…of course, I’d happily volunteer to help 😉
Hi, While I love Hummingbird done in Tussock it is simply too fine for me to knit with. Do you think Cashmarino Bloom would work? I know the Cashmarino is a larger gauge yarn. What do you think??
Thanks,
Susan
Hello Susan,
Thank you for reaching out! While the gauge is actually pretty close for the main body of the sweater the neckband goes down to use US 2 and US 3 which would be a challenge to make CMB work with. It will also have a very different texture than with the Tussock and will not be as open and will loose its drape, but the gauge should work out fine. I would check out our Classic Hemmed Crewneck which will work beautifully with CMB.
Happy knitting!
-Marilla
The Tusdsock yarn is wonderful…like knitting with a cloud. When shaping sleeve, can I use magic loop instead of double pointed needles? Thanks. Mary Catherine
Hi Mary Catherine,
Thank you so much for the kind words – I’m glad to hear you are enjoying Tussock so much! You can use the magic loop method for the sleeves on this sweater; however, I would be very careful not to tighten too much when transitioning between needle halves. Since Tussock is so fine and doesn’t have much stretch, if you over tighten the edge stitch it could be quite difficult to slide it back up onto the needle tip on the next row. Otherwise, if you prefer magic loop to double points, this is a great option!
Happy knitting!
Julianna
Hi!
I am a beginner–intermediate knitter — have experience in basic cables, lace, colourwork, chevrons and knitting in the round. I have not yet tackled a sweater and am looking for one to tackle. Would this project be suitable? And if not, can you recommend one? I do not like super-bulky/chunky knits.
Thank you!
Hi Deborah,
Thanks for reaching out! It sounds like this sweater would be a great first garment for you! The fabric is very light weight and airy, and the knitting is mostly ribbing and stockinette in the round, with some simple decreases and a few short rows to shape the yoke and neckline. We are always here to help if you have any questions, so I do hope you will give it a try!
Best,
Julianna
Thanks so much, Julianna. That is great to know. I am excited to work on this lovely project. Deborah
Any tips for transitioning between skeins of yarn or weaving in ends?
Hi Amanda,
Thanks for reaching out! Our tutorials on Adding a Ball of Yarn and Weaving In Your Ends should answer all of your questions!
Best,
Julianna
I agree about the color combo swatches, especially for those of us who are purchasing online from a distance. I’d love to see some more colors together!
On another note, I’ve tried subbing two laceweights held together and it turns our humongous. Is the sizing meant to be very “generous”? I just succumbed to Tussock when you put it on sale so now I will see if it works better.
Hi Christine,
Thanks for writing in, and I’ll be sure to add your voice to the suggestions for more color swatches! While Tussock is a laceweight and we did design this sweater with 9-12 inches of positive ease, it sounds like you might have run into a gauge issue. It’s always recommended to knit a gauge swatch, especially when substituting yarns, as everyone’s knitting is a bit different and even yarns that are listed as the same weight can vary a bit or behave differently on the needles due to construction or fiber content. I do hope that you’re happy with your sweater in Tussock!
Best,
Julianna
I’m also trying to decide on color combinations before purchasing my Tussock yarn. I love the Lightning Yellow, but would like an opinion on whether to pair it with Heirloom White or Blue Lagoon. Obviously, Blue Lagoon would probably make this sweater really stand out, but I think the two colors really go well together versus the white which would make the yellow more muted.
Hi Melissa,
Thanks for reaching out! You are correct that Heirloom White would tone down the neon vibrancy of Lightning Yellow a bit, but since you are pairing it with a neutral, the overall effect would still be mostly yellow. Adding Blue Lagoon instead would result in a very different dominant color! The marl of yellow and blue would be much more pronounced and the higher contrast would really stand out. Either option would look look lovely, it just depends how much of a statement you want to make with your sweater!
I hope that helps!
Julianna
Awesome, thanks for the feedback, Julianna!
can this be knit using Linen Quill. what changes would i need to make in the gauge? i want to use just a single strand throughout. thank you for your help.
Hi and thanks for writing in! While it is possible that you could match the gauge of this sweater using a single strand of Linen Quill, you would have to knit a gauge swatch or two to determine what needle size to use and the fabric may be a bit open or loosely knit. If you prefer a denser fabric, you may want to consider our Lightweight Raglan Pullover which is designed for Linen Quill.
I hope that helps!
Julianna
Can I please clarify a section of this pattern. When I’m dividing for the front & back, do I put the 4 knit stitches plus the previous 8 stitches on the stitch holder, or only the 8 stitches. Sorry I’m a little confused.
Hi Jeanette,
Thanks for reaching out! You will be putting 8 total stitches on a holder – the four you just knit, plus the four before the marker.
I hope that clears things up!
Julianna
I’m a knitter with limited skills!
I’m at the point in the pattern where I knit the Raglan Decrease Row every other round. My question is: What is the stitch for the rows in between the Decrease Rows?
Hello Judy,
This is a great question- the rows between your decrease rows are just knit rows!
Happy knitting!
-Marilla
Hi, I have a question about the body and raglan decreases. Initially just the body of the sweater front and back are decreased to shape the yoke. Then after a few rows (depending on size), the raglan sleeves are decreased, but it is not clear if the body is also decreased simultaneously. I made an assumption that both were, but my stitch count is off by at least 10 stitches on each sleeve and each body. unfortunately, I forgot to count when I joined body to sleeves which may have been my error. Correctable, or start over?
Hi Amanda,
Thanks for reaching out! You are correct that the first section of the yoke only decreases on the front and back. In the next section, when working the Raglan Decrease Round, you will be decreasing 8 stitches total per round – two each from the front, back, and two sleeves – so it sounds like you had the right idea, but something must have gone wrong somewhere if you are off by that much. If you are short 10 stitches per section, I would rip back until you have the correct number of stitches. If, however, you have too many stitches, you may be able to just continue decreasing every row or every other row until you have the correct amount. I would suggest trying on the sweater now to see how the length of the yoke is fitting and make sure the underarms won’t be too low, but if it looks like it won’t fit, ripping back to the beginning of the yoke may be the best course of action.
Best of luck, and I hope that helps!
Julianna
This is delicious yarn to work with. Although the pattern does not call for a change in needle size for binding off the neck and – I was concerned that a size 2 needle would make it too tight. I bound off using size 6 and could not get it over my head. I bound off neckline first with size 8 to allow give. Help. This is very difficult yarn to rip back – like Velcro. What am I missing. Thank you.
Hi Carol,
Thanks for reaching out! Did you work the hemmed neckband in the pattern or bind off your neck ribbing without the hem? Usually working a hem creates quite a bit of give and stretch, but if you prefer to simply bind off the ribbing, it is possible that you would need to use a larger needle and possibly a stretchier bind off to create a looser neckline. Either way, if binding off or working the hem with the larger needle resulted in a good fit, it sounds like that is the way to go for your sweater! Mohair is indeed quite tricky to rip out, so we recommend just going slowly and taking it out stitch by stitch instead of frogging it.
I hope that clears things up, and happy knitting!
Julianna
Hello! Do you have any suggestions for colors that would pair well with Tawny Dune or Sweet Apricot?
Hi Vandana,
Thanks for reaching out! I actually think Tawny Dune and Sweet Apricot could go quite well together without adding another color – the result would be a lovely pink toned tan! Some other lovely combos would be Tawny Dune and Golden Lichen, Tawny Dune and Orange Pekoe, Sweet Apricot and Wild Guava, or Sweet Apricot and Anjou Pear!
Happy knitting!
Julianna
Hello, I am loving this but I just got to the beginning of the neckline section and I am completely stuck.
Question 1. At the end of the previous round (the last of the yoke section), I end up just after the sleeve and at the beginning of the front section. The pattern tells me to slip the next 30 sleeve stitches onto the right needle… but I have just knitted the sleeve so it’s already on the right needle. What’s wrong?
Question 2. It looks like I should be placing markers to divide the front into 26-13-26 stitches, do I do this for the back too?
Question 3. When we start the short row, which parts am I knitting and which am I skipping?
I am so confused! Help would be amazing. Thank you!
Hi Faye,
Thanks for reaching out! I hope I can clear all this up for you! At the very beginning of the yoke, when joining the sleeves and body, you should have placed a new beginning of round marker before knitting across the left sleeve, but you should be able to simply go back to the marker between the back and left sleeve before beginning this round. You only need to place the markers on the front of the sweater for the front neck shaping – no need to do anything special on the back! After you have slipped the indicated stitches and placed the neck shaping markers, you should be at the Right Front Neck Shaping marker, and after that, will only slip the first stitch of the next row to get started. You might find our Short Rows: Wrap & Turn tutorial helpful for this section!
Best,
Julianna
Thank you!
All clear now 🙂
Hello! Your tussock yarn is gorgeous! I am almost done knitting the Hummingbird Pullover, but I had to rip back the hem and neckline bind-off. It would not fit over my head! I have now bound off the neck again, using a super stretchy bind-off, and I’m about to knit the ribbed hem again. My question is about this part of the pattern: under “Fold Neckband and Bind off”: “slip tip of left needle into both legs of next edge stitch from pick up round”. Which round is the pick up round? Is it the bind-off round of the neck, or the round above? A picture of this step would be so helpful, as I am also not sure how to find the two legs of the edge stitch. Thank you!
Hi Angelica,
Thanks for writing in! While we don’t have a photo tutorial for this at the moment I’ll do my best to help. When you picked up stitches at the beginning of the Neckband, this should have left the bind off edges from the yoke of your sweater neatly exposed on the inside of the neck. This bound off edge, which looks like little chain stitches with ‘two legs’, are what you will be knitting and binding off together with your live ribbing stitches. Through this process, you will have picked up and knit the ribbed neckband, then folded it in half and joined it to the neckline at your original picked up stitches. I hope this makes sense and is helpful!
Happy knitting!
Gaby
I absolutely love this pattern but unfortunately, I am allergic to mohair. Is there any yarn substitute you would recommend for this pattern?
Hi Jess,
Thanks for writing in! There aren’t really any yarns that replicate the fluffy texture and halo of Tussock without mohair, but Sweetgrass Fine or Jade Sapphire 2-Ply Cashmere held double should knit up to the correct gauge and create the same airy, slightly sheer fabric, and either yarn will make for a wonderfully soft and comfortable sweater!
I hope that helps!
Julianna
Would this pattern work with Camel yarn? If so how many balls should I buy?
Hi Mary,
This top would work great with the Camel by Lanecardate. I’m not sure what size you want to make, but the largest size would need 15 balls.
I hope this helps!
Happy knitting,
Oscar
i’m just about to start knitting this pattern but am not to a fan of the side vents. wondering if i can omit them and just start in the round, since their is a fair amount of positive ease. suppose the hem won’t lay as flat when worn… Thoughts?
Hi Karen,
Thanks for writing in! I think you could easily adjust the pattern to knit completely in the round instead of including the vents! I don’t believe that it would effect the way the hem lays since there is a decent amount of ease throughout the body.
Please let us know how this works out! Happy knitting!
Gianna
Good afternoon from cold but sunny Italy. I am about to start knitting the hummingbird pullover swatch and have a query.
Do I use the US 7(4.5mm) circular needles or the US 6(4.mm ) normal needles..
Grazie
Arabella.
Hi Arabella,
Thanks for reaching out. You’ll begin this pullover with the size US 6 24-inch circular needles!
All the best,
Lili
I have finally finished my hummingbird pullover after many detours for other projects. The Tussock is gorgeous – do you recommend a full wet block on it? I don’t want to lose the fluff.
Thanks for your help!
Jennifer
Hi Jennifer,
Thanks for reaching out to us with your question. This yarn blooms beautifully when given the chance to soak in warm water, so you can absolutely wet block it! We have a tutorial on different blocking techniques here that might be helpful for your project.
I hope this helps, and please let me know if you have any questions!
All the best,
Carly
Thanks, Carly.