Get Sporti with this Gender-Neutral Knit Collection

Knit fabric made with ribbing is magical. It’s super stretchy, of course, and while it can be clingy it does so in a way that’s super comfortable.

Ribbed projects automatically look kind of sporty, and that’s the idea behind the Sporti collection by Jacqueline Cieslak.

This pattern in two parts is actually three different pieces. There’s a sweater that can be knit to full length or cropped to a shrug (or really any length in between) and a coordinating tank top that can be worn with the shrug or sweater or on its own.

Both projects call for fingering weight yarn, which makes them lightweight and easy to wear and layer with.

The patterns are size inclusive and include gender-neutral sizing, so you can choose the fit you like without being labeled as men’s or women’s sizing.

The sweater/shrug has nine sizes to fit an upper chest circumference of 30 to 62 inches (75 to 155 cm) and has options for wide and narrow shoulders. There are lots of tips in the pattern for getting a good fit and what to do if you are between sizes. There are also instructions for optional bust darts if you need them.

The tank top has the same size options and optional bust darts. Both projects are worked from the top down so you can try them on as you go for a custom fit. Because they are ribbed you will want to choose a size with at least some negative ease to get a good fit.

I love patterns like this that offer lots of options because you can knit them over and over in different ways, and make them match or not. The patterns are both available on Ravelry (sweater|tank) and if you buy them at the same time you can get 50 percent off the tank top pattern price.

[Photo: Jacqueline Cieslak]

Over the years I have shared a lot of pumpkin knitting patterns, and I’ve knit and crocheted a lot of pumpkins myself. But it feels like there are always more fun things to try with knit pumpkins, so this year I wanted to look a little more beyond basic stockinette or ribbed pumpkins and share some pumpkin patterns with cables, bobbles and colorwork.

In the cable collection we’ve got these cute little basic cable and ribbed pumpkins from Elly Bear Knits. There are two sizes that make a wide, flat pumpkin and a taller round pumpkin. Both are worked in the round as a tube that’s cinched top and bottom when you’re done, and they use bulky weight yarn.

Another cute cable pumpkin knitting pattern comes from Gray Bear Akswokrat. This one is knit flat and it looks like a chunky yarn but you could use other weights to make pumpkins of different sizes. This one also has an I-cord stem and uses yarn to cinch up the sections of the pumpkin, giving it a more natural look.

Add some bobbles to your pumpkins with this design from Autumn Shelter Makes. Also worked in the round in a tube, it features a repeating pattern of bobbles and uses yarn wrapped around the outside to make segments. This one looks like worsted weight yarn to me.

Of course there’s nothing that says your pumpkin has to be a single color, so let’s throw in some colorwork. I love the look of the Cozy Fall Pumpkin knitting pattern from South Stitch Girls. The little leather loop adds a rustic touch but you could also just add a stick. These pumpkins have five colorwork options and are worked in worsted weight yarn in the round.

There’s also the Autumn Fair Isle Trio pumpkins pattern from Equestriann Style, which has three different sizes of pumpkins with four colorwork designs. They are worked in super bulky yarn in the round and look good with high contrast or more muted color combinations.

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