Side Flash Sweater by Emilia Jensen

Craft: Knitting

The Side Flash Sweater brings bold 80s sportswear energy into modern knitting with its striking intarsia panels and confident silhouette. This bottom-up pullover features dynamic colorwork that wraps around the body sides and continues onto the sleeves, creating movement and visual impact. Worked flat with carefully placed intarsia sections, the sweater uses short row shaping at shoulders and sleeve heads for an impeccable fit, while sewn side seams add structure and stability to support the dramatic design elements.

Crafted in The Fibre Co.’s &Make Aran, this Highland wool and alpaca blend delivers the perfect combination of strength and softness for colorwork projects. The yarn’s springy texture and excellent stitch definition ensure your intarsia panels remain crisp and clear, while the soft alpaca content keeps the finished sweater comfortable against the skin. &Make’s vibrant palette of cheerful brights brings the geometric panels to life, creating a statement piece that celebrates both retro inspiration and contemporary craftsmanship. Make your mark with color, structure, and undeniable style.

Yarn

The Fibre Co. &Make Aran (50% Highland wool, 50% alpaca, 150 m (164 yd) per 100 g ball)

Borealis Bash (A) – 1 (1: 1: 1: 1: 1: 1: 1: 1) ball,

Prince (B) – 1 (1: 1: 1: 1: 1: 1: 1: 1) ball,

Mon Ami (C) – 1 (1: 1: 1: 1: 1: 1: 1: 1) ball and

Betty White (D) – 4 (4: 5: 5: 6: 6: 7: 8: 8) balls.

Construction notes

The Side Flash Sweater is worked flat in one piece from the back hem to the shoulders, then down the front to the hem. The back is knit first, with an intarsia pattern at each side—knitters should be confident reading knitting charts to follow this pattern. Armhole shaping is marked with removable markers for later seaming. Short rows shape the shoulders and back neck before placing another set of removable markers to mark the shoulders. The left and right fronts are worked separately at first with neckline shaping at the top before being joined and knit to the hem, mirroring the back intarsia pattern.

Once the body is complete, the sides are seamed to the armhole marker using Mattress Stitch. Stitches are picked up and worked in the round in ribbing for the hem and neckline, with a loose or Tubular Bind-Off.

Sleeves are picked up around the armhole and shaped with short rows for the cap. The tops of the sleeves are worked in the round before transitioning to working flat for the intarsia pattern. Once the intarsia section is complete, the sleeve seams are joined with Mattress Stitch before finishing with ribbed cuffs.

Sizes and measurements

1 (2: 3: 4: 5: 6: 7: 8: 9)

The given sizes are called Sizes 1–9 and are recommended to fit a chest circumference of:

Chest circumference (at underarm): 90 (102: 111: 120: 130: 142: 151: 160: 170) cm (36 (41: 44.5: 48: 52: 57: 60.5: 64: 68) in)

Total length (from shoulder neck edge): 50 (51.5: 56: 58.5: 60.5: 64.25: 70.25: 72: 74) cm (19.5 (20.25: 22: 23: 23.75: 25.25: 27.75: 28.25: 29) in)

Recommended Ease

Designed with 8–16 cm (4–7 in) of positive ease at chest circumference.

Photographs show the garment in Size 2 on a model with a chest circumference of 84 cm (33 in).