Andrea Cull For Purl Soho: Quartz Pullover
Andrea Cull is a knit designer with a penchant for cross-cable stitches in crystalline formations. She’s also, along with her sister Alison Yates, co-founder of Knitrino, a pattern-tracking app that supports their collection of indie designs. But most pertinently, Allison Cull is the creator of this gorgeous Quartz Pullover!
A wonderfully straightforward top-down knit, Andrea employs simple two-stitch cross-cables to chisel a gem-like pattern into her yoke. It’s a striking mix of engineered and natural, hard and soft.
Soft wins the day, though, with Andrea’s choice of our Cashmere Merino Bloom. She calls it “the softest yarn ever, with a perfect halo.” True!
Andrea chose the Dove Gray color for its shimmering natural beauty, and we knit up another version in pretty Crocus Bud to turn quartz into amethyst. Either way, or any other color from Cashmere Merino Bloom’s earthy palette, knitting the Quartz Pullover is like mining for beauty, stitch by stitch!
Yarn lovers, if you adore the yarn used in this project, you’ll love exploring all of our other yarn collections! Discover over 45 thoughtfully designed yarns in nearly every natural fiber and in every spectacular color you can imagine. Only available here at Purl Soho’s online yarn store, where every skein is created with care and your creativity in mind!
Designed for Purl Soho by Andrea Cull.
Share your progress + connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, #PurlSohoQuartzPullover, and #PurlSohoCashmereMerinoBloom. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Materials
- 5 (6, 6, 7, 8) (8, 9, 9, 10) skeins of Purl Soho’s Cashmere Merino Bloom, 75% extra fine merino wool and 25% cashmere. Each skein of this light worsted/DK yarn is approximately 218 yards/ 100 grams; approximately 1060 (1160, 1300, 1420, 1560) (1650, 1780, 1900, 2030) total yards required. We used the colors Dove Gray and Crocus Bud.
- US 6 (4 mm), 16-inch circular needles
- US 6, 32-inch circular needles
- A set of US 6 double pointed needles
- US 7 (4.5 mm), 16-inch circular needles
- US 7, 32-inch circular needles
- A set of US 7 double pointed needles
- A cable stitch holder
- Stitch markers, including one unique
- Stitch holders or scrap yarn
- A Quartz Pullover Pattern
Gauge
18 stitches and 27 rounds = 4 inches in stockinette stitch on larger needles
Sizes
NOTE: Need help deciding on a size? Check out our Understanding Ease + Selecting Size Tutorial!
36½ (39, 43½, 47, 51½) (54¼, 58¾, 61¼, 64)
To fit actual chest circumference of approximately 30-33 (33-36, 36-40, 40-44, 44-48) (48-51, 51-55, 55-58, 58-61) inches with 3-6 inches of ease
- Finished Chest Circumference: 36½ (39, 43½, 47, 51½) (54¼, 58¾, 61¼, 64) inches
- Finished Length From Shoulder To Bottom Edge: 25¾ (26½, 26½, 26¾, 26¾) (27, 27, 27½, 28¼) inches
- Finished Sleeve Length From Underarm: 18¼ inches
Sample: The sweaters shown here are size 39 inches, worn with 4 inches of ease.
Pattern
The Quartz Pullover Pattern is available for purchase as a PDF download only.
Looking for more inspiration? Explore all of our free knitting patterns and knitting tutorials, buy one of our many knitting kits and yarn bundles, and shop for beautiful yarn. We have over 35 gorgeous natural fiber yarns in 100’s of magnificent colors, designed to bring integrity, beauty, and joy to your next knitting project and only available at Purl Soho!
Beautiful sweater!
Does this pattern have charts or is it written out?
Thanks for your help
Hi Sandra,
Thanks for reaching out! The pattern includes both a chart and written instructions!
Warmly,
Gianna
I am in awe! She does amazing work. I would love to see some of her garments made in the award-winning Suri Alpaca I raise.
Hi Kathleen,
Thanks for reaching out and for your kind words! If you end up making this pattern with your yarn we would absolutely love to see it! You can always send us photos of your work to [email protected] or tag us on Instagram using the #purlsohobusyhands hashtag!
Warmly,
Gianna
Question: On Round 3 of the Yoke Pattern- M1L, RSC, k2, LSC involves 8 stitches per repeat not 7 stitches. Unless, you are supposed to knit into the back of the first stitch (M1L) and then place it on the cable needle and then knit into the front of that same first stitch (RSC). Can you clarify?
Hi Denise,
Thanks for reaching out! The pattern is correct. The M1L is not knitting into the back of a stitch (as you may be imagining). As explained in the Special Instructions, it is picking up the bar between stitches, in the case of a M1L, from front to back and knitting through the back of the stitch. For the first M1L of the round, the bar will be between the last and first stitches of the round, and the new stitch should end up on the left of the stitch marker, i.e. as the new first stitch of the round.
So to clarify the stitch counts: M1L makes 1 stitch + RSC (2) + k2 + LSC (2) = 7.
I hope this clears things up!
Warmly,
Gianna
Could this be made as a cardigan? Would knitting back and forth rather than in the round alter the yoke pattern or make it unworkable?
Hi Donna,
Thanks for reaching out! Unfortunately we only offer this pattern as a pullover, and since construction is very unique to working in the round it would be very tricky to adjust this pattern for a cardigan. Thank you for expressing your interest though, I will be sure to pass this along to the rest of the team!
Warmly,
Gianna
I have purchased this pattern and the yarn in pink. I am studying the pattern before I begin. I am confused about the cross stitch special instructions and I cannot find a tutorial that uses the cable needle. Is there one? (I am familiar with using a cable needle so I know I can do it). Questions: RSC, slip 1 purlwise – is that slipping the stitch with the needle angled as if you were purling a stitch?
Slip next stitch purlwise from left needle – do you slip it to right needle? I am assuming there is no knit or purl of the stitch, is that correct?
Knit stitch from cable stitch holder: I am assuming you knit to right needle. Is this correct?
Thank you for your guidance!
Joan
Hi Joan,
Thanks for writing in! We don’t have a tutorial for this technique, but I am happy to help explain!
Yes, slipping the stitch purlwise means you will use your right needle and go into the stitch as if you were going to purl it, but instead of actually purling the stitch you are simply moving it from the left to the right needle. However in this case, since you are using a cable needle to hold the stitch you will actually be slipping the stitch purlwise from the left needle to the cable needle (instead of the right needle.) Once you do that, you will then slip the following stitch purlwise from the left needle to the right needle this time. You will then knit the stitch from the cable needle to the right needle.
I hope this helps clear things up and please let me know if you have any more questions!
Gianna
Thank you Gianna,
It is correct then that I only knit the stitch that I put on the cable needle??
With much appreciation,
Joan
Hi Joan,
Thanks for your response! Yes, that is correct!
Please let me know if you have any more questions, happy knitting!
Gianna
Thank you for your response. It is starting to look beautiful!
Joan
This is a lovely pattern! Are there any short rows or other method given for making the back neck higher than the front neck? Thank you.
Hi Margaret,
Thanks for writing in, and I’m glad to hear you’re enjoying the Quartz Pullover! This pattern uses German Short Rows to shape the back of the neck and shoulders.
All the best,
Lili
Can I do this pattern in Linen Quill yarn?
Hi Paula,
Thanks for writing in! This pattern was designed for a DK weight yarn, and Linen Quill is fingering weight, so it’s too thin on its own. However, you can absolutely use it for this pattern by holding two strands at once!
As always, we recommend knitting a gauge swatch before casting on your project, especially when you are substituting yarns. You may need to size up or down your needles in order to get the correct gauge! If you would like to learn more about this, we have a handy tutorial called All About Gauge, which you can find right here.
Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
Would this pattern work in purlsoho Good Wool? I thought it would as they are both DK but the gauge on the sweater pattern says 18 stitches, 27 rows for 4″ using the larger needles (US 7) – when I knit my swatch, I found the 27 rows was 4″ but the 18″ closer to 3.5″
thanks!
Hi DD!
Thank you for writing in! Good Wool is on the lighter side of dk weight yarns, which means it may work as a substitute for some dk weight patterns, and in other scenarios it might not, depending on gauge. You may be able to reach gauge for this sweater with Good Wool if you knit a swatch on a smaller needle, and aggressively block your gauge swatch to achieve the row gauge at this smaller needle size. I’d say it’s worth a try on a size 6 needle since you’re so close to getting gauge on a size 7 needle already!
I hope this helps and please keep us posted on how it goes!
All the best,
Margaret
Thanks Margaret – also wondering if there is a preferred way of going from casting on to knitting in the round – is the magic loop the way to go?
Hi Deirdre,
I’d recommend using a small circular needle to begin this pattern! The neckline will likely fit perfectly on a pair of 16-inch-long needles. Then you can switch to longer ones as you increase the yoke. However, if you only have longer needles on hand, then you can absolutely use magic loop to get started!
All the best,
Lili
Knitting this pullover in size 36 ½ but can’t make sense of the shaping of shoulders + back neck. Pattern says to knit 124 stitches on first short row before doublestitch and turn, ie the back + one sleeve + 4 stitches on the left front.
For row 2, however, the pattern says to purl 177 stitches before doublestitch and turn – which equals the back, both sleeves plus 7 (!) stitches on the right front. I don’t understand as this must make the front neck line uneven – on the right side 7 stitches of the front are included in the shaping vs only 4 stitches on the left??
Can you please explain if this is really how it’s meant to be?
Thanks
Hi Birthe,
Thanks for reaching out about this! Our design team is actually in the midst of looking over this pattern to fix this exact issue. The short rows should definitely be even on both sides of the neckline, so there are some mistakes with what the pattern currently states. I’ll make sure to follow up with you as soon as our tech editors find a solution!
Apologies for the delay in my response, but hopefully I’ll have final answers soon!
All the best,
Lili
Hi Lili – did this issue get sorted out – I am knitting in size 43 1/2 and have the same question. I am also wondering once I make the double stich after knitting the first short row (148 stitches) – is the double stitch on the 149th stitch? Thanks very much.
Hi DD,
Thanks for checking in about this! Yes, we were able to correct the error, and we have updated the pattern. It looks like you’re currently following the older version of the pattern though, so I’d recommend re-downloading the PDF from your account to access the most up-to date version! You can also visit our Errata page to see exactly what was changed. For size 43 1/2, the first double stitch should actually be made on the 150th stitch!
Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
I completed this sweater in the recommended Cashmere Merino Bloom and it is gorgeous. I hand washed it and laid it out on a towel to dry, but it has grown a great deal. I was very careful to not let the weight of the wet sweater cause it to stretch, and I put it on a towel and squeezed excess water out, but as it’s drying it is much larger than what I knit for my friends Christmas gift. Can this sweater be saved?
Hi Janet,
Thanks for reaching out about this, although I’m sorry to hear that your sweater isn’t turning out as expected! The growth that you’re noticing in the yarn as its blocking is a tendency of Cashmere Merino Bloom. The fibers naturally “bloom” quite a lot during this process, which does affect the size of the stitches and dimensions of the garment.
The very best way to make sure that you knit a sweater with a good fit is to knit a gauge swatch beforehand and also block that gauge swatch before taking the gauge measurements. When you block the gauge swatch, you can test out exactly how a yarn will respond to blocking, which will allow you to get the most accurate measurement of what the finished gauge will be once you block the sweater!
For the sweater you just finished though, you may be able to bring it back to the intended size. If you block it again and pin the edges in place at the intended measurements, the knit fabric should conform to those measurements a bit more! I hope that my recommendations are useful for this project, and for other projects in the future, but please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns!
All the best,
Lili
I am confused with the Shape Back part of the body. If the new end of round marker is in the center of the left underarm, and I need to knit 94 stitches for the first short row double stitch, my double stitch would be right next to the armhole of the sleeve. Is this correct? I thought back row shaping would be closer to the center of the back…
Hi Eileen,
Thanks for reaching out. Yes, that’s correct! Short row shaping for the back of a sweater often extends further around the shoulders. The purpose is so that the entire back of the sweater has a bit more fabric than the front. Hope this helps clarify things!
All the best,
Lili
Hi Lili,
I must have some of the last of the Flax Down. It’s gorgeous. Love it so much that I had previously knitted it for Top-down Circular Yoke and the Classic Hemmed Crewneck. Now I have two more colours just waiting for a project. Do you have any suggestions for 2 more patterns please. (What a shame you don’t have it any more) Thankyou
Hi Susan,
I’m happy to hear that you’ve enjoyed Flax Down so much! Most of our garments designed for DK weight yarn would work great, since they match the weight of Flax Down. In particular, I like the Forest Henley and the Faceted Yoke Pullover.
All the best,
Lili
Do you think the Quartz pullover? Seems pretty close to Faceted Yoke…
Hi Susan,
Yes, the Quartz Pullover would also work great with Flax Down, since it’s designed for a DK weight yarn!
All the best,
Lili
Excellent. Only thing is, now I have to wait a bit for the baking hot summer to end in Australia. Don’t worry though, will be ready for winter!