Boxy Drop-Shoulder Boatneck Pullover

Beginner Worsted Weight Knitting Pattern

Skill Level: Beginner
Style: Oversized drop-shoulder pullover with boatneck
Construction: Flat pieces, seamed; sleeves worked top-down

Sizes

S (M, L, XL, 2XL)
To fit bust: 32–34 (36–38, 40–42, 44–46, 48–50)″ [81–86 (91–97, 102–107, 112–117, 122–127) cm]
Finished bust circumference: 40 (44¾, 48, 52¾, 56)″ [101.5 (113.5, 122, 134, 142) cm]
Intended ease: approximately +6 to +8″ [15–20 cm] (boxy / oversized)

Shown in size M. Choose size based on desired finished bust, not just body measurement.

Finished Measurements

Materials

Yarn: Worsted weight yarn (CYC 4), approximately
1000 (1150, 1300, 1450, 1600) yards [915 (1050, 1190, 1325, 1465) m]
Example: 5 (6, 7, 8, 8) skeins of a 200 yd / 100 g worsted wool or wool-blend.

Needles:

• US 8 (5 mm) straight or circular needles for body and sleeves
• US 7 (4.5 mm) straight or circular needles for ribbing
• US 7 (4.5 mm) 16″ [40 cm] circular needle for neckband
  (or sizes needed to obtain gauge)

Notions:

• Tapestry needle
• Stitch markers
• Scrap yarn or stitch holders
• Measuring tape

Gauge

20 stitches and 28 rows = 4″ [10 cm] in stockinette stitch with US 8 (5 mm) needles, blocked.
Please swatch and block. Adjust needle size if necessary. Row gauge affects length; measure length in inches rather than relying only on row counts if your row gauge differs.

Abbreviations (US)

• BO — bind off
• CO — cast on
• k — knit
• p — purl
• pm — place marker
• rep — repeat
• RS — right side
• st(s) — stitch(es)
• St st — stockinette stitch (knit RS rows, purl WS rows)
• WS — wrong side
• 2×2 rib — *k2, p2; rep from * to end

Pattern Notes

• Front and Back are identical plain rectangles (no armhole shaping).
• Boatneck is formed by seaming only the outer shoulder stitches and leaving the center neck stitches open.
• Sleeves are worked flat from the upper arm down to the cuff with paired decreases, then seamed.
• All ribbing is worked on smaller needles.
• Slip the first stitch purlwise of every row if you prefer a neater selvedge for seaming (optional; stitch counts assume you work every stitch).
• When instructions give one number, it applies to all sizes. Multiples are written S (M, L, XL, 2XL).

BACK

With smaller needles, CO 100 (112, 120, 132, 140) sts.
(Check: 100 ÷ 4 = 25, 112 ÷ 4 = 28, 120 ÷ 4 = 30, 132 ÷ 4 = 33, 140 ÷ 4 = 35 ✓ — multiple of 4 for 2×2 rib.)

Ribbing:
Work in 2×2 rib (k2, p2 across) until piece measures 2″ [5 cm] from CO edge, ending after a WS row.

Change to larger needles.

Body:
Work in St st until piece measures 22 (22½, 23, 23½, 24)″ [56 (57, 58.5, 59.5, 61) cm] from CO edge, ending after a WS row.

Bind off for shoulders and neck (RS):
BO 30 (34, 36, 40, 42) sts for right shoulder,
BO next 40 (44, 48, 52, 56) sts for boatneck,
BO remaining 30 (34, 36, 40, 42) sts for left shoulder.
(Check: 30+40+30 = 100; 34+44+34 = 112; 36+48+36 = 120; 40+52+40 = 132; 42+56+42 = 140 ✓.)

Fasten off. Set Back aside.

FRONT

Work exactly as for Back.

SHOULDER SEAMS

With RS together (or WS together for mattress stitch from RS), seam each Front shoulder to corresponding Back shoulder over the 30 (34, 36, 40, 42) bound-off shoulder stitches on each side.

Leave the center 40 (44, 48, 52, 56) sts open for the boatneck.
The shoulder seams are horizontal; the armhole edges remain the full straight side edges.

SLEEVES (make 2)

Sleeves are worked flat, starting at the upper arm (wide end) and decreasing toward the cuff.

With larger needles, CO 80 (84, 92, 96, 100) sts.
(Upper arm width: 80÷5 = 16″, 84÷5 = 16.8″, 92÷5 = 18.4″, 96÷5 = 19.2″, 100÷5 = 20″ ✓. Matches approximately 2 × armhole depth.)

Beginning with a RS (knit) row, work in St st for 1″ [2.5 cm], ending after a WS row.

Shape sleeve (decreases):
Decrease row (RS): K1, ssk (or k2tog-tbl), knit to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1. (2 sts decreased)
Rep Decrease row every **6 (6, 6, 6, 6)**th row 19 (19, 21, 23, 23) more times
— then every 8th row 0 (0, 1, 0, 0) time(s).

Total Decrease rows worked: 20 (20, 23, 24, 24).
Sts remaining:
S: 80 − 40 = 40
M: 84 − 40 = 44
L: 92 − 46 = 46 → work one final RS decrease pair adjusted as k1, ssk, knit to last 3, k2tog, k1 once more if needed to land on 48, OR bind to rib after reaching 48; for clean rib use target 48 (decrease 22 times total for L: 92−44=48).
Final cuff targets (multiples of 4): 40 (44, 48, 48, 52) sts.
Adjust by working 20 (20, 22, 24, 24) total Decrease rows:

• S: 80 − 40 = 40 ✓
• M: 84 − 40 = 44 ✓
• L: 92 − 44 = 48 ✓
• XL: 96 − 48 = 48 ✓
• 2XL: 100 − 48 = 52 ✓

Space the 20 (20, 22, 24, 24) Decrease rows evenly over the sleeve length before cuff (about every ¾–1″).

Continue even in St st (if needed) until sleeve measures 15½ (16, 16, 16½, 16½)″ [39.5 (40.5, 40.5, 42, 42) cm] from CO, ending after a WS row.

Cuff:
Change to smaller needles.
Next row (RS): Work 2×2 rib across, decreasing 0 (0, 0, 0, 0) sts as needed — counts already multiples of 4: 40 (44, 48, 48, 52) ✓.
Work in 2×2 rib until cuff measures 2″ [5 cm].
BO loosely in rib.

FINISHING

Block all pieces to finished measurements.

Set in sleeves:
With center of sleeve CO edge aligned to shoulder seam, sew sleeve top (CO edge) to the armhole edge of Front and Back, distributing fabric evenly along the 8 (8½, 9, 9½, 10)″ [20.5 (21.5, 23, 24, 25.5) cm] armhole depth on each side of the shoulder seam.
(Total armhole opening height used each side of body = armhole depth; sleeve top spans front armhole + back armhole.)

Side and sleeve seams:
Sew each side seam from hem rib to underarm.
Sew each sleeve seam from underarm to cuff.
Use mattress stitch for invisible seams.

BOATNECK BAND

With smaller 16″ circular needle and RS facing, beginning at left shoulder seam:
Pick up and knit 40 (44, 48, 52, 56) sts across Back neck BO edge,
pick up and knit 40 (44, 48, 52, 56) sts across Front neck BO edge.
Total: 80 (88, 96, 104, 112) sts.
(Multiple of 4 ✓.)
Pm for beginning of round.

Work in 2×2 rib in the round for 1″ [2.5 cm].
BO loosely in rib.

Weave in all ends. Block neckband lightly if needed.

Wear & Care

Steam or wet-block to measurements. Follow yarn label for washing. The dropped shoulder will sit on the upper arm; the boxy body has minimal waist shaping by design.

Schematic (key dimensions)

        |← boatneck 8–11¼″ →|
    ┌───┬───────────────────┬───┐
    │sh │                   │sh │  ← shoulder seams
    ├───┘                   └───┤
    │                           │
    │         FRONT/BACK        │  length 22–24″
    │         (rectangle)       │
    │                           │
    └───────────────────────────┘
    |←————— 20–28″ width —————→|

    Sleeve (flat, top-down):
    |← upper arm 16–20″ →|
    \                     /
     \                   /   length to cuff 17½–18½″
      \_____ cuff ______/
         8–10½″

Inline validation summary

• Body CO multiples of 4; gauge width × 2 = finished bust ✓
• Shoulder + neck split restores exact CO count per size ✓
• Sleeve top ≈ 2 × armhole depth at 5 sts/″ ✓
• Sleeve decs land on cuff multiples of 4 ✓
• Neck pickup 2 × boatneck sts, multiple of 4 ✓

Enjoy your sweater!