Knit a Cozy Sweater Perfect for Lounging

In my world, sweaters are for all year, but if you don’t wear sweaters in the summer and are in the Northern Hemisphere, this might be one to save for the fall. Our Southern Hemisphere friends can stitch this one up right away for their cooler days.

The Pillars Sweater by Perfectly Knotted is a cute and easy sweater with a deep V-neck and lots of ribbing at the bottom of the deeply split hem. The top part that’s in stockinette would be a cropped length, but adding all that ribbing makes it long enough to wear with leggings or anything else you want.

The pattern is worked from the top down, beginning flat to form the V neck. It’s then joined in the round for the stockinette portion of the body and split into flat panels again to work the ribbing. The sleeves are roomy (she knit hers pretty long but you could always make them shorter if you like them better that way) and the sweater is meant to be worn with 2o to 30 percent positive ease, though of course you can adjust that to your liking.

Actual finished chest measurements of the sweater range from 32 to 80 inches (81.3 to 203.2 cm) and there are 17 sizes. These are made to fit an actual chest measurement ranging from 25 to 66.5 inches (63.5 to 168.9 cm), though of course you can use less ease on larger sizes if needed.

The pattern calls for worsted weight yarn but also suggests you could work it with a DK weight yarn and a mohair yarn held together for extra warmth and coziness if you like. Maybe try both and see what difference it makes in the warmth — this would be a good lesson for your future knitting projects.

You can find the pattern on Etsy.

[Photo: Perfectly Knotted]

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Blankets are a great blank slate project that you can change up in a million different ways. From color to stitch pattern to size, the possibilities are almost endless.

Jared Flood, the designer behind Brooklyn Tweed, was inspired by a log cabin quilt his mother made in 1995 to re-create that design in knitting, which led to more blankets and ultimate Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit and Crochet Blankets, which includes 25 patterns from an array of designers using different skills and techniques to make cozy, pretty blankets.

The patterns are divided into three aesthetic themes: traditions, minimalism and colorplay. The patterns are rated on a scale of one to five, with one being the easiest, and there aren’t any pieces rated five. Two blankets are rated one, 14 are two, eight are three and one is four.

In addition, three of the 25 patterns are crocheted, but they either use single crochet or granny stitch, so they are pretty easy even if you don’t do a lot of crochet. You can see all the patterns on Ravelry.

Some of my favorites include Rattan by Rastus Hsu, a chunky blanket worked in knits and purls with simple crossing stitches to make a raised woven look; Homewood by Seth Richardson, covers in dramatic, loopy cables; Ainur Berkimbayeva’s Tessellate, one of the beginner projects that doesn’t really look beginner but is totally worked in knit and purl stitches; Warp + Weft by Aist? Butkevi?ien?, which is mostly knits and purls but makes a fun woven look fabric that blew my mind a little bit; and the same designer’s Canyonland, a multicolored blanket with wavy stripes.

The patterns tell you how to resize them for different dimensions and include information on pattern repeats where it is possible to make a totally custom size.

Many different techniques are included here such as cables, lace, shadow knitting, intarsia and other colorwork techniques, as well as modular knitting and lots of sewing pieces together. The patterns are all presented with charts, but there are line by line written instructions available on the Brooklyn Tweed website if you need them.

The book ends with a deep dive into log cabin knitting, telling the story of the quilt Jared’s mom made and how he made it in knitting, as well as the multitude of variations you can make if you want your own log cabin style design.

The back of the book includes a little written information about some of the special techniques needed, but there are no photos.

This is a lovely book full of inspiration for knitting and crochet blankets for any skill level. If you like to make blankets as gifts or aspire to have a handmade blanket in every room of the house, these designs would be a great place to start.

About the book: 192 pages, paperback, 25 patterns. Published 2024 by Abrams Books, suggested retail price $24.99.

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