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05/26/25 •

Prism Path Knit Swoncho | Part 8 | Prism Make-Along 2025 Free Pattern

🧶 Prism Path Knit Swoncho | Part 8 Welcome back, colorwork rockstars! Part 8 of the Prism Path Knit Swoncho is now live and you are on a roll! 🎉 Today, we move on to the lower half of the swoncho.

Colorful graphic with a ball of yarn and knitting needle, text reads "Marly Bird's PRISM MAKE-ALONG" in bold, vibrant letters—perfect for knitters and crocheters ready to dive into a fun mystery colorwork challenge, surrounded by abstract shapes and patterns. -Marly Bird

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🧶 Transition to the Body: Divide for Sleeves and Keep On Stitching

You’ve completed the entire yoke including all that glorious colorwork and now it’s time to shift gears. In this part of the pattern, you’ll place the sleeve stitches on hold and continue working in the round to build the body of your swoncho.

This step marks a huge milestone in your make-along journey. The most intricate part of the design is behind you, and now you can relax into the smooth rhythm of stockinette stitch.

🧵 What You’ll Do in Part 8

  • Place Sleeve Stitches on Hold:
    You’ll set aside stitches on both sides of your yoke that will later become sleeves. Don’t worry—we’ll come back to those in a future section.
  • Add Underarm Stitches:
    You’ll cast on new stitches under each arm to shape the armholes and keep everything seamless and wearable.
  • Work the Body in the Round:
    With the sleeve stitches on hold and the underarm cast-ons in place, you’ll continue in stockinette stitch across the remaining stitches.

💡 Pro Tip: This is a great time to double-check your stitch count and throw your swoncho on (with extra cable length or scrap yarn, of course!) to check the fit through the shoulders and upper body.

💌 New Here? Here’s How the Free Make-Along Works

Just joining us? Welcome to the party! 🎉 Here’s a quick refresher on how the free version of the make-along works:

✨ New pattern parts are released every Monday and Thursday in May
✨ The latest pattern sections are added to the Prism Make-Along blog post
✨ You can view the patterns for free on the blog—no downloads required
✨ Want a direct link in your inbox? Sign up using the form on the blog post to receive pattern updates, supply info, and tips!

📬 Sign up here to stay in the loop and never miss a release!

A smiling person with glasses and curly hair wears a brightly colored Prism Path Knit Swoncho. They stand indoors in a cozy room with bookshelves, a chair, and decor visible in the background. -Marly Bird

Looking for Part 7? Click Here.

Scroll down to dive into Part 8 and let’s transition from one color stockinette stitches to some fun colorwork. It is like magic! ✨

Prism Path Swoncho

Designed by: Marly Bird

SKILL LEVEL

Intermediate

MEASUREMENTS

To Fit Sizes

Extra-Small/Small/Medium 28-38” [71-96.5 cm] bust

Large/Extra-Large 40-46” [101.5-117 cm] bust

2/3 Extra-Large 48-54” [122-137 cm] bust

4/5 Extra-Large 56-62” [142-157.5 cm] bust

Sample made in size 2 / 3 Extra-Large

Finished Measurements

Bottom Circumference 52½ (59½, 72, 84½)” [133.5 (151, 183, 214.5) cm]

Length 27 (27½, 28, 29)” [68.5 (70, 71, 73.5) cm]

Gauge

18 sts and 24 rounds = 4” [10 cm] in Fair Isle knitting with larger needles.

18 sts and 24 rounds = 4” [10 cm] in Stockinette st with smaller needles.

MATERIALS

Yarn

KnitPicks Swish Worsted  (100% Superwash Merino Wool, 110 yds / 100 m, 1.75 oz/ 50 g, CYCA# 4 worsted)

6 (8, 10, 12) balls: Crush (28657) (A)

  • 1 ball: Conch (c26068) (B)
  • 1 ball: Estuary Heather (c28655) (C)
  • 1 ball: Arctic (c28656) (D)
  • 1 ball: Frosting (c28658) (E)
  • 1 (1, 1, 2) balls: Indigo Heather (c24097) (F)
  • 1 ball: Mint Julep (n4128) (G)
  • 1 ball: Electric Blue (c26645) (H)
  • 1 ball: Lady Slipper (n4127) (I)
  • 1 ball: Nutmeg Heather (28652) (J)

Note: If making the longer sleeve version, you may need an additional 2 balls of the main color for the longer sleeves.

Needles

A variety of needle lengths are used to accommodate the number of stitches. Getting interchangeable needle sets is a great option for this project. 

  •  U.S. 8 [5 mm] circular knitting needles, 12” [30.5 cm], 16” [40.5 cm], 24” [61 cm], 32” [81 cm], [47” [119 cm] and 60” [152 cm] long needles; 
  • U.S. 9 [5.5 mm] circular knitting needles, 24” [61 cm], 32” [81 cm], [47” [119 cm] and 60” [152 cm] long needles, or size required for gauge. 

Notions

Removable stitch markers, stitch holders or spare circular needles, tapestry needle.

ABBREVIATIONS

K – Knit

KFB – Knit Front and Back

P – Purl

Pm – Place marker

RS – Right side

slip marker – slip marker

WS – Wrong side

SPECIAL STITCHES

M1 (Make 1): With tip of left needle, pick up the horizontal strand between stitches from front to back. Knit this strand through the back leg, twisting it into a loop in the process – 1 stitch increased.

Kfb (Knit Front & Back): Knit through front and back of next stitch – 1 stitch increased.

Ssk (Slip, Slip, Knit): Slip 2 stitches, one at a time, as if to knit. Insert left hand needle into the front of these two stitches and knit them together from this position (1 stitch decreased)

SPECIAL TECHNIQUES

German Short Rows: Doubling the Stitch

When working German short rows, you’ll often hear the phrase “double the stitch.” This simply means we’re manipulating the working yarn in such a way that the stitch appears to have two strands wrapped over the needle instead of one. This visual cue helps mark your turning point and keeps your short rows looking clean and seamless.

Here’s how to work the turns step-by-step:

💡Turning on the Right Side:

  1. Knit to the stitch indicated in your pattern.
  2. Turn your work—now the wrong side is facing.
  3. With yarn in front, slip 1 stitch purlwise from the left needle to the right needle.
  4. Pull the yarn over the top of the right needle to the back. This creates the “double stitch” by distorting the slipped stitch.
  5. Bring the yarn to the front between the needles, ready to work the next purl stitch.
  6. Work across the row as directed in the pattern, keeping a firm tension for the next few stitches.
    .

💡 Turning on the Wrong Side:

  1. Purl to the stitch indicated in your pattern.
  2. Turn your work—now the right side is facing.
  3. Bring the yarn to the front between the needles.
  4. With yarn in front, slip 1 stitch purlwise from the left needle to the right needle.
  5. Pull the yarn over the top of the right needle to the back. Again, this distorts the stitch and creates the doubled look.
  6. Work across the row as directed in the pattern, keeping a firm tension for the next few stitches.

Repeat these steps wherever the pattern indicates a German short row turn. When you come back to those doubled stitches later, you’ll work them as one stitch—treat both loops together as a single stitch to avoid holes.

NOTES

  • Directions are for the smallest size; changes for larger sizes are in parentheses. When only one number is given then that number applies to all sizes.
  • When working in Fair Isle technique, carry yarn not in use loosely across WS of work but never over more than 5 sts. When it must pass over more than 5 sts, weave it over and under color in use on next st or at center point of the sts it passes over. The colors are never twisted around one another.
  • When a color is finished being used in a section, cut it and carry on. Do not carry colors up the inside of work.
  • As more stitches are added to needles switch to longer needles to accommodate them.

VIDEO TUTORIALS

Colorful graphic with abstract shapes and text that reads: "Marly Bird's PRISM MAKE-ALONG. Prism Path Knit Swoncho. SEPARATE YOKE INTO BODY AND SLEEVES." YouTube play button appears over the text. -Marly Bird
Click Image for Video Tutorial
A close-up of a colorful knitted sweater with intricate patterns and vibrant shades of pink, blue, green, black, and white. The lower part is solid bright pink. "Marly Bird" is written at the bottom left. -Marly Bird

PRISM PATH KNIT SWONCHO PATTERN – PART 8

SEPARATE BODY AND SLEEVES 

Next Round: K54 (60, 72, 84), place 48 sts on a holder for left Sleeve, cast on 10 (14, 18, 22) sts, k108 (120, 144, 168) sts, place 48 sts on a holder for right Sleeve, cast on 10 (14, 18, 22) sts, k54 (60, 72, 84) – 236 (268, 324, 380) sts.

A smiling woman with curly hair and glasses waves with one hand. She is wearing a colorful, patterned knit poncho and standing in a cozy, well-lit living room with shelves and comfy furniture in the background. -Marly Bird

BODY

Work evenly in Stockinette st (knit every round) until Body measures 6¼ (6¾, 7¼, 7¾)” [16 (17, 18.5, 19.5) cm] from underarm cast-on.

Bottom Ribbing

Next Round: With A, * K1, p1; repeat from * around. 

Repeat this round until ribbing measures 1¾” [4.5 cm].

Bind off all sts loosely in rib pattern.

A close-up of a bright pink knitting project on circular needles, with colorful skeins of yarn and a multicolored knitted item in the background. -Marly Bird

🎉 You’re Crushing It

If no one’s told you lately: you’re doing awesome. Your Prism Path Swoncho is more than halfway there, and each round is building a wearable work of art. Keep going!

🗓️ The next section will be released on Thursday, May 29 at 12:00 PM ET.
You’re well on your way to a stunning finish—stay consistent, enjoy the color changes, and don’t forget to tag your progress with #PrismMakeAlong and #MarlyBird so we can cheer you on!

Marly Bird

The One and Only, Marly

Marly is a knitwear and crochet designer (and yarn addict) that is here to help you learn how to knit and crochet in a way that's fun and approachable.

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