Orchid is an easy-to-wear, comfortable sweater featuring a beautiful lace yoke knitted in a fingering weight yarn. The sweater is worked in the round from the bottom up, on reaching the armholes the body is put to one side, then the sleeves are knitted, then the body and sleeves are joined together and worked in one piece, in the round. Short row shaping is worked on the upper back section of the body ensuring the front neckline doesn’t sit too high. Once the short rows are completed the lace yoke is then worked. This simple, 12 stitch lace pattern creates a striking orchid petal outline. The body is unshaped, its finished length designed to sit roughly on the hip bone; however it can simply be knitted shorter or longer depending on the finished length preferred. To shorten the upper body, fewer rounds can be worked before commencing the lace yoke, avoiding any complicated changes.
Orchid is knitted using Excelana North, fingering weight, a soft, fingering weight 100% British wool, spun for us in nearby Yorkshire and dyed in-house at our Lake District studio. Orchid has been revisited for 2026 in a stunning new shade - Rhubarb - a beautiful shade of pink.

The pattern includes instructions for nine sizes between 28 inch (70cm) and 62 inch (156cm) chest and includes both written and charted instructions plus a comprehensive schematic diagram and sizing chart.

Yarn
Susan Crawford Excelana 4 Ply, 100% British wool
(159m/174yds per 50g skein)
5 (6, 7, 7, 8, 9, 10, 10, 11) skeins, shade ~Rhubarb

Suggested needles

Small needles:

3.25mm (US 3) circular needle (40-60cm in length)
3.25mm (US 3) circular needle (80-100cm in length)
Set of 3.25mm (US 3) DPNs

Large needles:

3.5mm (US 4) circular needle (40cm in length)
3.5mm (US4) circular needle (80-100cm in length)
Set of 3.5mm (US4) DPNs

Gauge
25 sts and 32 rounds = 10cm (4in) measured over stocking stitch, worked in the round.
We obtained this gauge using 3.5mm needles.

Notions
Waste yarn or stitch holders
Stitch markers

Techniques
Knitting in the round
Short row shaping
Following a chart
Knitting a lace pattern