My Scandi Bloom Tee: Combining Two Favorite Designs

Every once in a while, a project comes together that feels like it was meant to be. I've been waiting to use my Scandi Bloom Cowl chart in a sweater since I wrote the pattern in 2021. I finally found the perfect application!

For this tee, I combined two patterns: {Show Your Colors Tee} by Sari Nordlund as the base garment and my own {Scandi Bloom Cowl} for the colorwork motif. Both my DK and Fingering weight cowl patterns use the same chart, so either pattern will work for this modification.

This blog post is not a pattern or a replacement for either design. Think of it as a project recipe. A record of the modifications I used to create my own version. If you'd like to make something similar, you'll need the original pattern(s) (or another fingering weight tee pattern you love), a little math, and the confidence to customize your knitting to suit your own gauge and style. I am not able to offer technical support for this project, but I have faith in you! You can figure this out with a little patience.

Starting with Gauge

The original Show Your Colors Tee is written for:

24 stitches and 32 rows = 4 inches (10 cm) in Stockinette Stitch
U.S. size 2 (3 mm) needles for the body
U.S. size 1.5 (2.5 mm) needles for the ribbing

My gauge was:

24 stitches and 36 rows = 4 inches (10 cm) in Stockinette Stitch
U.S. size 4 (3.5 mm) needles for the striped section of the body
U.S. size 5 (4 mm) needles for the colorwork section of the body
U.S. size 2 (2.75 mm) needles for the ribbing

Although my stitch gauge matched the pattern exactly, my row gauge was significantly different. That meant I needed to knit more rows to achieve the same finished length, but I liked the fabric, so I didn't want to change needle sizes. Because of this, I used the original stitch counts but adjusted the number of stripe repeats, plain stockinette sections, and chart repeats to suit my row gauge and leave me room to knit my colorwork chart twice at the bottom of my tee.

My Modifications

I followed the Show Your Colors Tee for the striped yoke but customized the body stitch numbers and patterning to accommodate the Scandi Bloom colorwork.

My modifications included:

Knitting only 10 rounds of the main color between each striped section.
Working 4 stripe repeats separated by 3 sections of 10 rounds in the main color.
Following the final striped section immediately with the **Scandi Bloom chart, which I knit twice and **started at the bottom of the chart, row 22, so the flowers would be facing UP if you start on row 1 your flowers will be upside down.

After separating the sleeves:

I increased the body stitches evenly along both underarm sides of my body until my stitch count became a multiple of 18, allowing the Scandi Bloom chart to work evenly around the body. You'll need to play around with this depending on how many stitches you need to increase. I do not recommend decreasing unless you are very close to your target multiple of 18 when you join the body.

Because my row gauge was shorter than the original pattern, I worked two complete repeats of the 22-row Scandi Bloom chart before finishing with a twisted rib hem.

Finishing Details

I made a few finishing changes to better match my personal style and give me the clean finish I was after:

Twisted rib neckline instead of the folded neckband in the original pattern.
Twisted rib hem.
I-cord bind-off on the sleeves.

Yarn & Color Planning

I used:

One Scandi Bloom 10-mini-skein fade. 75 grams total
Two skeins of Delphinium on my Joyful Fingering base. 130 grams total

After completing the striped sections, I still had approximately 15 grams remaining of each stripe color, which gave me plenty of yarn for the lower body.

For the Scandi Bloom section, I selected six colors from the fade, arranging them from light to dark to create a gentle gradient through the colorwork. I finished with approximately 10 grams remaining of each of those colors.

Planning Your Own Version

One of the things I love most about this project is that the concept isn't limited to one sweater pattern.

You could easily adapt these modifications to your favorite raglan tee—or even a drop-shoulder sweater. The most important thing is choosing a pattern that creates a fabric you love with the yarn you're using.

Rather than copying my numbers exactly, use your own gauge to determine:

How many stripe repeats you'd like.
How many plain stockinette rows to knit between stripe sections.
How many repeats of the Scandi Bloom chart will give you the body length you want.

I recommend choosing your sweater size based on the bust and upper chest fit you prefer. Once you've divided for the sleeves, increase the body stitch count so it becomes a multiple of 18 for the chart.

In my sweater, I increased by about 10 stitches evenly throughout the body after the sleeve divide to reach the correct multiple. I added my increases along the underarm stitches of the body.

Colorwork Tips

Once I began the colorwork, I switched from my U.S. size 4 needle to a U.S. size 5.

My colorwork tension is almost always tighter than my stockinette, and increasing my needle size helped the colorwork panel match the width and drape of the striped portion of the body. Without changing needle sizes, the lower section would have pulled in and looked noticeably narrower.

Pay attention to your own knitting tension and don't hesitate to swatch or adjust needle size if your colorwork fabric feels like it's pulling in from the stripes.

Blocking Along the Way

One habit that has transformed my sweater knitting is blocking before the project is finished.

For this tee, I blocked:

Before separating the sleeves.
After joining the body and knitting approximately 20 rounds.
Before knitting the bottom ribbing, so I could accurately decide where to end the colorwork chart.

These extra blocking sessions let me check the fit, evaluate the drape, and make confident decisions about the final body length.

Managing Floats & Color Changes

I recommend catching floats every 4–5 stitches at most to keep the inside of the sweater tidy and prevent fingers from getting caught when wearing it.

My preferred method is the {Susan Bryan method} for catching floats. I also like {this video}

I also use the same technique when introducing a new stripe color. About 15 stitches before the end of the round, I begin carrying the new color, catching it every other stitch until the round ends. I do the same thing when retiring the previous color. This keeps the joins neat and secure while minimizing the need to weave in all of the ends at the end of the project.

Another excellent option is the {Weavin' Stephen} method if that's your preferred way of weaving in color changes.

Yes, there are a lot of ends.

And yes—they're absolutely worth it.

Final Thoughts

One of my favorite things about knitting is using patterns as a starting point rather than a destination. Combining the striping patterning of Show Your Colors Tee with my own Scandi Bloom motif resulted in a garment that I've been dreaming of for years.

I hope sharing my process encourages you to experiment with your own favorite patterns, play with color, and make modifications that reflect your personal knitting style. The math may take a little extra time, but creating something that fits your vision is always worth the effort.

Use your advent calendar minis, scraps. If I have kits available, you'll find them on my website** {here}**.