A woman with long brown hair, wearing a mustard yellow hand knit brioche sweater and jeans, stands outdoors against a wooden door and adobe wall, holding a black hat and looking to her right.
A woman wearing a vest and hand knitted textured sweater standing against a light orange adobe wall with painted roadrunner images, two windows with teal frames, and a small opening in the roof, in a sunny outdoor setting.
A woman with brown hair wearing a mustard yellow hand knit brioche and garter stitch sweater with turquoise rings standing in front of a teal door.
Person wearing a mustard yellow chunky knit brioche sweater with long sleeves and a round neck, paired with blue denim jeans that have prominent stitching and a button closure, with their left hand resting in the pocket.
A woman with long brown hair wearing a black hat, yellow hand knit brioche sweater, blue jeans with rolled-up cuffs, beige boots, and colorful socks, sitting on a stone step in front of a rustic wooden door with metal bars.

Sunstone Sweater

I FOUND THE SPARK for this design in an Oregon thrift shop while visiting my friend Jamie. Tucked among racks of threadbare t-shirts and well-worn flannel shirts was a chunky weight vintage sweater that combined brioche, garter stitch, and ribbing in an unusually beautiful way. I passed it up­—but couldn’t stop thinking about it. When I got home, I began experimenting with those textures myself, seeking that same balance of boldness and elegance.

The result is the Sunstone Pullover—a sweater that feels both grounded and luminous, cozy yet refined. Its raglan construction and inter-connecting brioche lines create a fabric that’s full of depth and movement.

  • Design: The Sunstone Pullover is a boxy raglan sweater that blends texture and shape for bold visual impact. The front and back body are worked in plush brioche, with strategic yoke decreases forming elegant diagonal lines that converge into a striking center-front “V.” The deep yoke adds drama and balance to the silhouette, while the sleeves feature traditional tapered shaping in chunky garter stitch to echo the dimensionality of the brioche. A close-fitting neckband, along with 2x2 ribbing at the hem and cuffs, finishes the design with a polished, modern edge.

    Construction: This sweater is knit seamlessly from the top down in the round. Stitches are cast on at the top of the neckband, which is worked first. Short rows shape the back neck for a comfortable fit. Once the yoke is complete, sleeve stitches are placed on hold while the body is knit. The sleeves are then returned to the needles and finished in the round.

    Fit: This garment is designed to be worn with 4 to 10 in. (10 to 20 cm) of positive ease in the body. To determine your ideal size, begin by measuring your upper bust (just under the arms, above the full bust). Then add your desired amount of ease and select the size with a finished chest circumference closest to that total. If you are new to choosing a garment size based on your upper bust, One Wild Designs has an excellent blog post that walks you through the process.

    If you find yourself between sizes, I recommend choosing your size based on the upper arm circumference. Because the shoulders and sleeves are more tailored compared to the body, choosing your size based the sleeve fit will ensure you maintain the intended silhouette without feeling like the arms are too tight!

    Yarn: The yarn estimates provided in this pattern are approximations, calculated to allow for both a sizable swatch and the sweater, with a small margin of error. Your actual yarn usage may vary based on factors such as your personal gauge, the yarn’s characteristics (e.g., fiber content, ply, thickness), and any modifications you make to the pattern.

  • SIZES
    (1, 2, 3)(4, 5, 6)(7, 8, 9)

    FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
    Finished Chest Circumference
    (38.75, 42.75, 48)(52, 57.25, 61.25)(66.75, 70.75, 76) in.
    (97, 107, 120)(130, 143, 153)(167, 177, 190) cm

    Finished Upper Arm Circumference
    (12, 13.25, 14.25)(15, 16.5, 18.25)(19.5, 21.25, 22.75) in.
    (30, 33, 35.5)(37.5, 41.5, 45.5)(49, 53, 57) cm

    This sweater is designed to be worn 4 to 10 in. (10 to 20 cm) of positive ease in the body. The sample is shown in Size 1, worn with 7.75 in. (19.5 cm) of positive ease, in the full length version on a woman who is 5 ft 8 in. (173 cm) tall. See the note above on fit for more information about choosing the right size for you!

  • YARN
    Worsted weight
    Cropped Length
    (505, 565, 640)(675, 775, 855)(875, 960, 1085) g/(1105, 1235, 1400)(1480, 1695, 1870)(1915, 2100, 2375) yds or (1010, 1130, 1280)(1355, 1550, 1710)(1750, 1920, 2170) m

    Full Length
    (555, 620, 705)(735, 845, 930)(955, 1045, 1180) g/(1215, 1360, 1545)(1610, 1850, 2035)(2090, 2290, 2585) yds or (1110, 1245, 1415)(1470, 1690, 1860)(1910, 2095, 2365) m

    SUGGESTED YARN
    Magpie Fibers Nest Worsted (100 g/210 yds (192 m)) – 100% non-superwash Corriedale
    Cropped Length
    (5, 6, 7)(7, 8, 9)(9, 10, 11) skeins
    Full Length
    (6, 7, 8)(8, 9, 10)(10, 11, 12) skeins

    The sample sweater is knit in the colorway Twilight Honey.

  • Needle A (body): US 6 (4 mm)
    Needle B (ribbing): US 5 (3.75 mm)

    For each needle size, you will need circular needles measuring 24 in. (60 cm) to 50 in. (125 cm), depending on the finished chest circumference of your chosen size and your preferred method for smaller circumference knitting (such as magic loop, short circular needles, or double-pointed needles).

  • Measure gauge on Needle A in the round, after blocking.

    12 sts and 42 rows = 4 in. (10 cm) in 1x1 brioche
    18 sts and 46 rows = 4 in. (10 cm) in modified garter stitch

  • Knitting
    Purling
    Increasing
    Decreasing
    Raglan yoke construction
    Top-down construction
    Knitting in the round
    Tubular cast-on
    German short rows
    Brioche
    Garter stitch
    Backwards loop cast-on
    Picking up stitches
    Tubular bind-off

Purchase the Sunstone Sweater pattern on Ravelry