Knit a Sweater with Shocking Stripes

As much as I love my classic sweater designs, I also really like to see sweater knitting patterns that bring in a bit of a twist.

The Shocking Stripes sweater by Tori Yu starts as a pretty standard looking, top down, crew neck, circular yoke sweater worked in sport weight yarn.

But then the stripes come in.

These stripes are shocking not just because of their brilliant color (the yarn company calls it Yollo) but also because you’ll be surprised how easy they are to knit. They look like stranded colorwork done with slipped stitches, but it’s actually a broken seed stitch pattern that’s simple to execute.

The pattern is written for nine sizes, ranging from 36 inches to 68 inches in actual finished sweater size. The design is intended to be worn with about 6 inches of positive ease.

You can of course use any colors that you like on this one, and there are some great examples on the pattern page or Ravelry using two more muted colors, or mixing it up so all the stripes are not the same color.

But if you love the colors of the sample shown (the main color, which looks a little beige to me, is called dusty rose, which is a such a fun throwback name!) you can buy a kit from the yarn company she worked with, The Wandering Flock. The kit with the same colors is available on Etsy, or you can check out their Baby Paca yarn in other colors. I think this rust one would be great for this project as well.

Whether you buy the kit or use your own yarn, the pattern is available for purchase from Ravelry.

[Photo: Tori Yu.]

Next Pattern:

It seems like every year there are more rainbow colored (and other flag hued) knitting projects out there to celebrate Pride. Whether you celebrate at a local event or just want to add some more color to your wardrobe, these Pride knitting patterns are a great place to start.

See also these Pride knitting patterns, tiny Pride flags, and more rainbow projects if you need more inspiration.

These Pride socks from Birger Berge are a free pattern on Ravelry. They feature a rainbow flag on the heel and toe, plus stripes on the cuff with the word Pride and a heart worked in.

Or you can Put Some Pride in Your Step with these allover colorful socks from Oriahna WhimsyStitch. Using a self-striping fingering weight yarn, they have a spiral rib on the legs and come in three sizes. The pattern has suggestions for if you don’t have self-striping yarn to use. You can find it on Ravelry.

Amy Snell’s Pride Like the Wind is a triangular shawl that uses slipped stitches to add texture to the multicolored stripes. The pattern was made with a large skein of rainbow colored yarn and mini skeins in rainbow colors, but you can use stash or whatever you can find in theose colors for a different look. You can find this pattern on Ravelry.

Pride and Elegance is a pretty pair of rainbow striped arm warmers made by martaschmarta. They call for fingering weight yarn and have sparkly beads incorporated at each end for extra flair. This pattern is also on Ravelry.

Pride in Parallelograms by Treena Evans is a mobius knit cowl worked in a multicolored ombre yarn. It calls for DK weight yarn and is a free pattern on Ravelry.

Stephen G. Krueger has designed a lovely kippah/yarmulke pattern that can be worked in the colors of any Pride flag you like. The pattern is free on Ravelry and uses fingering weight yarn.

And if you want to make a full progress flag in knitting, you’ll need the modular progressive Pride flag pattern from Kim Smith for Alterknit Universe. The pattern comes in two sizes using different weights of yarn to suit your needs, and the modular style of the project makes it seamless. You can purchase this pattern on Ravelry.

If you want to add a touch of Pride to a sweater, wall hanging or other project, the abstract waves chart from Hits Knit Patterns is a great place to start. It uses the colors of the lesbian flag, but you could change it to whatever colors you like (there are six colors used and the chart is 49 stitches by 80 rows).

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