Knit a Boxy Brioche Sweater

Brioche knitting has been super popular for a few years now and it doesn’t feel like it’s going away. I haven’t done a lot of brioche knitting (if you haven’t either, I have a super simple brioche knit headband at Our Daily Craft you can use to learn the basics), and it’s always been on my list to knit a brioche sweater.

The Candela Sweater from Ginko B. looks like a great option for those taking a first foray into brioche garment knitting. It’s a boxy sweater worked in worsted weight yarn, so it shouldn’t be too fiddly and should actually be a pretty fast knit once you get the hang of it.

Brioche in worsted weight is so squishy and nice, this is sure to become a favorite sweater. It’s meant to be oversized and has balloon sleeves for even more volume, and a wide neckline that makes it easy to layer on top of all sorts of things. The edgings are worked in I-cord so they don’t distract from the squish of the brioche, but still give the piece a finished look.

The sweater comes in 16 sizes with chest measurements ranging from 38 to 68 inches (97 to 173 cm). The pattern doesn’t indicate how much ease is recommended, so you can choose a little more or a little less as you like.

It also has options for doing the brioche with one color or two. The pattern notes say that people new to brioche knitting might like using two colors because it’s easier to see where you are in the pattern, but it’s up to you what kind of a look you’re going for and how much yarn you have.

You can grab a copy of the sweater pattern, and see variations using one color or two, on Ravelry.

And if you’re looking for more brioche knitting patterns, check out my (in need of an update!) brioche knitting roundup here.

[Photo: Ginko B.]

Easy Sweater Knitting Patterns

Knit a Mohair Sweater with a Colorful Twist

Knit a Classic Colorwork Yoked Sweater

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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