Tree Line Henley

The Tree Line Henley is a lightweight pullover with colorwork details and a Henley neck opening. When I was designing this sweater I imagined it being worn on a hike in the mountains or camping in the Fall or Spring, when the weather is cool and lightweight layers are a necessity.

My original design sketch

The colorwork is fairly easy; it is only worked in rounds so you are always working on the right side and the floats are never longer than 7 stitches. Just remember to spread out the stitches on your right needle to keep the tension even when changing colors.

Worn with negative ease for a warm, light, base layer

The sweater is worked from the top down completely seamlessly. After shaping the shoulders with sort rows, stitches are cast on for the front neck and Henley placket. The button band and buttonhole band are overlapped and joined when the underarm stitches are cast on.

Seamless set-in sleeves are picked up and shaped with short rows

The sleeves are worked by picking up stitches around the armhole and working short rows to shape the sleeve caps. I’ve found that German short rows produce the best-looking result when working sleeve caps this way, it also happens to be one of the easiest ways to work short rows. The method is fully explained in the pattern, and in the Interweave Glossary.

The Tree Line Henley
The colorwork transitions into the contrast color at sleeves and hem

The cuffs and hem are worked in knit 4, purl 1 ribbing and bound off with i-cord for a neat finish. A wide ribbing like this lies flat and doesn’t rely on the memory of the yarn to hold its shape. The round neck is also finished with i-cord.

The alpaca and bamboo blend yarn has a soft sheen and slight halo, it’s also wonderfully soft 

The yarn I used for this design is Classic Elite Yarns Vail and Villa. Just before the magazine went to print Classic Elite Yarns announced that they were closing their doors, effectively discontinuing all of their yarns. You may still be able to find some in your local yarn store or online shop, so snap it up while you still can! The magazine is on shelves now, or order directly from the Interweave Store.

The pattern is available in Knitting Traditions Magazine, a special issue from Interweave that’s published once or twice a year

The pattern is written for six sizes with finished bust circumferences of  32 (35, 38, 41, 43 3/4, 46 3/4)”. You’ll need  3 (3, 4, 4, 4, 5) skeins of Vail in the main color (MC) and 2 (2, 3, 3, 3, 3) skeins of Villa in the contrast color (CC). If you can’t use the original yarn for this design I’ve listed some alternatives below, and the number of skeins you’ll need for each size.

Berroco Ultra Alpaca Fine: 2 (2, 2, 2, 2, 3) skeins MC, 2 skeins CC

The Fibre Company Canopy Fingering: 3 (4, 4, 4, 5, 5) skeins MC, 3 (3, 3, 4, 4, 4) skeins CC

Knit Picks Gloss Fingering: 3 (3, 4, 4, 4, 5) skeins MC, 3 (3, 3, 3, 4, 4) skeins CC

Cascade Yarns Sorata: 2 (2, 2, 2, 2, 3) skeins MC, 2 skeins CC

Lang Yarns Asia: 4 (5, 5, 6, 6, 6) skeins MC, 4 (4, 4, 5, 5, 5) skeins CC

Manos Del Uruguay Alegria Sock Yarn: 2 (2, 2, 2, 2, 3) skeins MC, 2 skeins CC

Thank you for knitting!