Brandi Cheyenne Harper For Purl Soho: Shawl Collar Jacket
Under the watchful eye of designer Brandi Cheyenne Harper, each and every stitch has its place and does it job. The result? A joyful knitting experience and the Shawl Collar Jacket, a classic sweater you will reach for again and again.
This jacket features a voluminous shawl collar that makes a statement (“You should be cozy!”), and stars Brandi’s favorite method for construction: two pieces, knit and joined at the center back seam. Once the collar is completed, she picks up stitches from its I-cord edge, and the rest of the sweater knits up, from top down, in a wink.
Brandi has a knack for making bold statements out of simple details, like this sweater’s reverse stockinette raglan lines, which meet under the arms and continue down the body. Or the I-cords and prominent decreases that add striking lines, structure, and clarity to the design.
A great tool for getting some extra flair from simple stitches? Our super bulky, super gorgeous Woolly Wool! This single ply, 100% warm and cozy wool, is soft to the touch but keeps those details looking crisp.
Woolly Wool’s twenty colors come in double-sized 200-gram skeins, so that you get the joy of knitting on giant needles but don’t have to join a new skein every five minutes. Cast on and get cozy with your favorite color!
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 (and modeled!) for Purl Soho by Brandi Cheyenne Harper. Brandi designs and writes books on how to make modern, handmade knitwear. Through her work, she promotes rest, creativity, and nourishing the simple joys of everyday life.
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, #PurlSohoShawlCollarJacket and #PurlSohoWoollyWool. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Materials
- 6 (6, 7, 7) (8, 9, 10) skeins of Purl Soho’s Woolly Wool, 100% wool. Each skein is approximately 109 yards/ 200 grams; approximately 615 (655, 725, 760) (860, 950, 1050) yards required. We used Heirloom White and Blossom Pink.
- US 15 (10 mm), 16-inch circular needles
- US 15, 40- or 47-inch circular needles, depending on size you are making
- A set of US 15 double pointed needles
- A US N (10 mm) crochet hook for Provisional Cast On
- A yard of bulky-weight scrap yarn for Provisional Cast On
- Stitch markers
- Stitch holders or scrap yarn
- A Shawl Collar Jacket Pattern
GAUGE
8½ stitches and 16 rows = 4 inches in garter stitch
SIZES
38 (41¾, 45¾, 49½) (55¼, 61¼, 67)
To fit actual chest circumference of approximately 32–35 (36–39, 40–43, 43–46, 49–52) (55–58, 61–64) inches, with about 3–6 inches of positive ease
- Finished Chest Circumference: 38 (41¾, 45¾, 49½) (55¼, 61¼, 67) inches
- Finished Length from Back Neck to Bottom Edge: 18 (18½, 19, 19½) (21½, 23, 23½) inches
- Finished Sleeve Length from Underarm: 18½ (18½, 18½, 18½) (17½, 17½, 17½) inches
Sample: The sweaters shown here are size 45¼ inches, worn with about 2 inches of ease.
Pattern
The Shawl Collar Jacket 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!
Hi, What a beautiful knit this is, I am wondering if it could be knitted up in an 8ply choice of wool?
Hi Suzie,
Thanks for reaching out. I just want to double check, are you using the UK and Australian system of yarn weight? If so, then 8ply yarn would be approximately DK weight, in the US system. Unfortunately, that wouldn’t work for this pattern, since it was written for a jumbo weight yarn, which is significantly thicker!
All the best,
Lili
Love the shape. Reminds me a little of a bomber jacket; haven’t seen many knitting patterns for those.
Hi, is Wooly wool as soft as Malabrigo Rasta?
Hi Maulshree,
Thanks so much for your comment! I’ve never worked with Malabrigo Rasta before so I don’t quite have a reference point for this yarn, but I can say that Woolly Wool is super soft and a joy to work with! Hope this helps!
All the best,
Cat
I believe there is an error in the pattern . Shape sleeve decrease round should read k2togwyib , not wyif !
Hi Sarajoe,
Thanks for reaching out about this! You’re correct, the slip 1 wyif in the Decrease Round should actually be slip 1 wyib. We’ll get this updated in the pattern as soon as possible, and thanks again for bringing this issue to our attention!
All the best,
Lili
Hi there,
I’m confused about the set up row for the sleeve. Am I supposed to be working from the center of the sleeve?
Also the sides under both arms are bunched up and have turned out shorter than the rest of the jacket. I’m going to try to stretch them out by wetting and steaming and pinning them.
Hi Bonnie,
Thanks for reaching out. Yes, you will begin and end each round at the center of the underarm, where the stitch marker is! And blocking your jacket will definitely help even out the length of the body!
All the best,
Lili
Thank you!
I’m so happy to say that this pattern is working out for me a lot better than Ms. Harper’s other (admittedly beautiful) patterns. I’d like to make one for my stepmother, but she has slightly broad shoulders. How would I adjust the pattern to fit? A few short rows where the sleeves are separated from the body? Is there a more elegant way to do it? Thanks for your help, and for this gorgeous pattern.
Hi Brooke,
Thanks for reaching out! Because this jacket has a raglan construction, I actually don’t think you’ll need to modify it at all. Raglan sleeves are great because they don’t give any definition to the edge of the shoulder (like a pattern with set-in sleeves would). That means that the garment can accommodate a much wider range of shoulder widths, since there is no shoulder seam to conflict with! Plus, knit fabric has a lot of stretch to it, so there will definitely be room in the sleeves for wide shoulders. Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
Hi! I have a question…. under the left collar increase it says “work 2 rows even as established, ending on a right side row. Does that mean that I work just work in garter stitch for two rows?
Hi Julie,
Essentially, yes! This pattern has you slip some stitches at the edges of the rows though, so you’ll need to take that into account as you work even for 2 rows.
All the best,
Lili
Hi there,
Is this jacked knitted on straight or circular needles? I’m new to circular knitting but I love this jacket and I’m just wondering about the difficulty level.
Hi Lorraine,
That’s a great question! This pattern is knit on circular needles although it is technically knit flat. We recommend US 15 needles with cord lengths of 16″ and 40″ to complete this jacket! I would recommend swatching on a circular needle as well to get a feel of working with them! I hope this helps!
Happy knitting,
Gavriella
Hi –
I’m wondering if I should have holes in the jacket where I yarn over on the yoke or if I’m doing something wrong.
Hi Julie,
Thank you for writing in! The yarn overs should be the stitch that you knit through the back look on the following row. This will help close up any gaps that you see on the YO row. I hope this helps!
Happy knitting,
Gavriella