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I seem to have a thing for naming my patterns after the places that inspired them or where I made them. This weekend I was at A’s parents in Peterborough and pulled out some Debbie Bliss yarn I’d been hoarding for the best part of the year. I sat down, determined to turn it into something, and low and behold- I give you the Peterborough Cold-Shoulder Sweater.

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I’ll admit, self-striping yarn isn’t my most favourite colourway. Can you even call it a colour way? Sometimes the stripes fall in the wrong places and you end up with weird breaks in your project so then you have to frog, cut and rejoin- which sort of defeats the purpose.

So with this in mind, I wanted something that would rock the asymmetry of self-striping yarn. Blocks was the first thing that came to mind- an irregular checkerboard effect. The yarn had varying shades of purple spaced between the white- perfect!

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will receive a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Notes:

The Peterborough Cold-Shoulder Sweater is worked in 2 identical panels, that you will join by sewing, before adding 2 arm pieces to. The arm pieces can be adjusted to be any size and there is no definitive ‘pattern’ for this section.

It’s super beginner-friendly, and I’ll be here every step of the way!

The RS is the side where the DC (US: SC) face the front.

The sizes for this pattern are Small, Medium, Large and XL and will be listed in this format below: S [M, L, XL]. Small is to fit bust 102cm, Medium to fit bust 110cm, Large to fit bust 117cm and XL to fit bust 132cm.

This pattern is written in UK terms. US terms are given in the Abbreviations section below.

Abbreviations:

Ch = Chain

Ch-sp = Chain space

DC = double crochet (US = single crochet)

TC = treble crochet (US = double crochet)

St = stitch

Sts = stitches

RS = right side

You will need:

• 5mm crochet hook (I use a KnitPro Waves one that you can purchase here – they’re my favourite!)
• 600-700m DK weight yarn. I used Debbie Bliss Rialto DK Print in Lavender
• A large-eye sewing needle to seam up your top and weave in those pesky ends!
• 4 stitch markers (optional)

Pattern:

Make 2.

Ch 67 [72, 77, 87].

Row 1: TC in 4th ch from hook (counts as 2TC). 1 TC in next 2ch. *Ch2. Sk next 2ch. 1TC in each of next 3ch. Repeat from * to * and TC in last ch.

Row 2: Ch 1. 1DC in each of first 4 TC from the row below. *2DC in ch-sp. 1DC in each of next 3 TC from the row below. Rep from * to * . 1DC in top of ch3 turning chain from row below. Turn.

Row 3: Ch 3 (counts as TC). 1TC in next 3 sts *Ch 2. Skip next 2 DC from row below. 1 TC in next 3 sts. Rep from * to *. TC in remaining st. Turn.

Row 4-37: repeat rows 2 & 3 or until desired length is reached (from hip to where you want the shoulder straps to start) but make sure you end on a odd numbered row (RS). Do not fasten off.

Place a stitch marker in the first and last stitches of this final row on both pieces.

Shoulder straps:

Left Side:

Row 1: Slst in 8 sts. Ch 1, DC in next 11 sts. Turn.

Row 2: Ch 5 (counts as TC + 2ch), skip next 2 DC from row below. 1 TC in next 3 sts. Skip next 2 DC from row below. 3 TC in remaining sts. Turn.

Row 3. Ch 1, DC in next 11 sts. Turn.

Rows 4 & 5: Repeat Rows 2 and 3.

Fasten off.

Right Side:

Rejoin yarn 19 sts in from the opposite side of final row (should be 19 sts before stitch marker).

Row 1: DC in next 11 sts. Turn.

Row 2: Ch3, TC in next 2sts, ch 2skip next 2 DC from the row below. 1 TC into next 3 sts. Skip next 2 DC from row below. TC in remaining st.

Sew shoulder seams and up sides from the bottom until the Slst section for the straps.

Join your yarn to any stitch marked with a stitch marker. Its opposite counterpart on the other piece should be right next to it. Making your cold shoulders you will chain in a multiple of 5 from one stitch marker to the next (making sure your arm will fit through the gap comfortably) and join to the other st marker.

You will then DC into each st and continue with the pattern outlined above. My cold shoulders were 21 rows long, ending with a DC row. Repeat this on the other side.

Fasten off and weave in any ends!

I’d love to see your finished Peterborough Cold-Shoulder, so make sure to tag me on Instagram #lovealyuk or @lovealyuk