Knitting

Patterns, projects and techniques

Knit Ariana Grande’s Giant Sweater

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Singer Ariana Grande recently posted a TikTok in which she is singing, but if you’re a knitter you probably didn’t even notice the song because you were so distracted by the giant pink knit sweater she was wearing.

Of course knitters everywhere wanted to know how they could make their own massive cocoon of a sweater, and thankfully Lion Brand has the hookup.

Their Ariana Cardigan uses jumbo yarn so it will knit up in a flash, and it’s actually a really easy sweater knitting project, too. It’s worked in seven pieces — the back, two fronts, two sleeves and two halves of the hood — all in super simple knit 1, purl 1 ribbing.

The pattern only comes in one size, which measures around 45 inches in the chest and is 18.5 inches long. You can easily make yours longer with more yarn, and because the pieces don’t have any shaping other than before the cuff on the sleeves, you can make your panels whatever width you like to make it as oversized (or not) as you like.

The combination of simple pieces, an easy stitch pattern and really big yarn means you can knit up this project in no time and be hibernating like a star before the weekend is out. You can grab the free pattern or buy the whole kit from Lion Brand.

Lion Brand used its Wool-Ease Wow yarn for this project, which is a jumbo (weight 7) yarn available in 13 colors if you don’t want to go with the pink of Ariana’s. The wool and acrylic blend makes it super cozy.

Looking for more celeb-style knits? You can knit a sweater like the one Tom Daley made at the Olympics, or like the patchwork cardigan made popular by Harry Styles, or even a sweater inspired by the Broadway show Mrs. Doubtfire. Or how about some Bernie Sanders mitten inspired patterns (including a cowl that I designed)?

[Photo: Lion Brand.]

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Textured Hat Knitting Patterns

There are all sorts of knitting techniques you can use on hats, but some of my favorites are textured stitch patterns or cabled hats worked in a single color. Check out these great textured hat knitting patterns and find your next fall favorite. 

The K?pekapeka hat from The Practice of Fibre was the one that got me started thinking about textured hat knitting patterns. This one has a simple zig-zag pattern worked with purls. This hat uses centered double decreases for shaping to help keep the pattern going as you finish the top of the hat. It uses worked weight yarn. 

Little Totz Designs has this simple knit hat that uses worsted weight yarn and an allover knit-purl stitch pattern that’s easy to memorize. This one would be a great first hat in the round pattern if that’s something you haven’t tried before. 

The Fia Beanie from Honey and Grace Fiber Co is another simple stitch pattern that’s full of texture. It calls for bulky yarn so it should stitch up in no time in this great textured diamond design. 

Kalurah Hudson’s Cindersmoke hat is an interesting stitch design that uses double moss stitch and bands of slipped stitches throughout the pattern, which is where the decreases are worked, keeping the rest of the pattern as established. It uses bulky yarn and is sized for adults, and you can find it on Ravelry.

Benjamin Matthews has such pretty designs that often turn out to be simpler to knit than they look. The Snow Carved Beanie (find it on Ravelry) for example only uses knits, purls and slipped stitches, but it has a design that looks almost like cables. The pattern uses worsted weight yarn and has a foldover brim for extra warmth. 

While I wanted to keep the focus in this roundup on simple stitch patterns, basic cables are not that much more difficult than regular knitting, and the lattice pattern on this CrissCross Hat form the Purling Princess is so charming I couldn’t resist sharing. This hat comes in three sizes (baby, child and adult) and uses worsted weight yarn. It would be a great gift to knit if you’re thinking about that.