Knitting

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Big Sweaters are, Well, Big for Fall

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Giant sweaters are in fashion for fall.“Yarn for years” is how Wall Street Journal reporter Megan Hayes described the sweaters seen in collections for this fall (which were shown back in the spring). She notes that giant cowls and roomy sweaters were everywhere to be seen, as well as layers of knits — sweaters and skirts with a scarf and legwarmers, for example.

While knitters certainly would love to dress like that, most of the time you shouldn’t wear all knits all the time, the style experts say. They recommend pairing your knits with sleeker fabrics like leather or lace, and to tone down the volume of a giant sweater with skinny jeans.

Or try what fashion consultant Yasmin Sewell suggests: pair two sweaters of similar or matching colors. Wear one normally and tie the other around the neck. Will that work off the runway? There’s only one way to find out.

What do you think of the trend (back) toward giant knits? Would you knit an enormous sweater for yourself? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

[Photo by Danny Kim for the Wall Street Journal.]

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Comments

  2. Well, this trend does make it a lot faster to knit for tweens and teens! I already have one request for a big fuzzy sweater. I may knit myself some chunky leg warmers, though. That’s one of the few things I miss about the 80s. 😉

  3. Hmmmmm, knitting an enormous sweater for myself – usually done with bulky yarns? Would probably be fast and easy. But I already look like a blog so with a big sweater I’d look like a warm fuzzy blob. 😉 Sure would be comfy though!

Have you read?

Knit a Classic Aran Cardigan with this Free Knitting Pattern

Not too long ago I did a test knit for another designer that was for a cabled cardigan. It’s really cozy and nice but it just about broke me in a ton of different ways. I couldn’t get gauge, which I suppose is my own problem, but mainly I was somehow both bored and forced to pay attention at the same time. 

Because it used the same cable all over, I always had to know what row I was on, but nine out of ten of those rows, nothing in particular was going on. So I couldn’t stop paying attention, but what I needed to attend to was boring. 

It may have ruined me for knitting cabled sweaters, but maybe I just need something that’s more engaging. Like this Modern Aran Cardigan pattern from Lion Brand Yarn. 

This is a reworking of an old pattern from their archives, and you can tell that form the classic look of the cables and the oversized feel (nothing cropped about this one!). It has allover cables, but like a classic Aran sweater it’s not the same cable, so you’ll have to pay attention to what row you’re on and what cable turns happen for which cables on that row. 

Because of this, it’s considered an intermediate knitting pattern, but if you’re comfortable working from multiple charts at once it shouldn’t be a problem for you. There are three different charts and seven different cable moves. 

Also because the pattern is so big and boxy there are only two sizes available, with a finished chest measurement of either 49 or 63 inches (that’s 124.5 or 160 cm). It’s up to you to decide how much ease you would like and whether that will work for your body. 

The pattern uses worsted weight yarn (and calls for another classic, Lion Brand Fisherman’s Wool). It calls for six buttons and includes pockets to make it extra cozy. 

This one looks like a great winter project to make and to wear if you’re up for a bit of a challenge. You can grab the free pattern or buy a kit with the yarn needed direct from Lion Brand Yarn. 

[Photo: Lion Brand Yarn]