Julie Hoover For Purl Soho: Gibson In Linen Quill
Julie Hoover’s Gibson is for everyday pleasure, casual but special, classic but a bit offbeat, too.
Julie’s original Gibson is knit in undyed Sweetgrass with a few well-placed stripes. It’s totally beautiful, but we thought, what about a big splash of color? What about Linen Quill and its choice of 55 gorgeous colors?! Okay!
We followed the pattern just how it’s written, except omitted the stripes, opting instead for a solid swath of beautiful color. We chose Red Poppy, a warm burst of happiness, just like the one we’re feeling for spring!
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 + connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, #PurlSohoGibson, and #PurlSohoLinenQuill. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Materials
- 4 (4, 4, 5, 5, 5, 6, 6) skeins of Purl Soho’s Linen Quill, 50% fine highland wool, 35% alpaca, and 15% linen. Each skein is approximately 439 yards/100 grams; approximately 1422 (1545, 1707, 1854, 2057, 2195, 2383, 2551) yards required. We used Red Poppy.
- US 3 (3.25 mm), 16-inch circular needles
- US 3, 24-inch circular needles
- US 2 (3 mm), 24-inch circular needles
- US 1 (2.5 mm), 16-inch circular needles
- Two US 3 double pointed needles
- A cable stitch holder
- Stitch markers
- 4 locking markers
- Stitch holders or scrap yarn
- Blocking wires & T-pins (optional, but recommended)
- A Gibson Pattern
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
25 stitches and 36 rows = 4 inches on larger needles
Sizes
NOTE: For help deciding which size to knit, please visit our Understanding Ease + Selecting Your Size tutorial.
36½ (40½, 44, 48, 52, 55½, 59½, 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: 36½ (40½, 44, 48, 52, 55½, 59½, 64) inches
- Finished Length From Shoulder To Bottom Edge: 24¾ (25, 26½, 27, 29, 29½, 31, 31½) inches
- Finished Length From Underarm To Bottom Edge: 13 (13, 14, 14, 15, 15, 16, 16) inches
- Finished Length From Underarm To Cuff: 17 (17, 17, 17, 16½, 16, 16, 15½) inches
- Length From Center Neck To Cuff: 28¼ (29, 30, 31, 31½, 32, 33, 33½) inches
- Length From Shoulder To Underarm: 11¾ (12, 12½, 13, 14, 14½, 15, 15½) inches
Sample: The sweater shown here is Size 40½ inches worn with 5 inches of ease.
Pattern
The Gibson Pattern is available for purchase as a PDF download only.
What is the skill level required for this project?
Hi Regina,
Thanks for reaching out! I would consider this an advanced beginner – intermediate level pattern!
Warmly,
Gianna
If I still wanted to do stripes, how many skeins of each color would be required? And can you recommend some combinations? I’m looking at blues/greys, but there are so many beautiful colors!
Hi Cristine,
Thanks for reaching out! I love how this pullover looks with stripes and I think it would look lovely in a blue and gray palette in Linen Quill!
Linen Quill has 439 yards per skein so you will need approximately 590 (635, 715, 770, 815, 830, 870, 865) yards for Color A, 2 skeins of Linen Quill will be plenty for any of the sizes. Approximately 27 (30, 32, 34, 37, 40, 43, 46) yards for Color B, 1 skein of Linen Quill will be plenty. Approximately 180 (190, 205, 225, 240, 260, 275, 295) yards for Color C, 1 skein of Linen Quill will be plenty. And finally you will need approximately 625 (690, 755, 825, 965, 1065, 1195, 1345) yards for Color D, deepening on the size you select you will need 2-4 skeins on Linen Quill.
So to wrap up: 2 skeins of Color A, 1 skein of Color B, 1 skein of Color C and 2-4 skeins of Color D depending on size!
As for colors I would recommend Stillwater Blue for A, Dark Denim for B, Mountain Bluebird for C, and Gray Denim for D!
I hope this helps and please let me know if you have any more questions!
Warmly,
Gianna
If itch sensitivity is a factor, which would you recommend? Linen Quill or the original Sweetgrass? I love the Linen Quill color selection. Is it soft?
Hi Jordana,
Thanks for reaching out! If you have more sensitive skin, I would suggest sticking with the original Sweetgrass since it is exceptionally light and soft! I find Linen Quill to be soft, but it is overall a bit more of a hearty yarn and some find it a bit scratchy at first due to the linen content. However it softens up lovely over time with use!
I hope this helps!
Gianna
thank you!
I would love this in a hoodie! Any way to add a hood?
Thanks for reaching out! Unfortunately, we don’t currently have an option to add a hood to this pattern but I’ll be sure to pass along your request to our team. You could try taking a look at other hoodie patterns to see if there’s a way to adapt the Gibson to add a hood!
Thanks for your comment, and Happy Knitting!
Warmly,
Kelsey
Is Poppy a coral red or more neon? It looks different on my computer and my phone screen. (Also, this model is gorgeous!)
Hi Kristina,
Thanks for reaching out! I’d say that in person, the Red Poppy is more of a coral red than a neon. We try our hardest to make the colors as true to life as possible, but because each device and monitor is calibrated differently, there is inevitably some disparity in color. We do offer returns of yarn in its original condition, so if you decide you don’t like the color in person you won’t be stuck with a product you’re not happy with! You can read more about our return policy here.
I hope this helps, and please let me know if you have any other questions!
Warmly,
Kelsey
Please provide some pattern construction details. How many pieces to seam, knit top down or bottom up, special stitches besides stockinette, what kind of ribbing stitch, and any other information you feel helpful. It’s tricky to purchase a pattern without knowing what the challenges may be, and I couldn’t find any details. Thank you.
Hi Fran,
Thanks for reaching out! You can find all the additional details on the construction of the Gibson Sweater under “Description” on the pattern’s product page here. I hope this helps!
All the best,
Kelsey
I’m confused by the instructions. I’m assuming that the selvage stitches continue in the shoulder decrease. It’s just sometimes the first slip stitch is written in, but at the beginning in the notes it says every right side and wrong side row. So I’ve continued that. Is that correct? Or was I supposed to slip the selvage and then slip another where noted?
Hi Jordana,
Thanks for writing in! That is correct, you will slip the first stitch of every right-side row knitwise with yarn in the back (wyib); slip the first stitch of every
wrong-side row purlwise with yarn in front (wyif) for the selvage stitches unless it tells you otherwise not to. And if it tells you to slip additional stitches besides the selvage edge you will do so!
I hope this helps and please let me know if you have any more questions, happy knitting!
Gianna
Thank you.
Hi there! I love you, your site, your yarns, your patterns and your links! Thank you for keeping me excited and inspired!! My question regarding this pattern is, could I knit the base of the sweater in the round? From the rib to the armholes. And the sleeves. Could those be knit in the round? Eliminating seaming would be amazing if possible
Hi Heather,
Thank you so much for the kind words! It’s so nice to hear that you find our projects and yarn inspiring!
I’m sorry to say that we are unable to rewrite the Gibson pattern to be worked in the round, but I’d be happy to recommend some similar projects knit that are constructed in the round! You might like the Lightweight Raglan Pullover if you’d like to work with a fingering weight. I’d also recommend the Up-And-Over Pullover and the Purl Soho Pullover if you want a sweater with a collar.
I hope these recommendations help, and please let me know if you have any other questions!
All the best,
Carly
What a beautiful pattern!
I would like to add a pop of color to the original color palette. Would it be possible to work most of the pattern in sweetgrass, then have a pop of color or two with linen quill?
Thanks!
Hi Cat,
I’m so happy to hear that this pattern has caught your eye! You can absolutely use both Linen Quill and Sweetgrass in this sweater. I’d just recommend swatching with both yarns to make sure you’re able to achieve the same gauge with both. You may need to use different needle sizes for the different yarns!
All the best,
Lili
Which size 16″ needle is used to knit the collar? The pattern doesn’t specify! Thank you!!
Hi Christine,
Thank you for writing in! That is a great question! You will start with the larger size US 3 needle for the collar. Please let us know if you have any other questions!
Happy knitting,
Gavriella