This. Sweater. This is possibly my favorite knitted garment I’ve made and one I’m really proud of! I absolutely love how it turned out! The curved hem is what first caught my attention and I was so curious about its construction – it’s a lot easier to knit than it looks! There’s also some pretty shoulder detailing that adds extra interest to the back.
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Pattern
My version of The Miles Shirt Jacket was a test knit that I was thankful to be included in for Ozetta – who is one of my favorite knitwear pattern makers. Ozetta patterns are classic, everyday designs that have become wardrobe staples for me. The Miles Shirt Jacket pattern is well written, thorough and easy to follow. There are a lot of varying elements to this pattern that keep it interesting to knit like the button band, collar, hem and pockets. Some, but not all the techniques needed are the long tail cast-on, knitted cast-on, German Short Rows, buttonholes, sewn tubular bind off, and attaching pockets.
One thing I should mention is that in order for the hem to lay correctly where the German Short Rows were worked, the sweater must be wet-blocked – which is a great idea to do anyway for all your knitted creations! (The picture above shows what the hem looks like before blocking). This gorgeous curved hem also shows up in the Miles Tee – another pattern that I have made and love by Ozetta.
I knit a size XS (finished bust circumference 43”) even though the measurements suggested I knit a S (finished bust circumference 45 1/2″). There is 11-12″ of positive ease built into the pattern and I didn’t want it looking too oversized on me and it ended up just right for me. However, I would recommend knitting a swatch first to get an idea of your gauge – because it can vary from person to person.
The pattern also includes video support, which I found super helpful. You can find the pattern here as well as more detailed pattern info like needle size requirements and suggested yarn. I really enjoyed testing this pattern and would definitely make it again!
Yarn
The Miles Shirt Jacket pattern calls for Aran weight yarn and I chose Simply Wool Aran by Knit Picks in the colorway Wallace – a gorgeous warm sheep-y brown. This yarn has a rustic feel but softened nicely after blocking. I just barely met gauge width-wise with this yarn and I was off gauge length-wise, which is common for me (I feel like I knit with a pretty loose tension). The pattern included row counts and measurements so I just followed the required measurements at each step and it all turn out fine!
Modifications
The only modification I did was I made the decreases more often (every 5 rounds) on the sleeves because I wanted a slightly more tapered arm (and because my gauge was slightly off length-wise). This took a little trial and error to get the shape how I wanted – knitting a few rows, taking out a few rows – but they ended up just right for me and met the final sleeve measurement of 17.”
Styling
Here are a few ways I have worn the Miles Shirt Jacket with my other handmade clothes – it’s such a great closet staple and I’m now dreaming one up in a creamy neutral color!
Hope these notes from my experience knitting the Miles Shirt Jacket have been helpful – feel free to comment with any questions. Thanks for reading and happy knitting!
