Shorescape combines fun gradient stripes and an updated drop shoulder silhouette for easy, entertaining knitting. I designed this sweater for my fall 2016 make. wear. love. retreat, using our vendor Indigodragonfly’s lovely CaribouBaa merino yarn.

Fingering weight yarns make amazing drop shoulder sweaters, and they’re even better when you combine them with addictive color changes. A single button and flattering narrow V neckline finish this ultra-wearable piece.

Shorescape is worked in pieces from the bottom up, and then seamed. Drop shoulder sweaters, particularly cardigans, should be worked with plenty of ease in the bust (or upper torso) to ensure freedom of movement through the shoulders. I recommend at least 4’’ (10 cm); in these pictures, I’m wearing the cardigan with approximately 6’’ (12.5 cm) ease in the upper torso, and a small amount of positive ease around the fullest part of the bust. Slight waist shaping on the back of the cardigan keeps the sweater from being too boxy, without altering the overall lines of a drop shoulder sweater.

As written, Shorescape’s stripes use a custom-made “Tangentials” kit from Indigodragonfly. Each kit has 4 distinct colors, and the pattern’s striping instructions specify those colors. If you’re working the cardigan as shown, you’ll need 3 (3, 3, 3, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 5, 5, 5) hanks of MC (I used “Sharks and Recreation”) and one Tangentials gradient kit - or, you can purchase both the pattern and a custom-color kit for the whole sweater by visiting this page.

If you’re making a solid color Shorescape out of CaribouBaa, you’ll need 4 (4, 4, 4, 5, 5, 5, 5, 6, 6, 6, 7) hanks in total.

If you want to make your own stripe sequence, you’ll need approximately 99 (105, 111, 117, 124, 129, 134, 140, 146, 152, 163, 174) yds / 90 (96, 102, 107, 113, 118, 123, 128, 134, 139, 149, 159) m each of 4 contrast colors, and 994 (1065, 1161, 1252, 1364, 1464, 1529, 1615, 1701, 1777, 1858, 2004) yds / 910 (976, 1062, 1147, 1248, 1338, 1398, 1478, 1554, 1624, 1699, 1834) m of MC.