Julie Hoover For Purl Soho: Copley
We thought that we had probably ticked every box over the years: slippers, leg warmers, pot holders, check, check, check. But Julie Hoover has found and checked yet one more box! We have never ever shared on these pages a hand-knit dress for adults, and why not, when the results are so flattering, so original, so absolutely beautiful?
The Copley is knit in super simple pieces that you seam together at the end, giving the finished garment the perfect amount of structure. Half sleeves and a graceful neckline add style, while gentle waist shaping ensures you’re not wearing a sack. The pockets are a beautiful (and useful!) detail, but if you’re looking for some uninterrupted knitting, they’re optional.
Julie saw the potential for our cotton-linen Lantern to transform this simple silhouette into something truly exquisite. Lantern’s natural, nubbly texture and lovely drape lend to the Copley a deep level of artistry, charisma, and beauty.
Thank you, Julie, for thinking of everything! Have we checked every box now? Probably not, but in the meantime, we’re casting on for our first knit dress!
UPDATE: NOW IN BLACKBIRD LINEN
APRIL 2023
Julie Hoover’s Copley in Blackbird Linen reminds us once again that when it comes to beautiful garments, less really is more. Long-lasting and easy to care for, this gorgeous 100% French linen has an earthy character and linen’s characteristic cool touch that wicks away moisture, so you stay comfortable through spring, summer, and fall. And it gets softer with every wash, so the more you wear your Copley, the more your love for it will grow!
Designed for Purl Soho by Julie Hoover. Currently based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Julie Hoover designs knitwear and makes yarn, for both her own personal label and others. Her work reflects a lifelong passion for clothing and textiles, and her view that knitting is a beautiful way of creating timeless fashion, a thoughtful mix of quality and creativity, intention and care.
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, #PurlSohoCopley, and #PurlSohoLantern. We can’t wait to see what you make!
MATERIALS
- 8 (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15) skeins of Purl Soho’s Lantern, 61% cotton and 39% linen. Each skein is approximately 164 yards/ 100 grams; approximately 1300 (1425, 1590, 1725, 1905, 2040, 2220, 2365) yards required. We used the color Lavender Frost. (NOTE: We no longer offer Lantern, but choose from one of our other worsted weight yarns.)
- US 7 (4.5 mm), 16-inch circular needles
- US 7, 24-inch circular needles
- A set of US 7 double pointed needles
- Stitch markers
- 4 locking markers
- Stitch holders or scrap yarn
- Waste yarn for provisional stitches
- Blocking wires and T-pins (optional, but recommended)
- A Copley Pattern
GAUGE
18 stitches and 29 rows = 4 inches in stockinette stitch
SIZES
NOTE For help picking a size, please check out our Understanding Ease + Selecting Size Tutorial!
36 (40, 44, 48, 52, 56, 60, 64)
To fit actual chest circumference of 30–33 (34–37, 38–41, 42–45, 46–49, 50–53, 54–57, 58–61) inches, with approximately 3–6 inches of ease
- Finished Chest Circumference: 36 (40, 44, 48, 52, 56, 60, 64) inches
- Finished Length From Shoulder To Bottom Edge: 36¼ (36¾, 38¼, 38¾, 40¼, 40¾, 42¼, 42¾) inches
- Finished Length From Underarm To Bottom Edge: 25 (25, 26, 26, 27, 27, 28, 28) inches
- Finished Length From Underarm To Cuff: 10 (10, 10, 10, 9½, 9, 8½, 8) inches
- Length From Center Neck To Cuff: 21 (22, 23, 24, 24½, 25, 25½, 26) inches
- Length From Shoulder To Underarm: 11¼ (11¾, 12¼, 12¾, 13¼, 13¾, 14¼, 14¾) inches
Sample: The dress shown here is Size 40 worn with 6 inches of ease.
PATTERN
The Copley Pattern is available for purchase as a PDF download only.
Is the body knit from the top down or bottom up? I’m petite and would definitely want to shorten this.
Hi Kourtney,
Great question! You will work this dress flat in pieces from the bottom up, then sew it together. You will work the neck edge by picking up stitches around Neckline and working in the round. With that in mind, you can certainly shorten this lovely dress quite easily!
Best,
Cassy
very nice, but could you show it on other body types? also could this be a tunic as well? lastly i’m knitting the kitchen towels in this yarn, it has a great weight and drape to it. Could we modify with a longer sleeve? love the pockets! thanks, Susan
Hi Susan,
Thanks so much for the kind words and for reaching out! We don’t have any images of this dress on other models, but I will be sure to pass your suggestion along to the design team! It would be quite easy to shorten this dress to a top, or to lengthen the sleeves. We provide a schematic in the pattern with all of the measurements of the dress, so once you know how much shorter you would like to make it, you can remove that length from the skirt before working the waist shaping, and since the sleeves are picked up and knit down from the armhole, you can just continue knitting and working the sleeve decreases as set until they are the length you would like.
Happy knitting!
Julianna
Am not found of the tweedy look……it appears the lantern frost did not look speckally………..what about the pink?
Hi Anne,
Thanks for reaching out! Since all of the colors of Lantern consist of a strand of white cotton wrapped with a ply of colorful linen, the contrast will be less pronounced in the lighter colors, like the Lavender Frost we used for the sample. Dogwood Pink and Pink Salt are also quite pale, so the white slubs are not particularly noticeable in either of those colors – since you prefer a lower contrast color, I think either of those would work well!
Best,
Julianna
Would you describe this dress as mildly bulky or is it fabric fairly thin?
Hi Rosanne,
Thanks for writing in! Lantern is a worsted weight yarn that creates a medium weight fabric – thick enough to have some heft and give the dress weight and structure, but certainly not bulky. It’s also quite cool to wear, even in the summer, since it is all linen and cotton. It’s quite a unique yarn that’s hard to describe, but it’s quite nice to work with and wear!
Best,
Julianna
What is the circumference of the hips? My actual bust circumference is 41-1/2″ and hips are 42″.
Hi Susan,
Great question! The bottom circumference of the dress, which is the same as the measurement of the dress at the hips, for each size is 42 (46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 70) inches. If you were to knit the size 44 dress, the dress would measure 50 inches at your hips.
I hope that helps!
Julianna
What color yarn is the model wearing?
Hi Bonny,
Thanks for reaching out! We used Lantern in Lavender Frost for our sample.
Happy knitting!
Julianna
Beautiful pattern – could this be knit in the round to avoid the extra seaming, do you think?(I admit I am lazy)
Thanks!
Hi Beth,
Thanks for writing in! Yes, I do think you could knit this dress in the round up to the armholes if you prefer! I would recommend reading through the pattern carefully before beginning but the majority of the dress is the same for the front and back with the exception of the pockets, so it should be fairly straightforward. Once you reach the armholes and complete the increases, you will need to stop working in the round and complete the front and back of the bodice separately.
Best of luck, and I hope that helps!
Julianna
Hi there,
At what degree of difficulty would you rate the pattern?
Thank you!
Hi Laura,
Thanks for reaching out! I would consider this an easy or beginner level pattern. The vast majority of the dress is simple stockinette stitch worked flat, with a few decreases and increases for shaping, and near the end you will need to pick up stitches and knit in the round to work the sleeves and finish the neckline. We provide thorough tutorials for all of these techniques and are always here to answer questions if you run into any difficulties!
Happy knitting!
Julianna
I don’t think this would look good on me as a dress, but I would love it as a top, maybe hip length? How could I do that?
Hi Peggy,
Thanks for writing in! It would be quite easy to shorten this dress to a top! We provide a schematic in the pattern with all of the measurements of the dress, so once you know how much shorter you would like to make it, you can remove that length from the skirt before working the waist shaping. You can also easily omit the pockets!
I hope that helps!
Julianna
I forgot to add to my comment that if I were to knit it as a top, I would leave out the pockets.
What is the level of difficulty for this pattern? Is it knit in Stockinette? Thank you!
Hi Leda,
Great question! I would consider this an easy or beginner level pattern. The vast majority of the dress is simple stockinette stitch worked flat, with a few decreases and increases for shaping, and near the end you will need to pick up stitches and knit in the round to work the sleeves and finish the neckline. We provide thorough tutorials for all of these techniques and are always here to answer questions if you run into any difficulties!
Best,
Julianna
Shouldn’t this dress be lined so it doesn’t stretch and het ‘wonky’? Love the pattern especially the pockets ?
Hi Pam,
Thank you so much for the kind words! You could certainly line the dress if you prefer, but we find that Lantern holds its shape quite well on its own! Since the dress would have to be finished before adding a lining, you could always wear it once or twice to see if you think it needs it.
Best,
Julianna
This is a great looking dress….I would like a smoother look……could you recommend another yarn that might work well with this pattern?
Hi Jo,
Thanks so much for writing in and for the kind words! I think this dress would look great in Blue Sky Worsted Cotton if you prefer a less textured knit!
Happy knitting!
Julianna
I’d like to complete this in an ombré design, what would be the best colour gradients in blues please?
Hi Krystyna,
What a lovely idea! I would look to the Coast colorway of our Pebble Dishcloth Bundle for inspiration – it also includes a few greens for a harmonious ocean inspired palette! The colors in the bundle are Bluegrass Blue, Frost Blue, Copse Green, Shibori Blue, and Dew Blue.
I hope that helps, and please do let us know how your ombré version turns out!
Julianna
I just started knitting this wonderful pattern! However, as is to be expected when knitting stockinette stitch without a rib hem, the bottom edge of the dress is curling up like crazy. Before I go much further, does this problem rectify with wet blocking? Thank you
Hi Miriam,
Thanks for reaching out! You are correct that it is totally normal for stockinette stitch to roll up, but how much it will block out does depend quite a bit on the yarn and how tight the gauge is. As you can see in the pattern images, Lantern worked up at the gauge of the pattern does block out almost completely flat, but different fibers might behave differently. If you are using a different yarn, I would recommend knitting and blocking a swatch in stockinette to see if your yarn will block out similarly, and if it still curls up after blocking, adding a narrow edging of seed or garter stitch to the hem of the dress.
Best of luck and I hope that helps!
Julianna
Would it be possible to convert this to a DK weight yarn? I have some Louet Euroflax on hand and I was wondering if it would affect the end result drastically.
Hello Vivian,
Thank you for reaching out! Unfortunately Euroflax’s gauge will be to small to work for this pattern which will affect the results drastically. You could always knit up a gauge swatch to see how off it would be and possibly knit a size or to down.
I hope this helps and let us know if you have any further questions!
Happy knitting!
-Marilla
On the skein of lantern it is recommended that you alternate skeins to avoid pooling. Was that done with the sample in the photos? The pattern instructions don’t address it.
Thanks
Hi Linda,
Thanks for reaching out! We didn’t alternate skeins for the Copley dress, and fortunately due to the stitch counts the yarn did not pool for this garment, and in places where it might have, the effect was fairly well disguised by the light color we used. Whether or not a yarn will pool unfortunately can be very unpredictable and it is possible that in a different size or a darker color Lantern would show some pooling, so if you really want to avoid that effect I would recommend alternating skeins throughout the dress.
I hope that helps!
Julianna
What is the best cast on for this yarn and project? Thanks.
Hello Alison,
Thanks for reaching out! I would suggest a long tail cast on for this project.
Happy knitting!
-Marilla
Yay! I’ve finished this today, it turned out super nice, I am sooo happy. It was fairly easy – except for sewing togetjer because of the uneven yarn – where my mum stepped in 😉
I want to do another one without pockets and no sleeves, maybe in a round….
It’s such a nice shape I think <3
Thank you!
Btw, all your patterns worked great for me so far!
Hi there – Have you noticed any growing/ stretching in the sample garment due to the weight of the yarn. I’m always nervous with dresses, because it’s a lot of yarn and the cotton content concerns me.
I do like to look of the yarn used but would hate to do all this work and have a dress that grows in length every time I wear it.
Thanks!
Hello Janine,
Thank you for reaching out! It is true, you will have some growing over time with any garment knit up in Cotton, it is inevitable. I will say that the Linen wrapped around the cotton helps to prevent this issue.
Happy knitting!
-Marilla
I think I am misunderstanding something simple about the pattern. When it comes to the armhole shaping, one starts with 81 stitches, then the first increase row gives one 83 stitches, then for the small size that I am knitting, the directions say, “Repeat Armhole Increase Row every 4th row, 2 more times,” which should add only 4 more stitches (a total of 87). After that, there are no more increases for the small size. It seems to me, I would only have 87 stitches in that case, but the directions say I should have 99 stitches. Might you please tell me how that is achievable?
Thanks very much,
Ellen Abrams
Hello Ellen,
Thank you for writing! It looks like you just missed reading the next sentence in the pattern. After you do your first increase and then do the 4th row 2 times the pattern says “then every 6 (0, 8, 8, 8, 8, 10, 10)th row 6 (0, 2, 4, 5, 7, 1, 3) time(s).” This will get you to the 99 stitches!
Happy knitting,
Marilla
Thanks Marilla, but since I am making the small size of the dress, every 6th row, I increase 0 times. Is that correct? What am I missing?
Thanks again,
Ellen
Hi Ellen,
For the smallest size, you will actually be increasing every sixth row 6 times – I think you might be looking at the wrong number for how many times to repeat the increase!
I hope that helps!
Julianna
I’m wondering if I could use a magic loop when doing the pocket linings?
Hi Paula,
Great question! You absolutely can work the pockets using magic loop!
Best,
Cassy
Hi
Are there any wool/cashmere yearns that would work for this beautiful pattern? I want to make a winter sweater dress.
Thanks
Hi Deepa,
Thanks for reaching out, and what a lovely dress this would make in a warmer yarn! I would recommend using either Worsted Twist or Brooklyn Tweed Shelter. Both yarns should knit up to the correct gauge, but Shelter will create a loftier but still cozy fabric, which might be preferable in such a long garment.
I hope that helps, and please do let us know how it turns out!
Julianna
I am just about to finish the first back section and am thinking about making it shorter than the pattern recommends as I expect that the dress will hang longer because of the weight? What would you say to this? I seem to remember someone mentioning this to me when I visited the shop to purchase the yarn and pattern last year but want to make sure before I go any further. Also if I decide to make it an inch shorter from the bottom where would I place the pockets?
Thanks Helen.
Hello Helen,
Thanks for reaching out! You are correct, cotton does tend grow over time because of its weight, though this will take a good amount of time and wear. You could raise the pockets an inch as well or you could keep them at the same spot. Both will work, but the proportions will remain consistent by raising the pockets an inch.
I hope this helps and happy knitting!
-Marilla
Hi again. I’m not sure what to do. I’ve reached armhole decrease doing the smallest size. I’ve already reached 26.5 inches! I changed to size 5.5mm needles (US 9) to get my stitch gauge right and it’s now row count 23 to 4 inches instead of 29 rows. So hence too long but I don’t know how to shorten now. Can I reduce the length of this shape sides section or do I need to go all the way back to the straight section at the start? I hope not??. Please help.
Hi Helen,
Thanks for writing in! If you don’t mind your dress being a little longer than ours, the easiest thing to do will be to skip the 6 even rows at the beginning of the armhole shaping, and go straight into the armhole increases now. Looking ahead, however, at your current row gauge you will also end up with a longer armhole than ours by the time you finish the armhole increases, so I would recommend continuing to increase every 4th row until you get to the correct number of stitches and not switch to increasing every 6th row. Just make sure you take notes so that you can work the front to match!
I hope that helps!
Julianna
Thanks Julianna. I will give it a go now.
Hi ladies. I phoned last week asking about the shrinkage of this pattern and have not heard from customer services yet. I explained that my swatch which I washed in cool water and dried reduced by 10% and the knitting visibly closes in which is good otherwise it’s quite open looking. My question is is this allowed for in your final measurements ? I am keen to get on with it.
Can you please help? Helen.
Hi Helen,
Thanks for reaching out! I find it interesting that your swatch shrank so significantly, as we only experienced 2% shrinkage when we tested machine washing and drying Lantern. Did you wash your swatch by hand or machine? Either way, there is no shrinkage built into this dress, so you should compare the gauge of your washed and dried swatch to our gauge in the pattern and adjust your needle size if necessary.
I hope that helps!
Julianna
Hello! Really looking forward to purchasing this pattern and putting it together! I am terrible at measuring gauge, so I have two questions. Could the Cotton Pure on a cone be subbed out in the pattern as is? (I love that it is organic!) Or I also have a decent stash Juniper Moon Farm Zooey that I haven’t put to use yet, could that sub in to the pattern as it is written for the gauge?
Hi Jennifer,
Thanks for writing in! Unfortunately, Cotton Pure is too light weight for this pattern. Lantern is a worsted weight yarn, while Cotton Pure is a sport weight yarn, which is a fairly big jump. Zooey is a DK weight yarn, which is still a little thin, but closer! Since you already have it, it couldn’t hurt to knit a swatch and see if you are able to obtain the correct gauge.
I hope that helps!
Julianna
I’m considering purchasing this pattern to make for myself. I am petite and also halfway through a pregnancy but I think this would be lovely for the summer. Would I be able to alter this dress to fit me? Would I need to alter it at all?
Hi Victoria,
Great question! It’s really hard to say if the dress would fit without any modifications, as everyone carries their pregnancy differently and there’s such a wide range of belly sizes and shapes. The skirt of the dress measures 42 (46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 70)” around until just after the hips, and then decreases down to 36 (40, 44, 48, 52, 56, 60, 64)” for the bust measurement. Hopefully that gives you some insight into whether the dress will be able to fit! We don’t have instructions for modifying it into a maternity dress, but you might be able to add some short rows to the front of the dress to add some length and ease.
I hope that helps, and happy knitting!
Julianna
I can see a nightie in this pattern… cotton… soft and flexible for bedtime or for leaving on all day during shelter-in-place. Yum.
I’m making the size 44 because my actual bust is 38.5″ (which may end up being too large, but I’m way too far into it now to change). Is it my imagination or are the pockets not centered in this size on the pattern? It seems that the 104 stitches cast on should be distributed something like this in order to have the pockets centered on the front: 9-21-41-21-10. As written stitches are distributed 15-21-41-21-6. Looking for help or advice. Maybe it’s such a slight difference it doesn’t matter. Thanks so much!!
Hi Kathy,
Thanks for reaching out! It sounds like you might have mixed up two different sizes! For the 44″ size, you should have casted on 113 stitches, which does result in evenly spaced pockets following the 15-21-41-21-6 instructions. 104 is the number of stitches to cast on for the 40″ size, so if you were considering knitting a smaller size, you might already be on the right track!
I hope that clears things up!
Julianna
Color me stupid! I think I got nervous about the 40 fitting and decided to make the 44 after casting on…but forgot to cast on the other stitches. I’m ripping out the back to where the armholes started and following the right directions for the 40 and then will redo the front. I think there will be plenty of ease based on measurements I’ve retaken. Thanks for your reply and getting me back on track! I’ve got nothing but time these days and nowhere to wear the dress until this virus is better resolved, so here I go!
On pockets. What does it mean work both front and pockets at once? I suppose work the front of the piece and the front of the pocket, having worked the row for the bottom of the pocket. On finishing, which are the « top » stitches after you « transfer » the stitches from the non working yarn? Aren’t you picking up stitches, not transferring?
So far love the way the back and front are working up.
Hi Susan
Thanks for writing in! When you are knitting across the front panel, you will have one row where you knit the waste yarn in the pocket area, slide back and work the row again with your working yarn, and repeat the process for the other pocket. Then you will continue to knit up the body, and continue with shaping the armholes and neckline. This should leave one tiny stripe in waste yarn for each pocket on the front. When you come to the finishing step, you will carefully unpick the waste yarn leaving live stitches above and below where the waste yarn was knit into the front piece, and you will transfer these stitches to your double point needles. The bottom stitches will be towards the bottom of the hem, you will join these with the top stitches, and knit in the round for the specified 4+” until your pocket is complete! I hope this helps!
Happy Knitting
Jessica
Thanks Jessica,
It does, as it explains where the live stitches are on the finishing step. Since I‘m about to work the pocket row, I will continue and not have to envision the result.
It also confirms that you work the face of the pocket with the front of the piece.
Susan
I just finished this beautiful dress and love Julie Hoover’s elegant design! I used the light-colored Dogwood Pink Lantern so there was no problem about the colors “pooling.”
The pockets were a great addition, especially with its construction (no additional bulk with the grafting). I recommend knitting the lining an additional inch because of shrinkage.
I appreciated learning about the “sloped bind off method” which has changed my knitting game! I didn’t think it was essential using EZ’s “better bind off” for the neckline, as long as the BO was done loosely.
It was a bit nerve-wracking before wet-blocking the pieces wondering if it will be of gauge. I highly recommend doing a gauge swatch AND wet-blocking the swatch before starting. The finished dress washed very well in my “hand-wash wool” setting of the washer and didn’t shrink any more (since the blocking).
Lantern is a new yarn for me, and heftier than other linen-cotton yarns I’ve used. It’s a new favorite.
Hi! I am making Copley now, in Lantern. I’m about 14” into the back and when I went to measure it I realized my fabric is “biasing.” Any insights into why this is happening?
I am slipping the first stitch of each row as pattern directs. Because of the nubbiness of the yarn, and because of the easy to crank out stockinette, I hadn’t noticed it at all.
Hope you see this and get back to me. Thanks.
Hi Helen,
Thanks for writing in! This does occasionally happen with some colors of Lantern, but in our experience, it usually blocks out just fine! The seams of Copley will also help give the finished dress structure so that it will lay nicely when worn. If you would like to make sure, you can place your stitches on a piece of scrap yarn and wet block what you have done so far, and if the biasing persists, please reach out to us at customerservice@purlsoho.com!
Best,
Julianna
Hello, I think this is my next project, have been eyeing it for a while, but the lantern colors I like are sold out. Can you recommend another cotton- linen blend that might work? I see a couple of cotton yarns recommended in comments above, but I think the dress might hold its shape better with some linen in the yarn.
Hi Gray,
Thanks for reaching out! Unfortunately, Lantern is a completely unique yarn so we don’t have anything else like it that I can recommend. The best option would be Campo, since it is also a worsted weight, but that will be quite a different texture from Lantern since it is 50% Organically Grown Cotton and 50% Wool!
If you like the look and texture of the dress as is, then I would recommend waiting for Lantern to come back in stock rather than finding a substitute since there isn’t anything that will work like it! If you haven’t already, you can put your email in on the Lantern Product page under the colors you are interested in and we will email you as soon as they are available on our site!
I hope this helps!
Gianna
hi
can i use a beautiful mohair for this pattern?
Hi Hadsaah,
Thanks for writing in! You could certainly use a mohair yarn for this project as long as it is a worsted weight yarn to ensure you are consistent with the pattern! I recommend working a gauge swatch before beginning so you will know if you need to make any adjustments to the pattern.
Warmly,
Gianna
Thank you. Your prompt and detailed responses are terrific. I learn so much from the comment and questions and great responses.
Hi. I completed the dress and unfortunately I find it too heavy to wear. As nobody else has commented on this I guess it’s just my preference? It just hangs heavily from the shoulders . I have very reluctantly decided to unpick it and reuse the yarn. Please can you recommend patterns that are suitable for this yarn? Many thanks for your help. Helen .
Hi Helen,
Thanks for reaching out! I’m sorry to hear that the Copley dress was a little too heavy for you! Lantern is on the heavy side, which is one of the features that gives the Copley such a wonderful drape, but I completely understand if it’s not the feel you’re going for. I’d be happy to suggest some alternative patterns for you!
The first pattern that comes to mind is our Cap Sleeve Pullover. It’s a clean and simple sleeveless top, which will give you that same wonderful texture and interest found in the Copley, without being nearly as heavy to wear.
Some other projects made with Lantern that I love are the Simple Knit Tote, the Pebble Dishcloths, and the Cotton + Linen Bath Wrap .
I hope this gives you some ideas for your Lantern yarn, and please let us know if you have any other questions!
All the best,
Kelsey
Thanks for this. I’ll surely look at your suggestions. Kind regards Helen.
I know that y’all have give us plenty of chances to make Copley, but I have failed to put it high enough on my priority list before Lantern was discontinued. Has anyone at Purl made some new tests of the pattern in other yarns you make or stock?
Hi Patrice!
Thank you for your interest in this pattern! We can recommend Tulip Cotton or Campo for this pattern, as they are both drapey cotton or cotton blend yarns, with a similar weight as Lantern, too. As always, when substituting yarn, especially for a fitted garment, we recommend double checking your gauge before casting on, just o make sure everything will turn out as intended!
I hope this helps!
All the best,
Margaret
Hi! I’m finally ready to take the plunge on this dress and wondered how linen quill would work as far as stretching out of shape. It’s now my favorite yarn!
Hi Jessica,
Thank you for writing in! We’re glad to hear you’re planning to cast on this pattern. I would suggest using Linen Quill Worsted for this project to achieve gauge, and as for any stretching over time, blocking your garment will help smooth it back into shape! I suggest steam blocking specifically for quick touch ups around the shoulders or elbows where the fabric tends to have the most memory, or wet blocking for a full wash and fiber reset.
I hope this helps, and happy knitting!
All the best,
Margaret