Spring League Sleeveless Hoodie
One of my favorite designs of all time is my Autumn League Pullover, and I've had so much fun creating seasonal riffs on the original over the years. Joining the ALP, the Winter League Pullover, and the Summer League Cutoff, I'm thrilled to release the latest installment in the series - the Spring League Sleeveless Hoodie! This sporty shell style tank evokes memories of spring athletics and a general sense of nostalgia. The classic drawstring hood, v-insert neck triangle, and rolled sleeve hems give personality and add to the classic appeal of this sweatshirt-inspired wardrobe staple. Meant to be well-loved and well-worn, this piece has the perfect broken-in relaxed fit that allows for chic comfort and wearable ease. Scroll down for the free pattern, click here to purchase the ad-free PDF, or click here to shop the full yarn kit.
I love a theme or a series, so when I finished the Autumn League Pullover in 2018 I knew I wanted to eventually design a take on it for the remaining seasons. In 2020 I released a bulky version called the Winter League Pullover, and then last year in 2021 I dropped a tee version called the Summer League Cutoff. All that was left was a spring version. Now I know it's not exactly spring anymore, but this sleeveless dreamboat works for summer just as well. I had meant to work on this design earlier in the year to have it ready for *actual* spring, but I ran a little late with my Tropic Nights Collection so I had to put this project on the back burner for a bit. I have to say it was absolutely worth the wait, because this one turned out even better than I could have imagined! And working this up in Color Theory made it SO enjoyable :)
Let's talk details ... the little "v" detail at the neck is really the common thread with each of the league series designs. When I set out to design the ALP, my mission was to create a relaxed sweatshirt style crewneck with that classic neck detail that feels so iconic and a little bit vintage. The OG ALP was also the first top down raglan I designed and I really love the combination and fit of that silhouette for the sweatshirt vibe too. I carried through the raglan shaping with the WLP and SLC, but for this new design I wanted to try something different. I opted for a shaped shoulder that would cascade down the back with a similar slanted seamline so it would be in the same vein as a raglan but look totally sleeveless from the front. Then, of course, there's the hood ...
I pulled inspo from my other classic sweatshirt design, the Clubhouse Raglan Hoodie, for this piece as well. When I designed the CRH I wanted it to look as "store bought" as possible, and that required me to perfect the hood and shape it in a way that rounded the base and reduced the typical hand-knit or crocheted pointy tip top. Store bought sweatshirts are cut and sewn, so it's a lot easier to create those curves, and I think I frogged the CRH hood 6 times before I got the rates of increase and decrease to give it the perfect shape. I'm so glad I worked it all out for that design, because it took a lot of the head scratching away when it came to doing the math for the Spring League Sleeveless Hoodie.
My initial ideas for this piece included super low armholes, kind of like a sports jersey vibe, and to work it in the round. Both of those things changed as I worked on it and I'll tell you why. I did actually run a poll in my IG stories to see if you all were game for deep armholes or if you preferred standard sizes, and the result was pretty evenly split down the middle. I was having a hard time deciding myself, so I figured I'd work the whole sample flat so I could play around with the side seams at different heights and see what I preferred after the body was complete. I was also toying around with what kind of finish to put on the armholes - a bound edge, a ribbing, etc. After several try-ons, I actually REALLY preferred more of a standard/relaxed armhole, and the natural curl of the stockinette fabric looked so intentional and sporty that I opted to omit an armhole finish altogether.
Now let's talk in-the-round vs flat. First of all, if you know me you know I am pro-seams almost always. They give so much more structure and longevity to knits and make them so much more polished. For the design, since the entire yoke is worked flat, the hood is worked flat, the ribbing splits at the sides for a little vent, and the fact that this piece is a little cropped, it felt silly to join under the arms to work such a small amount in the round before having to switch back to flat rows for the bottom ribbing. Row tension often changes and can be visibly different when going from flat to in-the-round as well, so all of these factors led me to design the whole thing flat. You're welcome to join in the round if you prefer, but since there was such a split of opinion on armhole length, I figured it would also be nice to give you the option of working the whole thing flat to allow you to play around with the side seams like I did and make the armholes the perfect length for you once you've tried it on.
While the majority of this piece is simple stockinette fabric, the many little details that make it so special do require a few more skills than your average piece. For that reason I've designated this an intermediate level pattern. The techniques involved are knitting and purling; m1L, m1r, m1lp, and m1rp increases; picking up and knitting stitches along an edge; traveling stitches, K2tog and SSK decreases; I-cords; seaming; kitchener’s stitch grafting, and a tubular bind off.
MATERIALS
4 (4, 5, 5, 6, 6, 7, 7) skeins Lion Brand Color Theory in Canyon (619-132AG) for MC
1 skein Lion Brand Color Theory in Ivory (619-098AW) for CC
(worsted, weight 4; 246yds/225m per skein)
Size US 7 (4.5mm) circular knitting needles, 24”/60cm long
Size US 7 (4.5mm) circular knitting needles, 16”/40cm long
Size US 6 (4mm) circular knitting needles, 24”/60cm long
Size US 6 (4mm) double pointed needles
Stitch markers or scrap yarn
Stitch holders or scrap yarn
Tapestry needle
FINISHED SIZE
Suggested ease: 10-12”/25.5-30.5cm
Pictured in size S on model with 34”/86.5cm bust
GAUGE
19 sts + 24 rows = 4”/10cm in stockinette on size US 7 (4.5mm) needles
ABBREVIATIONS
*All Two of Wands patterns are written in standard US terms
CC – contrast color
CO – cast on
Inc – increase
K – knit
LT – left twist
M1L – make 1 left
M1Lp – make 1 left, purlwise
M1r – make 1 right
M1Rp – make 1 right, purlwise
MC – main color
P – purl
Pm – place marker
Rep – repeat
RS – right side
RT – right twist
Sm – slip marker
St(s) – stitch(es)
WS – wrong side
STITCH EXPLANATION
M1L (make 1 left) – Pick up the horizontal bar between the previous stitch and the next stitch with the left needle from front to back and knit it through the back loop.
M1Lp (make 1 left purlwise) – Pick up the horizontal bar between the previous stitch and the next stitch with the left needle from front to back and purl it through the back loop.
M1R (make 1 right) – Pick up the horizontal bar between the previous stitch and the next stitch with the left needle from back to front and knit it through the front loop.
M1Rp (make 1 right purlwise) – Pick up the horizontal bar between the previous stitch and the next stitch with the left needle from back to front and purl it through the front loop.
LT (left twist) - Worked at traveling stitch; slip two stitches, one at a time, knitwise to right needle, slip these stitches purlwise back to the left needle, knit through the back loop of the second stitch but do not remove from the left needle, then knit the two stitches together through the back loop and remove them from the left needle.
RT (right twist) - Worked one stitch before traveling stitch; knit two stitches together but do not remove from the left needle, then knit into just the first stitch and remove both stitches from the left needle.
Notes: Body is worked flat from the top down starting at the back neck. The back is worked first, then the front is picked up and knit from the shoulders down. Sides are seamed from above bottom ribbing to underarms. Armholes are left unfinished. Hood is picked up and knit from neckline after construction is complete. Pattern is written for eight sizes: XS (S, M, L, XL, 2XL, 3XL, 4XL).
BACK:
With 24”/60cm US 7 (4.5mm) needles and MC, CO 34 (34, 36, 36, 38, 38, 40, 40).
Set up row: P.
Row 1 (RS): (Inc) K 2, m1L, K to last 2 sts, m1R, K 2. (36 (36, 38, 38, 40, 40, 42, 42) sts)
Row 2 (WS): (Inc) P 2, m1Rp, P to last 2 sts, m1Lp, P 2. (38 (38, 40, 40, 42, 42, 44, 44) sts)
Rep rows 1 and 2, 14 (17, 18, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29) more times. (94 (106, 112, 124, 134, 142, 152, 160) sts)
Sizes XS (-, M, -, -, -, -, 4XL) only:
Next row (RS): Rep row 1, 1 more time. (96 (-, 114, -, -, -, -, 162) sts)
Next row (WS): P.
Next row (RS): K.
Sizes - (S, -, L, XL, 2XL, 3XL, -) only:
Next row (RS): K.
Next row (WS): P.
All sizes:
Rep last 2 rows until work measures 17.25 (18, 18.75, 19.5, 20.75, 21.5, 22.5, 23.5)”/44 (46, 47.5, 49.5, 53, 54.5, 57, 59.5)cm from CO, ending with a WS row.
Change to 24”/60cm US 6 (4mm) needles.
Next 12 rows: *K 1, P 1, rep from * to end of row.
Bind off in rib or with a tubular bind off.
LEFT FRONT:
With RS of work facing and back neck at the top and using 24”/60cm US 7 (4.5mm) needles, join MC at far left straight edge of back neck and pick up and K 32 (37, 40, 45, 49, 53, 57, 62) sts along left slanted shoulder.
Row 1 (WS): P.
Row 2 (RS): K.
Rep rows 1 and 2 until work measures 2.5”/6.5cm (all sizes) from pick up row, ending with a WS row.
Begin front neck shaping:
Next row (RS): (Inc) K 1, m1L, K to end of row. (33 (38, 41, 46, 50, 54, 58, 63) sts)
Next row (WS): P.
Rep last 2 rows, 8 (8, 9, 9, 10, 10, 11, 11) more times. (41 (46, 50, 55, 60, 64, 69, 74) sts)
Cut yarn and place sts on a holder.
RIGHT FRONT:
With RS of work facing and back neck at the top and using 24”/60cm US 7 (4.5mm) needles, join MC at base of right shoulder at last inc and pick up and K 32 (37, 40, 45, 49, 53, 57, 62) sts along right slanted shoulder.
Row 1 (WS): P.
Row 2 (RS): K.
Rep rows 1 and 2 until work measures 2.5”/6.5cm from pick up row, ending with a WS row.
Begin front neck shaping:
Next row (RS): (Inc) K to last st, m1R, K 1. (33 (38, 41, 46, 50, 54, 58, 63) sts)
Next row (WS): P.
Rep last 2 rows, 8 (8, 9, 9, 10, 10, 11, 11) more times. (41 (46, 50, 55, 60, 64, 69, 74) sts)
Do not cut yarn.
FRONT:
Cast on for front neck:
K across all sts of right front, pm, CO 14 sts (all sizes) for center front neck, pm, place left front sts from holder onto left needle, K across all sts of left front. (96 (106, 114, 124, 134, 142, 152, 162) sts)
Row numbers will restart for simplicity.
Row 1 and all odd (WS) rows: P, slipping markers.
Row 2 (RS): K to marker, sm, K 1, LT, K 8, RT, K 1, sm, K to end of row.
Row 4: K to marker, sm, K 2, LT, K 6, RT, K 2, sm, K to end of row.
Row 6: K to marker, sm, K 3, LT, K 4, RT, K 3, sm, K to end of row.
Row 8: K to marker, sm, K 4, LT, K 2, RT, K 4, sm, K to end of row.
Row 10: K to marker, sm, K 5, LT, RT, K 5, sm, K to end of row.
Row 12: K to marker, sm, K 6, LT, K 6, sm, K to end of row.
Row 14: K to marker, sm, K 5, RT, LT, K 5, sm, K to end of row.
Row 16: K to marker, sm, K 4, RT, K 2, LT, K 4, sm, K to end of row.
Row 18: K to marker, sm, K 9, LT, K 3, sm, K to end of row.
Row 20: K to marker, sm, K 10, LT, K 2, sm, K to end of row.
Remove markers.
Row 21 (WS): P.
Row 22 (RS): K.
Rep rows 21 and 22 until front measures 18.25 (19, 19.75, 20.5, 21.75, 22.5, 23.5, 24.5)”/46.5 (48, 50, 52, 55, 57, 60, 62)cm from pick up rows at shoulders, ending with a WS row.
Change to 24”/60cm US 6 (4mm) needles.
Next 12 rows: *K 1, P 1, rep from * to end of row.
Bind off in rib or with a tubular bind off.
CONSTRUCTION:
Fold work at shoulders so that bottom edges align (shoulder shaping line will be lower in the back than it is in the front).
Place markers 8 (8.5, 9, 9.5, 10, 10.5, 11, 11.5)”/20.5 (21.5, 23, 24, 25.5, 26.5, 28, 29)cm down from shoulder fold.
Seam sides, starting above ribbing to leave a side vent, up to markers.
HOOD:
Pm around the 4 center sts along the front neckline.
With RS facing, using 16”/40cm US 7 (4.5mm) needles, and starting to the left of the left marker, join MC and pick up and K 15 (15, 16, 16, 17, 17, 18, 18) sts up curved right front neck, 12 (12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12) sts up straight right front neck to shoulder seam, 34 (34, 36, 36, 38, 38, 40, 40) sts along back neck, 12 (12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12) sts down straight left front neck to curved edge, and 15 (15, 16, 16, 17, 17, 18, 18) sts down curved left front neck to second marker for a total of 88 (88, 92, 92, 96, 96, 100, 100) sts.
Row 1 (WS): P 27 (27, 28, 28, 29, 29, 30, 30), pm, (P 17 (17, 18, 18, 19, 19, 20, 20), pm) twice, P to end of row.
Row 2 (RS): K 1, SSK, *K to 1 st before marker, m1r, K 1, sm, K 1, m1l, rep from * two more times, K to last 3 sts, K2tog, K 1. (92 (92, 96, 96, 100, 100, 104, 104) sts)
Row 3: P.
Rows 4+5: Rep rows 2 and 3. (96 (96, 100, 100, 104, 104, 108, 108) sts)
Remove markers.
Row 6: K.
Row 7: P.
Rep rows 6 and 7 until work measures 10.5”/ 26.5cm from pick up row, ending with a WS row.
Pm at center of sts.
Next row (RS): K to 3 sts before marker, SSK, K 1, sm, K 1, K2tog, K to end of row. (94 (94, 98, 98, 102, 102, 106, 106) sts)
Next row: P, slipping markers.
Rep last 2 rows 7 more times. (80 (80, 84, 84, 88, 88, 92, 92) sts)
Next row: K to 3 sts before marker, SSK, K 1, sm, K 1, K2tog, K to end of row. (78 (78, 82, 82, 86, 86, 90, 90) sts)
Do not bind off. Use Kitchener stitch to graft the two halves of the hood together.
HOOD DRAWSTRING CASING:
With RS facing, using 16”/40cm US 7 (4.5mm) needles, and starting at first row of right edge of hood, join MC and pick up and K into 3 out of every 4 rows of the hood all the way around to the other side.
Row 1 (WS): P.
Row 2: K 2, YO, K to last 2 sts, YO, K 2. (2 sts increased)
Row 3: P.
Row 4: K.
Rows 5+6: Rep rows 3 and 4.
Row 7: P.
Bind off, leaving a long tail for sewing casing down.
I-CORD DRAWSTRING:
With US 6 (4mm) double pointed needles and CC, CO 3 sts.
Slide sts to other end of needle, and without turning, K across the row. The working yarn will be pulled up the back of the work since it is now at the bottom of the sts.
Slide sts to the other end of the needle, and again without turning, K across the row. By doing this you are forming a tube called an i-cord. Continue on in this manner until the i-cord measures 50”/127cm.
Break yarn and draw through all 3 sts to complete the i-cord.
FINISHING:
Draw ends of i-cord drawstring through eyelets at either end of facing, making sure ends are coming through to the front. Use facing bind off tail and tapestry needle to sew casing bind off to pick up row, trapping the i-cord within the tube created. Be careful not to catch the i-cord with the needle so that it can move freely within the tube. Sew ends of casing down to the 4 sts at center front.
Tie knots at the end of i-cord to prevent it from slipping back through eyelets.
Secure and weave in all ends.
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