Knit a Mohair Sweater with a Colorful Twist

I’ve always wanted to knit a mohair sweater for myself. They’re both light and warm, and it just seems like a luxury that I, as a longtime knitter, should have indulged in by now.

(I’m thinking next year might be the year of finally making some of those things I’ve always wanted to make, so I’d better add this to the list!)

The Instant Crush sweater from Joji Locatelli uses two strands of mohair held together to make a DK weight yarn. (If you’re sensitive to mohair or just don’t want to use it for whatever reason, you can sub in any DK weight yarn.)

It uses four colors, and I love how the fuzzy of the yarn makes it look like the sweater glows.

It’s available in 10 sizes and meant to be worn with no ease or slight negative ease (meaning the actual measurement of the sweater is a little smaller than your body’s measurements). The chest measurements on the sweater range from 28 to 66 inches. The colorwork is fully charted for all sizes.

You can get a copy of the pattern on Ravelry.

Mohair is notorious for being a little touchy to work with, so if you’re worried you can use a strand of mohair and a different, coordinating lace weight yarn. The main problem people often have with mohair is the difficult in ripping back if you need to (which is always a possibility when doing colorwork). The best advice is to go slowly, one stitch at a time, rather than actually trying to pull out a bunch of stitches at once like you would with other fibers.

If you try to pull the fibers will just cling more tenaciously to each other and cause knots. I have read that putting it in the freezer before trying to undo stitches helps, too, but I have no idea if that’s true. Just take it slow and read the pattern carefully and hopefully you won’t have to rip back anyway.

[Photo: Joji Locatelli]

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Adding eyelets to a project is a great way to make it more wearable in the summer, and these mesh and eyelet sweater patterns are perfect for summer (and beyond!) for layering.

The Inez Summer Sweater from Happy Love Co combines eyelets and dropped stitches (along with some garter and stockinette) to make a casual and fun summer sweater. The pattern is one size (56 inches or 142.24 cm) around, and is meant to be worn oversized. But it’s an easy enough pattern you could alter it to suit you without too much difficulty. It calls for worsted weight cotton yarn.

Another fun project using dropped stitches in the Stella Blouse from Thelma Steimann. It calls for a fingering weight silk yarn and is worked on larger than expected needles and also uses dropped stitches. The pattern includes eight sizes, with a bust circumference ranging from 33.5 to 51.5 inches, or 85-131 cm. You can grab a copy on Ravelry.

The Design Studio Knits has a nice summer cotton tee that uses worsted weight yarn worked on larger needles so it has a mesh effect while still being worked in stockinette stitch. It’s worked in one piece and is another one size pattern, meant to fit an actual chest measurement ranging from 34 to 46 inches (that’s 86 to 117 cm).

A similar look with a cropped shape and four available sizes comes from A Box of Twine. This one is a DK weight yarn knit on large needles and still has an oversized look (for instance the size small is 42 inches/106.68 cm at the bust). It’s worked flat so this is a great one for beginners.

If you want something a little more structured, try the Pip Cardigan from Yoko Johnston. This sport weight cardigan has an allover eyelet pattern and options to close with a zipper or buttons. It’s worked from the top down and has six size options. This one is also oversized, with finished measurements ranging from 51.5 to 64.5 inches, or 131 to 164 cm). You can find this one on Ravelry.

Or check out Endlessly by Amy Gunderson, a free pattern from Knitty. This pullover uses a cable and lace pattern that is easy to knit and to wear. It uses DK weight yarn and has nine size options. The chest measurement ranges from 34.75 to 66.75 inches, or 88.5 to 169.5 cm, and is meant to be worn with a little positive ease.

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