Knit a Fancy Sweater with Pouf Sleeves

Generally when I share knitting patterns here they are for things that I would want to knit for myself. That is not the case with this sweater, which is a lot more feminine and detailed than the projects I typically work on.

But that doesn’t mean there aren’t a lot of people out there who would love to knit such a garment, so it’s definitely worth sharing.

The Blackwell Bloom sweater knitting pattern, designed by Nicole Winer for Yarnspirations, reminds me of a cottagecore fantasy, something you’d wear to a tea party or while reading Emily Dickinson or one of the Brontes.

The pattern features a deep ribbed waistband that pulls in from the rest of the sweater, giving it a kind of corseted look. There’s a panel of lace above the ribbing and the rest of the body is worked in stockinette stitch. The neckline is worked with a foldover picot edging.

The sleeves have the same deep ribbing and lace patterns. The lace pattern is shown as a chart rather than being written out in words. The pattern is rated for intermediate knitters.

The pattern is worked flat in four pieces and uses worsted/medium weight yarn. It comes in six sizes, with an actual chest measurement ranging from 40.5 to 60.5 inches, or 103.5 to 153.5 cm.

The smaller sizes have pretty substantial positive ease, but the largest size says it goes up to a chest measurement of 62 inches, which would actually be negative ease, so just be mindful of your actual size and how you would like the sweater to fit when choosing a size.

If you want to check out the pattern and knit one for yourself you can find the free pattern on Yarnspirations. If you like you can also buy the suggested yarn, Patons Canadiana, direct from them. On the website the sweater is shown in black or white, but I think it would be fun in a different color, too.

[Photo: Yarnspirations]

A Perfect Little Ribbed Sweater Knitting Pattern [Knitting]

Bring Some Texture to Your Sweater Knitting

Easy Sweater Knitting Patterns [Knitting]

I rarely understand why something becomes a trend in crafting. Gnomes and geese are both cute I guess, but I never thought we’d be making them for all seasons. (See, for example, this collection of gnome knitting patterns, or these knit geese.)

Another one I don’t totally understand is sardines or little fish more generally. Sure, they’re cute, and the shape is fun, but I had no idea when I was sharing this pattern for a fish-shaped pouch last year that it would become a hugely popular pattern that people are still searching for on the site. It is pretty cute, though, so if you weren’t around then or don’t remember you should got check it out.

Recently another fishy knitting pattern crossed my monitor: the little knit fish from Classical Songbird Designs.

Just as the name suggests, these fish are little, about 4.5 inches or 11 cm from end to end. They look like little sardines and take about 12 yards of sock yarn to make.

You can even make a two-tone fish and use just 6 yards of each color.

This sounds to me like just about the perfect use for the yarn that’s left over after knitting a pair of socks, or a mini skein or several that have been sitting around unused in your stash.

The fish are knit flat in one piece, which makes it easy to stitch on the eyes with more yarn or embroidery floss before stuffing, and you can stitch up the sides while you stuff (though it’s not a very big piece so you could probably stitch and then stuff, finishing with the end of the tail).

Because I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one wondering, I measured an Altoids box and as the pattern is written the fish are a little too big to fit in it (the box is about 4 inches/10 cm long). But you could make the fish a little smaller if you want to make a box of them. Or just make a fishy bag to put them in!

You can grab the free pattern for the little knit fish at Classical Songbird Designs.

[Photo: Classical Songbird Designs.]

Have you read?