Ainur Berkimbayeva For Purl Soho: Petunia Pullover
Stripes radiate out from the circular yoke of this riveting sweater pattern like the petals of a blossoming petunia. Designed with Ainur Berkimbayeva’s signature creative spirit, her Petunia Pullover in our wildly popular Linen Quill yarn is a super fun knit!

Ainur’s love of geometry and math always complements her whimsical sense of color and form… And the Petunia Pullover is no exception! You’ll knit this garter-stitch sweater sideways, stripe by stripe and all in one piece, starting from the center back with a provisional cast-on (we have a great tutorial!). One end of each stripe has short-row shaping (yep, we have a tutorial for that, too!) to form the yoke.

It’s easier knitting than you may think and full of satisfying surprises! With sizes for toddlers, kids, pre-teens, and adults, little ones can grow into new sizes and everyone can get in on the action.

Ainur chose Linen Quill for this sweater because of its amazing petal-like drape and airy lightness. A mix of highland wool and alpaca, with just a bit of rustic linen, this fingering-weight yarn’s complexity and beauty make for a singularly appealing knit.

There are 60+ shades of Linen Quill to choose from, so you can really play. Pick two that sing, like we did for our samples, or go wild and make every stripe a different color!

If you love the spoke-like stripes and clever shaping and want to try them out in a smaller accessory, check out Ainur’s beloved Carousel Collection, where she used the same German short rows and joyful spirit to make striped hats, mittens, slippers, wraps, and scarves.

Cute, clever, creative, and colorful… Petunia Pullovers for everyone, please!
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 Ainur Berkimbayeva. Ainur sees the unique constraints of knitting as opportunities rather than limitations. Using her remarkable ingenuity and love of geometry, she designs beautiful and adventurous pieces for knitters who share her enthusiasm for shape, texture, and adventure!
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, #PurlSohoPetuniaPullover, and #PurlSohoLinenQuill. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Materials

Purl Soho’s Linen Quill, 50% fine highland wool, 35% alpaca, and 15% linen. Each skein of this fingering-weight yarn is 439 yards/ 100 grams.
- ADULT
- Color A: 2 (2, 2, 2, 3) (3, 3, 3, 4) skeins; approximately 625 (690, 810, 878, 1010) (1100, 1205, 1300, 1490) total yards required
- Color B: 2 (2, 2, 2, 3) (3, 3, 3, 4) skeins; approximately 584 (623, 738, 780, 907) (982, 1120, 1192, 1321) total yards required
- CHILD
- Color A: 1 (1, 1, 1) (2, 2, 2) skein(s); approximately 280 (335, 385, 439) (495, 545, 610) total yards required
- Color B: 1 (1, 1, 1) (1, 2, 2) skein(s); approximately 237 (283, 330, 385) (435, 481, 542) total yards required
For our samples we used . . .
- Child, 2 Years: Color A, Fresh Nutmeg + Color B, Peachy Pink
- Child, 4 Years: Color A, Bright Flamingo + Color B, Peony Pink
- Adult, 41¾: Color A, Bird’s Egg Blue + Color B, Kiln Red
You’ll also need . . .
- US 5 (3.75 mm), 32-inch circular knitting needles
- Spare US 5, 32-inch circular knitting needles
- US 5, 16-inch circular knitting needles
- A set of US 5 double pointed needles, or long circulars for magic loop
- A stitch marker
- Stitch holders or scrap yarn
- Scrap yarn and crochet hook for Provisional Cast On
- A Petunia Pullover Pattern
GAUGE
22 stitches and 46 rows (23 ridges) = 4 inches in garter stitch
NOTE: Because this garment is worked sideways, you must match row gauge as well as stitch gauge in order to achieve the intended measurements. For best results, dry your swatch hanging along a selvage (rather than flat). This recreates how you will wear the sweater and will give you a more accurate gauge.
SIZES
ADULT
37½ (41¾, 43¾, 49, 54¼) (57½, 60½, 64¾, 68¾)
To fit actual chest circumference of approximately: 30–32 (33–35, 36–39, 40–43, 44–47) (48–51, 52 55, 56–59, 60–62) inches, with approximately 5–8 inches of ease
- Finished Chest Circumference: 37½ (41¾, 44¾, 49, 54¼) (57½, 60½, 64¾, 68¾) inches
- Finished Length from Neck to Bottom Edge: 18½ (18½, 20½, 20½, 22½) (22½, 24½, 24½, 26½) inches
- Finished Sleeve Length from Underarm: 11 inches
Sample: The sweater shown here is size 41¾, worn with 8¾ inches of ease.
CHILD
2 (4, 6, 8) (10, 12, 14) Years
To fit actual chest circumference of approximately: 21 (23, 25, 26½) (28, 30, 31) inches, with approximately 3–5 inches of ease
- Finished Chest Circumference: 25 (26, 29¼, 31¼) (32¼, 33½, 35½) inches
- Finished Length from Neck to Bottom Edge: 11¾ (13, 14, 15¼) (16¼, 17½, 18¼) inches
- Finished Sleeve Length from Underarm: 6¾ (7½, 8¼, 9) (9½, 10¼, 11) inches
Samples: The sweaters shown here are sizes 2 Years and 4 Years, both worn with 3 inches of ease.
PATTERN

The Petunia Pullover Pattern is available for purchase as a PDF download.


Learn About Linen Quill + All Our Beautiful Yarns
We designed this project to highlight the uniquely beautiful qualities of our Linen Quill, a wonderful fingering-weight yarn that is a blend of 50% wool, 35% alpaca, and 15% linen. It feels amazing in your hands, and in 70 jaw-droppingly gorgeous colors, Linen Quill is the candy store of yarn!
More Free Knitting Patterns
- Be sure to explore our vast collection of (mostly free!) Linen Quill knitting patterns and cast on!
More Fingering-Weight Yarns
- Shop our entire collection of fingering-weight yarns
- If you want to use a different yarn, be sure to take the time to get the correct gauge. Need help? Check our All About Gauge Tutorial!
More Yarns With Similar Fibers
- Shop wool yarn
- Shop alpaca yarn
- Shop linen yarn
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!
Hello! Any guidelines for making the sleeves full length instead of 3/4?
Hi Margot,
To add length to the sleeves, you can cast on more stitches in the sleeve sections. With the gauge of the pattern, you will add 5.5 stitches for every inch you’d like to add.
Happy making,
Gavriella
This looks gorgeous! Would this work with Line Weight?
And in general, would Line Weight make a good replacement for any of the patterns calling for Linen Quill? (specifically, I have the Daily Pullover by Paula Pereira)
Thank you!
Hi SJ,
We’re so happy you’re a fan of this pattern! Line Weight would be wonderful for the Petunia Pullover and the Daily Pullover as well! Both Line Weight and Linen Quill are fingering weight yarns so they’re a good match in terms of gauge, but I highly recommend knitting a gauge swatch if substituting for Line Weight just to be safe and to double check the needle size you need to get gauge. We have a guide on gauge called All About Gauge in case you’d like more information. I hope this helps!
All the best,
Cat
Hi, I’d love to make this sweater for my two little nieces, aged 3 and 4. Can you suggest some other fun color combinations that little blonde girls would look good in? I have a hard time deciding online what colors would go well together.
Thank you in advance.
Hi Gretchen,
Thanks for writing in! I think Lychee Pink and Butterscotch yellow would be wonderful together! Another option would be to choose two of their favorite colors.
Happy making,
Gavriella
What colors go with mountain bluebird for a girl? Would peony pink work?
Hi Nancy,
Peony Pink would be perfect with Mountain Bluebird! I think they will pair wonderfully!
All the best,
Gavriella
Just started this pattern and have a question… in “Set Up” Short Row 3, after you make the double stitch, do you purl across the rest of the row as shown in the online tutorial, or do you turn the work back around and knit to the end of the row? And if so, would that count as Short Row 4?
Hi Frances,
Each time you make the double stitch, you will need to turn your work in order to do so. From there you can continue working in the same direction of your work meaning your work is already turned at that point. Since this pattern consists of all knit stitches, you will knit the rest of the row.
All the best,
Gavriella
Any chance you will be expanding the sizes? I think this would be an adorable baby sweater! I’d love to make a 6-9 month size!
Hi Shari,
That’s a great idea! I’ll pass along your interest in baby sizes to our design team for future consideration.
All the best,
Lili
Hi
Do you think high tide and birds eye blue compliment in the petunia sweater? Its so hard to tell without touching and feeling them together.
Appreciate your help
Hi Dale,
I love the look of High Tide and Birds Egg Blue together! I think they’d be a wonderful choice for this pattern!
All the best,
Lili
This looks like a really fun project to do but I really don’t like weaving in ends at the end of projects. Will I have to weave in the ends at each row that has a change of color? I’m hopeful the change of color is done at the neck edge and I can just carry the contrasting color across a row or two. If I have to weave in all the ends it would be a no-go for me.
Hi Mary,
Never fear, there are very few ends to weave in for this pattern! You’ll be carrying the colors up the selvedge as you knit, so you don’t have to cut and reattach them.
All the best,
Lili
Hi there
Thank you so much for such a fun pattern!
Can I ask if there’s a reason for using a three needle bind off, rather than a graft for the sleeve and rear seams?
Thanks!
Hi Emma,
Glad to hear that this pattern has caught your eye! I believe this pattern avoids grafting because it’s in garter stitch. Depending on what rows the garter stitch ends on, you can sometimes get an additional row of knit stitches when grafting (since that technique adds a row). The 3-needle bind-off avoids the extra row, so it’s a simpler technique to incorporate into a pattern like this!
All the best,
Lili
Hi! This is so cute. I’ve never knit a sweater before – is this doable for a beginner who has only knit a few scarves in the past? Or is this more of an intermediate/advanced level?
And am I reading the chart correctly in terms of required skeins – for size 49, say, would you need 2 skeins of each color?
Hi Lora,
Thanks for writing in! I think that the Petunia Pullover will be an exciting challenge for a beginner knitter. We know that learning new techniques enriches the process of making, so we describe the skills involved with a pattern to help new knitters learn more about what’s ahead! Below, I’ve included a list of skills that this pattern requires, as well as links to any tutorials we have on them:
How To Read A Knitting Pattern
Basic Bind Off
Short Rows: German Short Rows
Provisional Cast On: One-Step Method
3-Needle Bind Off
Picking Up Stitches
Seaming Garter Stitch
In answer to your other question, yes you will need 2 skeins of each color for size 49!
Ultimately, we hope that you will take little leaps into the unknown and find that the satisfaction was worth the challenge. If these techniques are daunting, I would recommend trying them out with some scrap yarn before beginning the sweater. And as always, we are happy to help answer any questions you may have along the way!
All the best,
Lili
On set up row 3: I have knitted to last 5 stitches, I turn work and slip stitch from left needle to right needle and I tug on yarn on right needle and see the double stitch. Then you lose me!!!
What do you mean per instructions “bring yarn over needle and leave yarn in back.” Per previous answer above at this point I should turn work??? I am about to go crazy and would appreciate more instruction on what to do after I tug and see the double stitch??
Thank you
Kay
Hi Kay,
After you tug on the yarn and see the double stitch, you’re ready to begin Short Row 4! You will have already turned your work as the first step of creating the double stitch. So from the point where you are now, you can just start knitting the stitches on Short Row 4!
All the best,
Lili
I just started the left sleeve, at the part where you join the sleeve and yoke. It says to use color b, but color b is on the yoke stitches. This would result in two color b rows in a row! Please help!
Hi Robin,
Thanks for writing in! Since you ended with Color B before the Left Sleeve section, then I’m betting you missed the “then repeat Rows 1–6 one time” instruction at the very end of the Front Center, Left Body + Yoke section (right before DIVIDE LEFT BODY FROM YOKE). These final 6 rows are knit with Color A, so then you’ll be all set to work the Left Sleeve as written!
All the best,
Lili
Still hoping for an update to this pattern with smaller sizes – esp 6-9 or 12 mo. I contacted the designer directly and she said she cannot make any updates to the pattern without your permission and that I should reach out to you directly. Can you help? Thank you!
Hi Shari,
Thanks so much for sharing your idea–I also think that would be great! I want to let you know that our design team is definitely considering adding smaller sizes to this pattern in the future. It will take some time to create these new sizes, but I wanted to let you know that it’s definitely on our minds!
All the best,
Lili
I have leftovers from knitting a Joy of Color scarf and thought to knit a scrappy rainbow version for my daughter… probably size 10. Is there anything I should consider besides a billion yarn ends?
Do we know how many grams per wedge for the samples that were knit? I could extrapolate from that, probably, if I have enough of each color to pull this off. 🤔
Thanks for the help! It looks so fun to knit. 😊
Hi Sari,
That’s such a fun idea! While I don’t think our design team kept track of exactly how much yardage each stripe requires, I should be able to figure out a general estimate for you. Taking a look at the pattern for Child Size 10, I believe that there are about 55 stripes of each color, which would mean that each stripe would require approximately 8 yards each. I hope this helps you get started!
All the best,
Lili
Hi- I’m stuck at Join Sleeve + Yoke on page 4. I don’t understand where I’m supposed to start knitting and how the sleeve piece fits on the yoke. Will all the stitches be on one needle after this step? Please help!
Hi Alexis,
I’m happy to help explain this part of the pattern! You currently have some live stitches on your original pair of needles–these are for the yoke. You also have some stitches on your spare needles that are currently completely separate from the rest of the sweater–these are the sleeve stitches. In the JOIN SLEEVE + YOKE section, you first knit across all the stitches on your spare needles. Then, with the same yarn, you knit across the live stitches on your original needles. This ends up joining the sleeve stitches to the yoke stitches, and all your stitches will be on the same needle now!
All the best,
Lili
If I want a longer sweater, can I just cast on additional stitches at the beginning and then just follow the instructions for my size. I know it may change the yardage I need.
Hi Seanna,
Thanks for writing in! You can definitely do that, but keep in mind that it will change the placement of the short rows. If you choose to make a modification like this, then I’d recommend keeping a close eye on your stitch count and modifying it when necessary throughout the pattern!
All the best,
Lili