Kintra Sweater Knitting Review: My Experience with This Stunning Pattern

I just completed the Kintra Sweater by Thecreabea! I saw this design all over my Instagram last month, and I knew it had to be my next project. This was my first time casting on a full yoke sweater, which made me a bit intimidated; however, the beautiful 1x1 colourwork sections compelled me to try it, offering endless colour combinations. The pattern includes two versions: one for DK weight and another for 4-ply yarn. Since spring is approaching, I opted to knit with the 4-ply yarn, making this my first 4-ply sweater as well. No pressure, right?

For the colourwork, I wanted to create a mix of autumnal colours, with each colour contrasting the previous one. This approach produces a gorgeous pattern effect and gives it a folk aesthetic. The pattern provides blank charts for designing the colourwork sections before you start knitting. Although I initially attempted to follow these charts, I eventually decided to make up the pattern as I went along. I prefer not to work from colourwork charts, as I wanted the overall design to feel random.

The colours pop in the sun.

As I had never worked a full yoke pattern before, I was uncertain about how and when to increase. Thankfully, the pattern is well-written with clear instructions. During the increase rows, I added some stitch markers to identify these sections, but the markers kept catching on the rest of the knitting. I eventually abandoned them and just counted the rows instead.

I found the colourwork sections quite time-consuming. As an English-style knitter, I usually flick the yarn over, but colourwork requires me to set each colour down to pick up the next one, which slowed me down. I figured out how to hold each colour in a separate hand, knitting one colour continental-style and the other English-style, which sped things up a bit. However, this adjustment did slightly mess up my tension.

Once I finished the colourwork, the pattern called for short rows and some raglan increases around the arm sections, which improved the overall fit. I know that with some yokes, the fit can look and feel strange. The body of the sweater was worked in plain stockinette, which took a while with the 4-ply yarn. However, I managed to finish the whole jumper in around three weeks, which was much faster than I expected.

Overall, the Kintra Sweater has been a super fun knit with clear instructions and easy construction, making it a great beginner-friendly pattern for a first colourwork jumper. You can purchase the Kintra Sweater from Rebecca’s Ravelry page or her website.

https://ravel.me/kintra

https://www.thecreabea.com/

The Kintra Sweater

Yarn used: 4ply British Lambswool in Brown, Moss Green, Rust and Red.

https://yarnoncone.co.uk/product-category/wool/

Needles Used: 3.5mm / 4.00mm Chiaogoo Needles

Happy knitting!