Cloud Sweater Knitting Pattern Review For Cozy Sweater Makers

Let’s be honest, some knitting patterns just look like a cup of tea in sweater form, and the Cloud Sweater by PetiteKnit is one of them. It has that soft, simple, slightly oversized look that makes you want to cast on immediately — preferably while ignoring the laundry and pretending the yarn stash is under control.

The Cloud Sweater is a modern top-down sweater knitting pattern with a relaxed shape, soft neckline, and beautifully minimal finish. It is one of those patterns that does not need fancy cables or dramatic stitchwork to stand out. The beauty is in the texture, the drape, and that lovely soft halo you get from using airy yarns and mohair-style fibres.

I really like that this sweater feels wearable. Not “special occasion handmade” wearable, but actual everyday wearable. The kind of sweater you throw on with jeans, wear over a dress, or keep on the back of the chair for chilly mornings in the craft room.

Skill-wise, I would say this is best for a confident beginner or intermediate knitter. You will want to be comfortable with basic sweater construction, working in the round, picking up stitches, and following shaping instructions. It is not a complicated-looking knit, but the neat finish is what makes it feel so polished.

This is also one of those patterns where swatching really matters. I know, groan. But with soft, fluffy yarns, the fabric can bloom and change after blocking, so a little test swatch is much better than ending up with a sweater that fits your teenager, your husband, or possibly the dog.

Would I knit it? Yes. Especially in a soft oatmeal, pale grey, cream, or dusty blue. It has that timeless handmade wardrobe feel that does not scream “I spent three months knitting this,” even though, emotionally, we all know sweaters do like to take over your life a little.

The Cloud Sweater by PetiteKnit is a lovely choice if you want a cozy modern sweater knitting pattern that feels simple, stylish, and very wearable. It is soft, minimal, and relaxed without looking sloppy — basically the kind of sweater that makes you start justifying another yarn order before you have even finished reading the pattern.

For the past few years I’ve taken part in a Christmas in July blog hop that encourages people to get a jump on their making for holiday gifts.

I love to use yarn I already have for these projects in the hope that people will consider what they already have that they can use to make projects for themselves or to give as gifts.

This year it was a couple of knit baskets made using partial balls of yarn left in my stash from other projects.

They use the same basic pattern but the first one is made with two colors of bulky yarn, and the second used two strands of worsted weight yarn held together, which made the gauge about the same, but I cast on fewer stitches to make a smaller version.

The bottom of the basket is square, though you can make them rectangular if you’d rather. Then I just knit up the sides in rounds until I was about to run out of yarn. This gave both baskets rather short sides — maybe more like a tray than a basket — but you can keep knitting as long as you like to make the sides of your basket as tall as you want.

They’re worked in seed stitch, which keeps the edges from curling and adds a nice texture to the baskets.

Of course this also allows you to use even more odd balls from your stash. I’d love to make a big one someday combining lots of different yarn. I mean, I’d probably use it to store more yarn, but that’s a fine thing to do.

As it is, these little trays are great for sitting on your desk or bedside table to hold little things that always seem to appear there. I like to use one to hold the supplies for whatever project I’m working on, things like little scissors, my tape measure, a crochet hook, etc.

And they would make good gifts on their own or as a container to hold some other goodies if you like.

You can find the free pattern for these stash busting baskets over at Our Daily Craft.

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