Easy Sweater Knitting Patterns

It’s definitely the season for knitting sweaters if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere. I feel like I’ve shared a lot of roundups of sweater knitting patterns through the years, and this time I wanted to highlight a few different construction methods used on easy to knit sweaters, so whether it’s your first ever sweater, or just your first sweater of that style, these are all good options.

For your first sweater ever, the Caron Let’s Go Beginner Stripes sweater is a great option. It uses a multicolored yarn to make the striping easy, and the front and back are worked flat with no shaping. Stitches are picked up for the sleeves, but they are also worked flat. The seed stitch makes it more interesting than your standard garter stitch first sweater, but if you know how to knit and purl it’s totally easy. Grab the free pattern, which comes in seven sizes, from Yarnspirations.

Speaking of garter stitch, though, this fun Sideways Sweater uses garter stitches and is worked from side to side for a different look. It’s knit in one piece and only has two seams to sew, and very like shaping. It offers 18 sizes, for kids and adults, including slim, regular and curvy sizing. You can get the pattern, which includes video tutorials, from 10 Rows a Day.

If you’re looking for a full kit to help you make your first garter stitch sweater, check out the Chewing Gum sweater from We Are Knitters. It comes in four sizes and uses bulky yarn.

Or add a little more texture with the Space Heater Sweater from Kirsten Hipsky via WEBS. The texture on the inside helps to trap heat and the pieces are worked flat and seamed for an easy knitting experience. It comes in seven sizes.

Ready to make a simple stockinette sweater? Mama in a Stitch has a simple, boxy pullover with wide sleeves that’s available in five sizes. The pieces are worked flat and all you need to know is how to knit, purl and do a knit 2 together decrease (as well as casting on and binding off, of course!).

This top down, bulky knit sweater from Caidree on Etsy reminds me of one of my favorite beginner sweater knitting patterns that I’ve shared before (Nutmeg, mentioned in the top down sweater knitting patterns post linked above). If you’ve never worked a raglan sweater before, this is a good place to start. This one comes in nine sizes, and while it is cropped you can make it longer if you like.

A similar pattern in a smaller gauge (sport weight yarn instead of bulky) is the Elizabeth Sweater from Heidi Hennessy Designs on Etsy. It has eight sizes and the little rolled neckline is so cute!

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]

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