Knitting

Patterns, projects and techniques

Bottom Up Sweaters to Knit

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The other day we looked at top-down sweater knitting patterns; today we’re turning that idea upside down with bottom up designs.

Sometimes bottom up projects are seamless, while other times they are worked in pieces that are then seamed together. Some of both are featured here.

Still, it’s kind of nice to start out nice and easy with the ribbing or a long section of body that doesn’t change much, and then all the action comes at the end. It’s just a different way of doing things.

Again, there are a ton of great patterns out there worked this way, and here are some that caught my eye.

If you’re a fan of spinning, you’ll love the spinning wheel motifs on Fileuse by Valérie Miller. This is a great one if you like a snug fit, too.

Go Fish by Divine Twist is her knit version of a sweatshirt. It uses fisherman’s rib and a hemline that’s lower in the back for lots of comfort (and while I usually only post free patterns in these roundups, this one is free with a donation to the designer’s favorite charity).

I’m pretty sure I’ve shared this one with you before, but I absolutely love Graphite by Norah Gaughan so you’re getting it again. This one is stockinette stitch through and through, worked in the round to form an A-line, which is a shape I love.

Aimee from Conway and Bliss is a roomier raglan that’s worked from the bottom up in pieces. I love the contrast sleeves on this one, like a classic sports shirt.

Brume from DROPS Design is another one that looks like you’ll live in it once it’s knit. This one is worked in a false English rib, pieced and finished with a keyhole neckline. So cozy looking!

Westminster Fibers has the Sunset Raglan, another pieced piece I really like for the different take on a V-neck. This one looks super cozy, too.

Cardigans can be worked from the bottom up, too, of course. The Roxanna Cardigan from Stashknits is a seamless bottom up cardi that’s a great choice for new sweater knitters.

And Ballade from DROPS Design is a big open jacket where the back and fronts are worked in one (huge) piece and the sleeves are worked separately and sewn up later. Still not a lot of finishing for a jacket that’s sure to keep you cozy all season.

Do you have a favorite bottom up sweater? I’d love to hear about it.

Next Pattern:

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Make Your Knitting Machine Scarves Better

I feel like it’s been a while since I’ve shared any patterns for our circular knitting machine users. I know these devices aren’t for everyone but even though I much prefer knitting by hand, it is kind of fun to crank things out on these machines.

One of the most common early projects for a circular knitting machine is a scarf. Which makes sense, because it’s just one long tube and you can make it as long as you like.

One problem that comes from knitting scarves on the circular knitting machine, though, is that it can be hard to know how to finish the ends of the tube so that it looks like a finished scarf and not a tube of knitting.

If you’re not a knitter or crocheter, the most basic way to finish a circular knitting machine scarf is just by cinching up the ends and maybe adding a pompom to each end to cover up any hole that might still be visible at the end.

But if you have a little knitting or crochet skill or are willing to learn, there are a lot of different options for closing up the ends of a scarf. And this would also be true if you hand knit a tube scarf!

I recently wrote a post over at Our Daily Craft that includes five different ways to close up the ends of a tube scarf:

  • the simple cinching method mentioned above
  • sewing the stitches together
  • three needle bind off
  • grafting
  • crochet bind off

Grafting is my favorite because I feel like it gives the cleanest, closest to a seamless look. If you’re a knitter you may already know how to do it but even if you don’t it’s not that hard to learn.

Do you knit tube scarves by hand or machine? I’d love to know how you like to finish them!