The Toulouse Sweater, Free Pattern

The Inspiration

I rarely knit patterns for men. I confess that my first knittings were not always successful, and I didn't feel proud enough to offer something that wasn't well-executed according to my standards.

So, the majority of my creations were for myself...

I changed my tune recently by knitting a cardigan using a Drops pattern for my partner. Seeing how much he loved it, I thought I was ready to try the experience of creating a pattern completely for him.

I surveyed him, showed him several patterns, and those that caught his eye the most were textured patterns. So, I decided to create a pattern for him based on his preferences, with the stitches he liked the most. Thanks to my faithful companion, the book "750 Knitting Stitches, the Ultimate Knit Stitch Bible" by St Martin's Griffin, and a bit of online research, I proposed a substantial sample of a combination of horizontal patterns, diamonds, and zigzags that he approved.

The significant advantage of this pattern is that it could easily be unisex with its basic shape and textured patterns. Alright, let's get started!

The Pattern

The pattern is worked in the round from bottom to top for the front and back. The sleeves and collar are picked up in the round from the body stitches, and the sleeves are initially worked back and forth with short rows, then in the round. The collar is made with an integrated hem and is finished with elastic to maintain the opening's elasticity. The pattern is available in S/M/L/XL/XXL/XXXL sizes.

Material :1800 / 2000 / 2100 / 2300 / 2500 / 2700 meters or 1969 / 2183 / 2296 / 2515 / 2734 / 2952 yards of yarn. For substitutions, I recommend choosing a main material with structure, such as yak or alpaca blended with wool.

Needles: Circular and double-pointed needles 5mm/US8 and 3.5mm/US4 or equivalent to achieve the correct gauge.

Gauge 10X10 cm or 4x4in: 21 stitches X 28 rows

Finished size: see diagram.

Abbreviations: see diagram.

The Instructions

THE BODY:

Cast on 196 / 212 / 224 / 248 / 272 / 296 stitches with the 3,5/US4 circular needle.
Place a marker at the beginning of the round.
Next, knit one round in stockinette stitch, then in 2/2 ribbing for 5 cm/2 inches, approximately 15 rounds.
Switch to the 5mm/US8 needle, distributing 40 / 40 / 48 / 60 / 68 / 72 decreases, totaling 156 / 172 / 176 / 188 / 204 / 224 stitches.
Continue following the Base Stitch A (see diagram) for 39 / 43 / 44 / 47 / 51 / 56 repeats in width.
Continue in this way until the pattern measures 15 / 16 / 17 / 18 / 19 / 20 cm or 5.9 / 6.3 / 6.7 / 7.1 / 7.5 / 7.9 in.
Work one round in purl, one round in knit, and finally, one round in purl = 3 rounds.
Continue following the Diamond Pattern B (see diagram) for 39 / 43 / 44 / 47 / 51 / 56 repeats in width.
Make one repeat of the pattern.
Knit one round in stockinette, one round in purl = 2 rounds.
Knit one round in stockinette, distributing 3 / 2 / 6 / 1 / 0 / 3 decreases, totaling 153 / 170 / 170 / 187 / 204 / 221 stitches.
Knit one round in purl.
Continue following the Zigzag Pattern C (see diagram) for 9 / 10 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 répétions en largeur.
Complete one pattern repeat.
Knit one round in stockinette, one round in purl = 2 rounds.
Knit one round in stockinette, distributing 7 / 6 / 6/ 5 / 4 / 3 increases, totaling 160 / 176 / 176/ 192 / 208 / 224 stitches.
Knit one round in purl.
Continue following the Horizontal Pattern D (see diagram) for 24 / 26 / 27 / 30 / 32 / 35 repeats in width.
Complete one pattern repeat.
Knit one round in stockinette, one round in purl, and finally, one round in stockinette = 3 rounds.
Place a marker in the middle of the round: 80 / 88 / 88/ 96 / 104 / 112 for the front and the same for the back.
Work the next round in purl and cast off8 / 10 / 7/ 6 / 8 / 7 stitches on each side to create the armholes.
The front and back are now worked separately, leaving the 80 / 88 / 88/ 96 / 104 / 112 back stitches on hold. You should have 42 / 43 / 44/ 45 / 46 / 47 cm or 16.5 / 16.9 / 17.3/ 17.7 / 18.1 / 18.5 in from the bottom.

THE FRONT:

Continue following the Base Stitch A (see diagram) on the80 / 88 / 88/ 96 / 104 / 112 front stitches, equal to 20 / 22 / 22 / 24 / 26 / 58 repeats in width.
For the shoulders, when the work measures 18 / 18 / 19/ 20 / 21 / 21 cm or 7.1 / 7.1 / 7.5/ 7.9 / 8.3 / 8.3 in from the armholes, put the central 22 / 26 / 26/ 26 / 28 / 28 stitches on hold on a thread for the neckline and finish each shoulder separately.
For the neckline, decrease 4 4 / 4 / 4/ 4 / 5 / 5 stitches every row on the right side.
At the SAME TIME, for the shoulders, when the work measures20 / 21 / 22/ 23 / 25 / 26 cm ou 7.9 / 8.3 / 8.7/ 9 / 9.9 / 10.2 in from the armholes, put on hold 4 times 4 / 4 / 4/ 5 / 5 / 6 stitches every 2 rows, then the last 9 / 11 / 11/ 11 / 13 / 13 stitches.
Knit all these held stitches with one row of stockinette and bind off.
Repeat for the other shoulder.
The front measures 66 / 68 / 70/ 72 / 76 / 78 cm or 26 / 26.8 / 27.6/ 28.3 / 29.9 / 30.7 in.

THE BACK:

Continue following the Base Stitch A (see diagram) on the 80 / 88 / 88/ 96 / 104 / 112 front stitches, equal to 20 / 22 / 22 / 24 / 26 / 58 repeats in width.
For the shoulders, when the work measures 20 / 21 / 22/ 23 / 25 / 26 cm or 7.9 / 8.3 / 8.7/ 9 / 9.9 / 10.2 in from the armholes, put on hold 4 times 4 / 4 / 4/ 5 / 5 / 6 stitches every 2 rows, then the last 9 / 11 / 11/ 11 / 13 / 13 stitches.
At the SAME TIME, for the neckline, when the work measures 21 / 22 / 23/ 24 / 26 / 27 cm or 8.3 / 8.7 / 9/ 9.9 / 10.2 / 10.7in from the armholes, put the central 26 / 30 / 30/ 30 / 34 / 34 stitches on hold on a thread for the neckline and finish each shoulder separately. Bind off 1 time 3 stitches and 2 times 1 stitch every 2 rows.
Repeat for the other shoulder.
The back measures 66 / 68 / 70/ 72 / 76 / 78 cm or 26 / 26.8 / 27.6/ 28.3 / 29.9 / 30.7 in.

THE SLEEVES:

Assemble the shoulder seams.
With the 5mm/US8 circular needle, pick up 36 / 37 / 39 / 41 / 43 / 44 stitches between the front and the body, and the same between the back and the body = 72 / 74 / 78 / 82 / 86 / 88 stitches. Place a marker under the arm (beginning of the round) and one in the middle of the round (marker for short rows).
From here, work back and forth, applying Base Stitch A.
Right side: Knit until 2 stitches after the short row marker, turn.
Wrong side: Knit until 2 stitches after the short row marker, turn.
Right side: Knit until 2 stitches after the last wrapped stitch (4 stitches after the marker), turn.
Wrong side: Knit until 2 stitches after the last wrapped stitch (4 stitches after the marker), turn.
Right side: Knit until 2 stitches after the last wrapped stitch (6 stitches after the marker), turn.
Wrong side: Knit until 2 stitches after the last wrapped stitch (6 stitches after the marker), turn.
Continue to knit the sleeve cap with short rows like this until the entire round is worked.
Continue on the right side and work one round still following pattern A.
Make 0 / 2 / 0/ 4 / 2 / 4 decreases on the next round, totaling 72 / 72 / 78/ 78 / 84 / 84 stitches.
Work one round in purl, one round in knit, and finally, one round in purl = 3 rounds.
Continue following the Horizontal Pattern D (see diagram) for12 / 12 / 13/ 13 / 14 / 14 repeats in width.
When the sleeve measures 5 / 3 / 4/ 5 / 6 / 8 cm or 2 / 1.2 / 1.6/ 2 / 2.4 / 3.1 in from the underarm marker, decrease 2 stitches under the arm by knitting two stitches together before the underarm marker and performing a simple decrease after the marker. Decrease a total of 14 / 15 / 15/ 17 / 17 / 18 times, all every 3 / 3/ 3/ 2.5 / 2.5 / 2.5 cm or 1.2 / 1.2/ 1.2/ 1 / 1 / 1 cm = 44 / 44 / 48/ 48 / 52 / 52 stitches.
When Horizontal Pattern D is complete, knit one round in stockinette, one round in purl, and finally, one round in stockinette = 3 rounds.
Continue following Zigzag Pattern C (see diagram).
Knit one round in stockinette, one round in purl, and finally, one round in stockinette = 3 rounds.
Continue following Diamond Pattern B (see diagram).
Knit one round in stockinette, one round in purl, and finally, one round in stockinette = 3 rounds.
Finally, switch to Base Stitch A (see diagram).
Knit until the sleeve measures 52 / 50 / 51/ 50 / 49 / 48 cm or 20.5 / 19.7 / 20.1/ 19.7 / 19.3 / 18.9 in from the underarm marker.
Knit 1 right side round, distributing 8 increases = 52 / 52 / 56/ 56 / 60 / 60 stitches.
Switch to 3.5mm/US4 double-pointed needles and continue in 2/2 ribbing for 5 cm or 2 in.
Bind off. The sleeve measures approximately 57 / 55 / 56/ 55 / 54 / 53 cm or 22.4 / 21.7 / 22/ 21.7 / 21.3 / 20.9 in from the underarm.
Make the other sleeve in the same way.
Close the underarm seam.

THE NECK:

Starting from the center back, with the small 3.5mm/US4 circular needle, pick up80 / 96 / 96/ 104 / 112 / 112 stitches, including the held stitches.
Knit in 2/2 ribbing for 10 rounds.
Work one wrong side row.
Knit in 2/2 ribbing for 10 rounds.
Weave in the collar and sew it inside loosely. It's possible to add an elastic inside the seam before closing to maintain the elasticity of the collar over time.

And there you have it, a beautiful homemade textured sweater!

Perfect for a walk in the forest or staying warm at home!

Don't forget to tag me on Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok with the hashtags #terrifiknits and #ToulouseSweater or #PullToulouse once you're finished, or add this project to your Ravelry ! Can't wait to see your version!