Have You Knit Your Christmas Sweater Yet?

Did you know that Dec. 8 is Christmas Jumper Day? What better reason to start knitting a holiday sweater (even if you might not be finished with it in time for the holidays this year?) I’ve never knit a Christmas sweater but I did once knit and ugly Christmas sweater bra, which is a story you might want to know.

You can choose your own adventure when it comes to your Christmas sweater with the Winter Doodle Sweater from Jamie Lomax. Jamie provides lots of different motifs that you can add to your garment — 51, in fact, ranging from holly and snowflakes to reindeer, coffee cups and pine cones. You can add designs just to the yoke or all over your sweater as you like. It’s worked in DK weight yarn and has sizes with garment chest circumference ranging from 30 to 72 inches (76 to 183 cm) and is meant to be worn with 2-6 inches/5-15 cm of positive ease. You can find the pattern on Ravelry.

Knitting Pattern World on Etsy has another cute option with a range of little motifs to knit, though the pattern picks the designs for you. This one includes trees, Santas, snowmen and hearts. Finished measurements range from 96-144 cm or 37.75 to 56.5 inches, with six sizes available.

Make sweaters for the whole family with the Merry Christmas Sweater from Hobbii. This one has six sizes for women, as well as options for men and children, so you can make one for most everyone on your list (two years up to a chest measurement of 59 inches/150 cm). They’re worked from the top down using worsted weight yarn and rated for intermediate knitters. The design by Intreccidiceci is free on the Hobbii website.

This holiday lights pullover from Grey Owl Knits by Sarah on Etsy is so cute and a great way to use brightly colored leftovers from other projects. The retro lights are so cute and an easy shape to knit. It uses DK weight yarn and has a finished chest size ranging from 32 to 68 inches, or 80 to 170 cm, and should be worn with 2-4 inches/5-10 cm of positive ease.

Decorate your Christmas sweater with beads (or real ornaments if you want to go uglier) with the O Christmas Tree sweater pattern from Yas Knits. The muted colors give this one a retro look, but you can use bolder colors if you like. It’s worked in chunky yarn and the beads are worked in as you knit. Instructions for doing that are included. The pattern comes in three sizes, ranging from 98 to 122 cm/38.5 to 48 inches and is meant to have a roomy fit.

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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