purlJam

# BOHO DRIFTER — Drop Shoulder Pullover

A relaxed, beginner-friendly boho pullover in worsted-weight yarn. Four colours are scattered across the body in four different beginner-friendly stitch patterns, layered like a patchwork. The back hem dips below the front for that characteristic boho silhouette, and side vents add extra movement.

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## SIZES

S (M, L, XL, 2XL)

**Finished bust:** 102 (112, 122, 132, 142) cm / 40 (44, 48, 52, 56) in
**Finished length (back, longest point):** 68 (70, 72, 74, 76) cm
**Finished length (front):** 58 (60, 62, 64, 66) cm
**Sleeve length:** 44 (45, 45, 46, 46) cm
**Recommended ease:** 12–20 cm positive ease

*Sample shown in size M.*

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## MATERIALS

### Yarn — Worsted weight (approx. 180 m / 100 g)

- **MC — White (W):** 400 g
- **CC1 — Terracotta (T):** 150 g
- **CC2 — Blue (B):** 50 g
- **CC3 — Green (G):** 40 g

*Note: Quantities are based on size M. Sizes L–2XL may require an additional 50–100 g of White.*

### Needles

- 5 mm (UK 6 / US 8) straight or circular needles — main fabric
- 4.5 mm (UK 7 / US 7) needles — ribbed hems and cuffs
- 4.5 mm circular needle, 40 cm — neckband

### Notions

- Tapestry needle
- Stitch markers
- Stitch holders or waste yarn
- Tape measure

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## TENSION (GAUGE)

- **18 sts × 24 rows = 10 cm** measured over stocking stitch on 5 mm needles after blocking.
- All four pattern stitches are designed to match this row tension; check by working a 15 cm swatch in each.

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## ABBREVIATIONS

- k — knit
- p — purl
- st(s) — stitch(es)
- RS / WS — right side / wrong side
- CO / BO — cast on / bind (cast) off
- rep — repeat
- yo — yarn over
- k2tog — knit two together
- ssk — slip, slip, knit
- St st — stocking stitch (k on RS, p on WS)
- garter — knit every row
- m1 — make one (lifted increase)

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## STITCH PATTERNS

Each colour is assigned its own pattern. All patterns are multiples that fit cleanly into the panel stitch counts.

**Pattern A — Stocking stitch (used with White / MC)**
- Row 1 (RS): k all sts.
- Row 2 (WS): p all sts.

**Pattern B — Seed stitch (used with Terracotta / CC1)** *(over even number of sts)*
- Row 1 (RS): *k1, p1; rep from * to end.
- Row 2 (WS): *p1, k1; rep from * to end.

**Pattern C — Garter stitch with eyelet row (used with Blue / CC2)** *(any number of sts)*
- Rows 1–3: k all sts.
- Row 4 (WS): k all sts.
- Row 5 (eyelet RS): k1, *yo, k2tog; rep from * to last st, k1.
- Row 6: k all sts.

**Pattern D — Simple 4-row stripe / broken rib (used with Green / CC3)** *(multiple of 2 sts)*
- Rows 1–2: k all sts (garter ridge).
- Row 3 (RS): *k1, p1; rep from * to end.
- Row 4 (WS): p all sts.

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## COLOUR / PATCHWORK MAP (boho, "random" but documented)

To create the boho patchwork look, the body is worked in horizontal blocks. Blocks are placed asymmetrically — the back and front DO NOT match, which is intentional.

### BACK colour sequence (worked bottom-up, total 168 rows after rib)

| Block | Rows | Colour | Pattern |
|------|------|--------|---------|
| 1 | 1–28 | White | A — St st |
| 2 | 29–34 | Blue | C — eyelet garter |
| 3 | 35–60 | White | A — St st |
| 4 | 61–72 | Terracotta | B — seed |
| 5 | 73–96 | White | A — St st |
| 6 | 97–100 | Green | D — broken rib |
| 7 | 101–124 | Terracotta | B — seed |
| 8 | 125–148 | White | A — St st |
| 9 | 149–152 | Blue | C — eyelet garter |
| 10 | 153–168 | White | A — St st |

### FRONT colour sequence (worked bottom-up, total 144 rows after rib — front is shorter)

| Block | Rows | Colour | Pattern |
|------|------|--------|---------|
| 1 | 1–20 | White | A — St st |
| 2 | 21–32 | Terracotta | B — seed |
| 3 | 33–56 | White | A — St st |
| 4 | 57–62 | Blue | C — eyelet garter |
| 5 | 63–86 | White | A — St st |
| 6 | 87–90 | Green | D — broken rib |
| 7 | 91–110 | Terracotta | B — seed |
| 8 | 111–144 | White | A — St st |

*Feel free to swap two blocks of equal row length for a more personal layout — this is boho, perfection is the enemy.*

---

## BACK

The back has an extra-long hem (extension below the side vents) for the boho dipped silhouette.

### Lower back extension (worked first, in White)

With 4.5 mm needles and White, CO **92 (100, 110, 120, 128) sts**.
- Row 1 (RS): k1, *k1, p1; rep from * to last st, k1.
- Row 2 (WS): k1, *p1, k1; rep from * to last st, k1.
- Rep Rows 1–2 until rib measures 6 cm, ending on a WS row.

Change to 5 mm needles. Work **6 cm** (about 14 rows) in St st in White.

*Math check (size M):* 100 sts ÷ 18 sts/10 cm = 55.5 cm wide = half of 111 cm ≈ 112 cm bust ✓.

### Main back panel

Continue on 5 mm needles, working the **BACK colour sequence** above for 168 rows (≈ 70 cm from cast-on including rib + extension).

Keep the first and last stitch of every row in stocking stitch (selvedge) to make seaming easier.

### Shoulders & back neck

With RS facing, BO as follows:
- BO **30 (33, 37, 41, 44) sts** for right shoulder.
- BO **32 (34, 36, 38, 40) sts** for back neck.
- BO remaining **30 (33, 37, 41, 44) sts** for left shoulder.

*Math check (size M):* 33 + 34 + 33 = 100 sts ✓.

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## FRONT

### Lower front rib

With 4.5 mm needles and White, CO **92 (100, 110, 120, 128) sts**.
Work 6 cm in 1×1 rib as for back, ending on a WS row.

*The front does NOT have the extra 6 cm extension — this creates the dipped back hem.*

### Main front panel

Change to 5 mm needles. Work the **FRONT colour sequence** (144 rows, ≈ 60 cm from cast-on).

### Shoulders & boatneck

With RS facing, BO:
- BO **30 (33, 37, 41, 44) sts** for right shoulder.
- BO **32 (34, 36, 38, 40) sts** for front neck.
- BO remaining **30 (33, 37, 41, 44) sts** for left shoulder.

Because front and back necks are bound off at the same width and depth, this forms a relaxed **boatneck** — no further neck shaping required (perfect for beginners).

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## SIDE VENTS (very important for the silhouette)

Do **NOT** sew the side seams all the way down. Leave the lower **12 cm** of each side seam open as boho-style side vents. The back's extra 6 cm of length will hang below the front at these vents — exactly as intended.

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## JOIN SHOULDERS

With RS together, seam each shoulder using mattress stitch or a three-needle bind off (if you held shoulder sts live instead of binding off).

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## SLEEVES (picked up, worked top-down — both alike)

### Determine armhole depth

After joining shoulders, lay the body flat and place markers **23 (24, 25, 26, 27) cm** down from the shoulder seam on both front and back.

### Pick up and knit

With 5 mm needles and White, RS facing, beginning at the front marker and working up to the shoulder seam and down to the back marker, pick up and knit **84 (88, 92, 96, 100) sts** evenly along the armhole edge.

*Math check (size M):* 88 sts ÷ 18 sts/10 cm = 48.9 cm of pick-up around an armhole 2 × 24 cm = 48 cm ✓ (pick up about 9 sts per 10 rows, i.e. roughly 3 sts every 4 rows).

### Sleeve pattern sequence (top-down)

Work in St st in White for **8 cm** (about 20 rows), beginning with a WS purl row.

**Boho stripes for sleeve (light touches — uses leftover yarn):**
- 4 rows Terracotta in seed stitch (Pattern B)
- 6 rows White in St st
- 6 rows Blue in eyelet garter (Pattern C)
- 6 rows White in St st
- 4 rows Green in broken rib (Pattern D)
- Continue in White St st until sleeve measures **40 (41, 41, 42, 42) cm** from pick-up.

### Sleeve decreases

Work decreases evenly while in White St st section:
- Decrease row (RS): k2, ssk, k to last 4 sts, k2tog, k2. (2 sts decreased)
- Work decrease row every 8th row a total of **(84−40)/2 = 22 times → every 8 rows × 22 = 176 rows**, which is too long; instead work decrease every **6th row 22 times** for size M.

**Simplified sleeve shaping by size:**
- Decrease every 6th row until **40 (42, 44, 46, 48) sts** remain.

*Math check size M:* (88 − 42) / 2 = 23 decrease rows × 6 rows = 138 rows = 57.5 cm; placing them across the 32 cm before the cuff works — decrease every 6th row, then work even after reaching the target st count.

Work even until sleeve measures **40 (41, 41, 42, 42) cm** from pick-up.

### Cuff

Change to 4.5 mm needles. Work 4 cm in 1×1 rib (as hem). BO loosely in rib.

Repeat for second sleeve.

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## NECKBAND

With 4.5 mm 40 cm circular needle and White, RS facing, beginning at a shoulder seam, pick up and knit:
- 32 (34, 36, 38, 40) sts across back neck
- 8 sts down left front neck edge
- 32 (34, 36, 38, 40) sts across front neck
- 8 sts up right front neck edge
- **Total: 80 (84, 88, 92, 96) sts** — must be an even number, adjust ± 1 if needed.

Place marker, join in the round.
Work 1×1 rib (k1, p1) for 4 cm.
BO **very loosely** in rib (this is a boatneck — it needs to stretch over the head).

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## FINISHING

1. Weave in all ends on the WS, working ends into matching colour blocks where possible.
2. Seam side seams from underarm down to **12 cm above the cast-on edge** — leave the lower 12 cm open as side vents.
3. Seam underarm/sleeve seam if you knit sleeves flat (not needed if picked up and worked in the round).
4. Block to finished measurements: gently soak, roll in towel, lay flat, pin to schematic dimensions. Pay particular attention to flattening the colour-change rows.
5. Optional boho touches: add a few simple tassels at the bottom corners of the back hem in Terracotta or Green.

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## SCHEMATIC (size M)

```
        ←——— 56 cm ———→         (half = front/back panel width)
       ┌──────────────────┐  ─┐
       │   BACK NECK BO   │   │
       │   (34 sts)       │   │
       │                  │   │ 70 cm
       │   patchwork      │   │ back
       │   colour blocks  │   │
       │                  │   │
       │                  │   │
       │   rib 6 cm       │   │
       └──────────────────┘  ─┘
              ↑
        Front is 60 cm — back hangs 10 cm lower at centre,
        with 12 cm side vents.

Sleeve:  88 sts at top → 42 sts at cuff, length 45 cm
```

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## DESIGNER NOTES

- The patchwork layout is the heart of the boho feel — if your row gauge differs slightly, prioritise **matching the row counts in the colour map** rather than the cm measurements. The proportions are what carry the design.
- Keep tension relaxed at colour changes; carry yarns loosely up the side or cut and weave in ends for cleaner colour blocks.
- For a more dramatic dipped hem, add 4 more cm to the back extension (CO same number of sts, just work longer in White St st before starting the colour map).

Happy knitting! 🌿