Knit Flowers on Your Sweater

I feel like I’ve knit most things that you can knit through my many years of knitting and designing, but one thing I’ve never done is a sweater worked in fingering weight yarn. It just sounds like too much commitment to me, like it will take forever and be too delicate for me to want to wear.

I know none of that is true. Despite the gauge fine knit sweaters don’t necessarily take longer than other projects, especially if they have something to hold your interest like fun colorwork. And the level of detail you can get in a project with so many stitches really can’t be beat.

Consider Bloem by Natasja Hornby. This bottom up crew neck sweater has colorwork all over, whether it’s stripes or these big mandala-like flowers on the front and back (flowers also show up on the sleeves).

I think there’s really something to the idea that colorwork goes faster because you want to see what’s going to happen next, and in the case of this sweater there are other design elements that you’ll be excited to knit. The yoke of the sweater is a hybrid design that ensures a good fit and probably a knitting experience you haven’t had before.

You’ll knit the body of the sweater in the round from the bottom up to the underarms, then knit the sleeves separately and join all together for the yoke.

The pattern has 8 size options, with finished bust measurements ranging from 33.5 to 61 inches, or 84 to 152.5 cm.

You can choose more muted, harmonious colors like the ones shown in the sample or go bolder for a real showstopping piece. Check out the finished projects on Ravelry to give you some ideas and see how it fits on different size bodies. There’s one where the knitter made all the flowers different colors that I just love.

Learn more and grab a copy of the pattern on Ravelry.

[Photo: Natasja Hornby]

Easy Fair Isle Sweaters for Kids and Adults

Have You Knit Your Christmas Sweater Yet?

Take it Easy with a Bulky, Textured Sweater

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Santa and Saint Nicholas generally get all the good press, but Central European kids know you don’t want to just be good so you get presents from St. Nicholas; you also want to avoid the ire of Krampus. (He’s depicted as a human-like figure with horns and usually hairy or furry who gives birch rods instead of gifts to kids who are bad.)

If you’re the type to embrace the naughty side (or you just want to scare the children into good behavior over the holidays), maybe you’ll want to knit a Krampus sweater.

This one, from Sofie Amalie Laulund, is a top down circular yoke sweater with Krampus faces at the top and cavorting Krampuses further down the body, with some traditional Scandinavian snowflakes thrown in for fun.

Because of the large motifs there’s not a lot of room for adjusting the fit, but it is available in five sizes (the Ravelry page doesn’t say what the sizing is, and it says its worked with no ease but the photo looks like the sweater has a bit of positive ease, so if you decide to make this one just check the measurements and your own comfort level for ease when picking a size).

It also uses five colors, but there’s very little red and brown so you can probably use scrap yarn for those parts. It calls for DK weight yarn. You’ll want a background color that helps the creatures stand out. You could also work the snowflake bands in different colors if you want to mix it up.

The pattern is available in both English and Danish, and you can find it on Ravelry. This is the designer’s first pattern, which kudos to them because it’s such an ambitious (and fun!) project I’m happy to add to my collection of whimsy-filled knits.

[Photo: Sofie Amalie Laulund]

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