The Nuance Matching Set by Laines du Nord is considerably more ambitious than the average knitted co-ord. The sweater is a seamless top-down design with a relaxed silhouette, while the coordinating skirt combines A-line shaping with dramatic blocks of dark blue, light blue and orange.
What makes the set particularly interesting is the way two different yarns are combined. Cashsilk Light provides the underlying fabric while Kid Silk Nuance adds a soft, hazy surface. The result is a knitted outfit that feels much more like a complete fashion design than two basic garments that happen to match.
The pattern is rated Hard by Laines du Nord, and the skirt in particular involves substantial shaping and carefully managed color changes.
Quick Pattern Information
- Pattern: Nuance Matching Set
- Includes: Sweater and skirt
- Skill level: Hard
- Sizes: S (M, L, XL)
- Sweater construction: Seamless, top down
- Skirt construction: Seamless; begins in the round before sections are worked flat
- Needles: 3.5 mm, 4 mm, 4.5 mm, 6 mm and 7 mm circular needle tips
- Techniques: Knitting in the round, top-down construction, magic loop, increases, short-row shaping, color changes, picking up stitches and i-cord finishing
- Yarn: Laines du Nord Cashsilk Light and Kid Silk Nuance
- Get the free pattern: Laines du Nord – Nuance Matching Set
🧶 Yarn pick: The fabric in this set depends heavily on holding Cashsilk Light and Kid Silk Nuance together, so yarn substitution needs more thought than simply matching one yarn weight. If substituting, look for a smooth lightweight base yarn combined with a fine mohair or silk-mohair strand that can reproduce the soft halo without making the fabric excessively heavy. Gauge and drape matter particularly for the skirt, where the knitted fabric needs to hang well while retaining enough structure for the A-line shape and waistband.
Materials Used in This Pattern
Sweater
| Yarn | Color | S | M | L | XL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laines du Nord Cashsilk Light | 3202 Dark Blue | 120 g | 125 g | 125 g | 150 g |
| Laines du Nord Kid Silk Nuance | 023 H.Couture Dark Blue | 120 g | 125 g | 125 g | 150 g |
Skirt
| Yarn | Color | S | M | L | XL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laines du Nord Cashsilk Light | 3202 Dark Blue | 75 g | 90 g | 115 g | 150 g |
| Laines du Nord Cashsilk Light | 3052 Light Blue | 75 g | 90 g | 115 g | 150 g |
| Laines du Nord Cashsilk Light | 3021 Orange | 50 g | 75 g | 100 g | 125 g |
| Laines du Nord Kid Silk Nuance | 023 H.Couture Dark Blue | 75 g | 75 g | 90 g | 90 g |
| Laines du Nord Kid Silk Nuance | 029 H.Couture Light Blue | 50 g | 50 g | 75 g | 75 g |
| Laines du Nord Kid Silk Nuance | 014 H.Couture Orange | 50 g | 50 g | 75 g | 75 g |
Needles and Notions
| Material | Details |
|---|---|
| Circular needles | 3.5 mm, 4 mm, 4.5 mm, 6 mm and 7 mm tips |
| Cables | 80 cm and 100 cm |
| Elastic | 4 cm wide |
| Elastic length | S: 70 cm · M: 75 cm · L: 80 cm · XL: 85 cm |
| Other notions | Darning needle, stitch markers, scissors and tape measure |
A Knitted Two-Piece Set Rather Than a Single Garment
One of the best things about this free pattern is that you are effectively getting two substantial garment patterns.
They are designed to work together, but there is no reason they have to be worn as a complete outfit. The dark blue sweater is restrained enough to work independently with other pieces, while the skirt is the statement garment of the set.
That makes this a particularly useful pattern if you enjoy knitting coordinated wardrobes rather than isolated projects.
How the Nuance Sweater Is Constructed
The sweater uses top-down seamless construction.
The two shoulders begin separately before being joined to form the yoke. The knitting then continues in the round, with shaping incorporated into the yoke before the body and sleeves are divided.
Sleeve stitches are held while the body is completed. They are later returned to the needles and worked in the round using the magic-loop technique.
The neckline is finished by picking up stitches around the neck.
This construction means there is very little conventional garment seaming at the end. It also makes the sweater an interesting project for knitters wanting to progress beyond a basic top-down raglan.
The Skirt Is the More Unusual Part of the Pattern
The skirt begins with a knitted waistband designed to contain 4 cm-wide elastic, giving the finished garment more support than a purely knitted waistband.
It starts seamlessly in the round with gentle A-line shaping. Short-row work is also incorporated into the shaping.
Later, however, the construction changes.
The skirt is no longer worked continuously in the round and sections are worked back and forth while the increasingly complex color placement develops.
The changing areas of dark blue, orange and light blue are what create the strong geometric appearance of the finished skirt.
An i-cord treatment is used at the lower edge to complete the design.
Why So Many Needle Sizes?
One detail that immediately stands out in the materials list is the use of five needle sizes from 3.5 mm through to 7 mm.
They are not simply alternative needle sizes for obtaining gauge. Different needle sizes are deliberately introduced as the garments progress.
In the sweater, larger needles contribute to changes in the sleeve fabric. The skirt also moves through several needle sizes as the design develops.
This is therefore one pattern where it is worth checking your circular needle collection before beginning rather than assuming a single pair will be sufficient.
The Colorwork Is Different From Traditional Fair Isle
Although the skirt uses several colors, this isn’t a conventional stranded Fair Isle skirt covered in repeating motifs.
Instead, the colors form much larger geometric areas that expand and contract as the skirt progresses.
Dark blue forms the foundation, with orange becoming a major feature before light blue is introduced. The proportions of those colors then continue to change through the lower part of the skirt.
It gives the garment a contemporary, graphic quality without relying on small repeating motifs.
Is This a Good Pattern for Beginners?
No. Laines du Nord rates the Nuance Matching Set Hard, and that rating makes sense.
The sweater alone requires confidence with top-down garment construction, circular knitting, increases, holding stitches, magic loop and picking up stitches.
The skirt introduces another level of complexity through short-row shaping, changing construction methods, multiple colors and a long sequence of carefully placed color changes.
An experienced intermediate knitter wanting a challenge may enjoy it, but this isn’t the pattern I would choose for a first sweater or first skirt.
For something less complex, browse 50+ Free Sweater Knitting Patterns for Women, where there are options ranging from straightforward sweaters to more involved designs.
More Free Sweater Knitting Patterns
If it is the top-down sweater that interests you most, Knitting Bee has a much larger collection of 400+ Free Sweater Knitting Patterns.
You may also like the Sigh Pullover Free Sweater Knitting Pattern, another seamless top-down sweater worked in the round, but with a much simpler stockinette construction.
More Free Skirt Knitting Patterns
The Nuance skirt is an unusual combination of A-line shaping, color blocking and mixed construction. For more ideas, see Knitting Bee’s collection of 20+ Free Skirt Knitting Patterns.
If the shaping rather than the colorwork appeals to you, take a look at the Free Cable Waterfall Skirt Knitting Pattern, which also uses an A-line style with cable and lace detail.
For another distinctive knitted skirt, see the Lanesplitter Skirt Free Knitting Pattern, which uses diagonal stripes and bias knitting to create its shape.
FAQs About the Nuance Matching Set
Is the Nuance Matching Set knitting pattern free?
Yes. Laines du Nord provides the Nuance Matching Set as a free knitting pattern.
What does the free pattern include?
The pattern contains instructions for both the long-sleeved sweater and coordinating A-line skirt.
What sizes are available?
The pattern includes sizes S, M, L and XL.
Is the sweater knitted top down?
Yes. The sweater is a seamless top-down garment. The shoulders begin separately before being joined, after which the yoke and body are worked in the round.
Is the skirt knitted in the round?
The skirt begins seamlessly in the round, but it does not remain conventional circular knitting throughout. A later section is worked flat in back-and-forth rows while maintaining the seamless construction.
Does the skirt have an elastic waist?
Yes. A 4 cm-wide elastic band is inserted inside the knitted waistband. The required elastic length ranges from 70 cm for size S to 85 cm for XL.
What yarn is used for the Nuance Matching Set?
The pattern uses Laines du Nord Cashsilk Light and Kid Silk Nuance. The sweater specifically works the two yarns together.
What colors are used?
The sweater uses dark blue. The skirt combines dark blue, light blue and orange in large graphic areas.
Is this pattern suitable for beginner knitters?
This would be a challenging choice for a beginner. Laines du Nord rates the pattern Hard, and the design uses techniques including seamless top-down construction, magic loop, short-row shaping, color changes, multiple needle sizes and i-cord finishing.