Julie Hoover For Purl Soho: Rigby
Sometimes a design is so effortlessly elegant that it feels discovered rather than devised, as though it had been conjured from thin air. Julie Hoover’s Rigby is such a garment, so dazzling in its simplicity we can’t believe we’ve been without it all this time.

Julie is an expert at thoughtful construction and subtle details, and for this piece she has us knit in the round from hem to underarms, then work flat up to the shoulder seams, finishing the edges with delicate rows of knits and purls for a versatile garment full of breezy sophistication.

Our go-to yarn for understated knits, the incredibly soft Simply Camel is one hundred percent undyed baby camel. This fingering weight yarn creates a gorgeous fabric with a beautiful drape and a desert glow… Both timely and timeless!

Designed for Purl Soho by Julie Hoover.
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, #PurlSohoRigby and #PurlSohoSimplyCamel. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Materials

- 4 (5, 5, 6) (6, 7, 8) (8, 9, 10) skeins of Purl Soho’s Simply Camel, 100% baby camel. Each skein is 164 yards/ 50 grams; approximately 620 (700, 785, 870) (970, 1060, 1160) (1265, 1385, 1505) yards required.
- US 5 (3.75 mm), 24- or 32-inch circular needles
- US 4 (3.5 mm), 24- or 32-inch circular needles
- US 3 (3.25 mm), 16-inch circular needles
- US 2 (3 mm), 16-inch circular needles
- Stitch markers, including one unique
- Stitch holders or scrap yarn
- A Rigby Pattern
GAUGE
22 stitches and 34 rows = 4 inches in stockinette stitch on largest needles
NOTE: Due to the elastic nature of the Simply Camel, we recommend allowing your gauge swatch to “relax” for 72 hours after washing and blocking to get the most accurate row gauge results.
SIZES
NOTE: For help deciding which size to knit, please visit our Understanding Ease + Selecting Your Size tutorial.
35 (38½, 42¼, 45¾) (49½, 53, 56¾) (60¼, 64, 67¾)
To fit actual chest circumference of 29–32 (32–35, 36–39, 39–42) (43–46, 47–50, 50–53) (54–57, 58–61, 61–64) inches, with approximately 3–6 inches of ease
- Finished Chest Circumference: 35 (38½, 42¼, 45¾) (49½, 53, 56¾) (60¼, 64, 67¾) inches
- Finished Hip Circumference: 33½ (37, 40¾, 44¼) (48, 51¾, 55¼) (59, 62½, 66¼) inches
- Finished Length from Shoulder to Bottom Edge: 22½ (23, 23½, 24) (25¼, 25¾, 26¼) (27¼, 28, 28¼) inches
Sample: The sweater pictured here is size 42¼, worn with 6 inches of ease.
PATTERN

The Rigby Pattern is available for purchase as a PDF download only.



If I’m substituting yarn for the Rigby pattern, do I use the gauge suggested for Simply Camel or the gauge suggested on the Rigby pattern? Is Simply Camel doubled for Rigby? I’m thinking of using Worsted Twist. Will it have a nice drape?
Hi Kathleen,
Thanks for writing in. You will need to match the gauge of this pattern (22 stitches and 34 rows = 4 inches in stockinette stitch on largest needles) in order to knit it to the correct dimensions! The pattern is written for one strand Simply Camel (a heavy fingering weight/light sportweight yarn), so Worsted Twist is unfortunately too thick for this design. If you’re looking to use Worsted Twist for a similar style garment, I’d recommend our Ribline Vest instead. Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
Shape Sides: “continuing in stockinette, repeat SIRow on following (36th) round.” Does count begin as of beginning of stockinette rows or after doing the SIRow? Same for instruction in following paragraph: Should I begin counting rows (starting with row 1) or continue counting where left off before doing SIRow? Thanks!
Katherine
Hi Katherine,
Thanks for reaching out! For the Shape Sides section, you will be including that first row of stockinette stitch in your count, so including that row you will have exactly 36 rows total. For the following rounds where it says “Continuing in stockinette stitch, work 35 rounds even or until piece measures approximately 12 3⁄4 (12 3⁄4, 12 3⁄4, 12 3⁄4)”, the row count is less important than getting the correct length.
I hope this helps! Please let us know if you have any other questions.
All the best,
Carly