The Humboldt sweater is now available as a single pattern here on Ravelry. It remains one of 11 engaging patterns from Penguin: a Knit Collection by Anna Maltz - a printed book packed with patterns, photographs, illustrations and stories, all inspired by penguins. Available from annamaltz.com and your LYS.

A graphic, cropped sweater with a boxy body and fitted sleeves. This is the first pattern introducing Marlisle. The term is a mash-up of “marl” – two noticeably different shades of yarn plied or in this case, held together – and the “isle” from Fair Isle. Regardless of geographic origin, Fair Isle? is often used as a catch-all for stranded colourwork. Marlisle allows this circular knitted sweater to have small patches of pure white on the front, but not the back without working intarsia, yet spread over distances that would be unworkable using regular stranded colourwork (because the floats would be epic).

To achieve this, a strand each of charcoal and white yarn are held double and worked in garter stitch for the majority of this bottom-up sweater. The white yarn is separated out where required and worked akin to stranded colourwork in stocking stitch to produce that pop of single colour. Because you are always carrying A&B colours around, you have both colours available to use individually at all times. The density of the fabric changes little, as the yarn is always double thickness thanks to the floats behind the colourwork section.

SIZES
XS (S, M, L, XL, XXL)?
Finished bust circumference: 100 (110, 120, 130, 140, 150)cm 39¼ (43¼, 47¼, 51¼, 55, 59)”.
The bust measurements should fit with 20-25 cm / 8-10” positive ease.
The sleeves are close fitting.

TENSION
16 sts x 28 rows = 10cm / 4” over garter stitch using one strand of A and B held together, after blocking.

The specified yarns result in a fabric that is intentionally dense with definite structure. Two different weights of yarn (DK/worsted and 4ply/sport) are used, but using two same-weight yarns or an aran/worsted with a laceweight to achieve the required tension when combined is also an option. If you prefer a lighter fabric, you could try stranding two 4ply/sport yarns or even a DK/worsted with a laceweight. I think you get the idea – dive into you stash and see what you have. It might be the perfect time to use a laceweight skein with many many metres/yards on it in combo with something thicker. Do keep an eye that you use the thicker one for the main colour in the rib and the motifs, or you could run into tension issues.

YARN
A: Snældan 3Ply (DK/worsted weight; 100% wool; 260m / 284yds per 100g)?
Fleece White x 5 (6, 6, 7, 7, 8)?
B: Snældan 2Ply (4ply/sport weight; 100% wool; 360m / 394yds per 100g)
Charcoal x 4 (5, 5, 6, 6, 7)

SUGGESTED NEEDLES
5mm (US 8 / UK 6) circular needles, 80cm / 32” length for body
5mm (US 8 / UK 6) DPNs or circular needles suitable for working small circumferences in the round for sleeves?