A Dehesa (Spanish pronunciation: de’esa) is a Mediterranean forest, typical of south and central Spain and southern Portugal, consisting mainly of oaks, holm oaks and cork oaks. But the Dehesa is way more than just an oak grove; it is a cultural landscape, with centuries of history, the very soul and sustenance for its people and their villages. For centuries its people have obtained from this land a wide variety of products, such as honey, mushrooms, cork and firewood. For us, fellow Knitters, the Dehesa is a gift: millions of sheep of various breeds graze there, including the famous merino breed, which we must thank one of the most appreciated wools in the world (you can read more about this famous wool in my blog).

La Dehesa is a unique and beautiful landscape with history and traditions, which truly speaks of us and the land, of the effort to thrive, of our bond with nature. This pattern is inspired by this landscape of healthy air, wool and centuries-old trees, covered with a carpet of acorns and oak leaves.

Dehesa sweater is a circular yoke that is worked seamlessly from the top down. The neck is worked first, after that, several series of short rows are used for a comfortable and beautifully shaped finish.
The yoke is shaped with increases that are evenly distributed around the entire circumference of the upper body, followed by several raglan rows.
Sleeves are then placed on hold and the body is worked toward the hem. The sleeve stitches are then placed on the needles again and worked in the round toward the cuffs.
The top is relaxed fit and as it is knitted top-down lengths are easily adaptable.
Beginners friendly as you only work with 2 colors at a time.
Please note that the stranded pattern is charted only.

Please, read carefully the whole pattern before you start knitting. As the pattern gives detailed calculation for all sizes, I recommend to highlight all numbers related to your size in order to have an easy overview of the pattern.

Sizes 1 (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
Bust circumference of the finished sweater: 80 (90, 100, 110, 120, 130, 140) cm / 31½ (35½, 39¼ , 43¼ , 47¼ , 51¼ , 55)’’. The sweater is designed to be worn with approximately 5 cm / 2’’ of positive ease.
Model has 85 cm / 33½’’ bust, stands 164 cm / 64½’’ and is wearing size 2.

Yarn
La Madrilana by DLana (Spanish merino wool) 100g = 450 m (light fingering weight yarn)
Sample shown in:
MC - Humus 008 — 1156 (1314, 1515, 1673, 1904, 2127, 2301) meters / 1265 (1438, 1657, 1830, 208, 2327, 2517) yards
CC - Natural 001 — 159 (181, 208, 230, 262, 293, 317) meters / 174 (198, 228, 252, 287, 321, 347) yards

Needles
3,25 mm / US 3 circular needle 24”/60 cm or 32”/80 cm and 3 mm / US 3 circular or dpns suitable for working small circumferences in the round (sleeves) 3 mm / US 2½ circular needle 24”/60 cm or 32”/80 cm for ribbing

Gauge
26 sts x 40 rows — 10 cm / 4’’ in stockinette with 3,25 mm / US 3 needles, after blocking.
26 sts x 40 rows — 10 cm / 4’’ in colorwork with 3,25 mm / US 3 needles, after blocking.

Notions
4 stitch markers (1 different for BOR) • waste yarn for holding the sleeve stitches • tapestry needle to weave in the yarn ends