From ‘Knitting Out of Africa’: The pieced checkerboard fabric that inspired this sweater design (and hence its name) comes from Sierra Leone. The strip-look pattern in the sweater is achieved through wide bands of intarsia colour blocks that repeat in an offset arrangement. The striped pattern is punctuated with garter-stitch slip-stitch motifs bordered with narrow bands of contrasting colours that echo the accent motifs in the woven fabric. A contrasting facing finishes off the inside of the mock-turtleneck collar.

FINISHED CHEST/BUST CIRCUMFERENCE: 43 (47, 52)”/ 109 (119.5, 132) cm

YARN REQUIREMENTS: Fingering-weight (CYCA Super Fine #1) yarn, appr. 250 (275, 300) g each of two colours held together for main colour (MC), 50 (60, 75) g each of two colours held together for contrasting colour (CC), 10 – 12 yd (m) each of 6 to 8 colours for accent stripes (A) and 35 yd (m) extra of one accent colour for neckband facing.

Tvinni Alpaca (MC) - 1674 yds / 1530 m / 3 skeins for all sizes and (CC) 558 yds / 510 m / 1 skein for all sizes.

Spinni (MC) – 2001 yds / 1830 m / 3 skeins for all sizes and (CC) 667 yds / 610 m / 1 skein for all sizes.

SHOWN IN: MC - Isager Tvinni Alpaca #100 navy and Isager Spinni #101 thunder blue. CC – Isager Tvinni Alpaca #0 natural white and Isager Spinni #2s light gray heather.

Accent colours A include Tvinni Alpaca and Spinni in #7s taupe heather, #16 teal, #24s orange heather, #25s plum heather, #39s peach heather, #43s olive heather and #52s dusty rose heather.

NOTE: 1 strand each of Tvinni Alpaca and Spinni held together are used for MC and in some CC areas. The accent colour areas A use different combinations of 2 strands held together.

NEEDLES REQUIRED: US 2 (3.0mm) and 4 (3.5 mm): 16” / 40cm and 24” / 60 cm circular needles.

NOTIONS: optional yarn bobbins for working intarsia.

CHARTS INCLUDED: 1 colourwork chart and instructions on working intarsia knitting.