Knit the Coziest Sweater Ever

I’ve always wanted to knit a mohair sweater. It just seems to me like the ultimate in comfort and a bit of luxury, and I would probably live in such a sweater all winter long if I had one.

Now might be the time to finally make my mohair sweater dreams a reality, thanks to the Summer Lotus Blouse, a free knitting pattern from Hobbii.

Don’t take the “summer” in the title too literally, because it’s worked with two strands of mohair held together, so while it will be super light weight it will also be plenty cozy to wear throughout the year.

The sweater is worked from the top down in stockinette stitch with I-cord edgings for a super clean look. It uses a larger than expected needle to keep it airy and light, which also speeds up the process.

One thing that’s cool about holding two strands of yarn together is that they don’t have to be the same color. These sweaters end up looking like they use a solid color but they’re actually worked with two different colors, which gives you so many more options. Pick two harmonious colors or shades of the same color, or go wild and pick two colors that are quite different and see what happens. You could also, of course, hold two strands of the same color if you like, but part of the fun of knitting with mohair is seeing how the colors play with each other.

This pattern is available in six sizes, ranging from an actual chest measurement of 30.3 to 44.1 inches, or 77 to 112 cm. It’s meant to be worn with about 2 inches/5 cm of negative ease, but you can choose a different size if you don’t want such a snug fit.

You can grab the pattern for free and check out all the yarn options at Hobbii.

[Photo: Hobbii]

Generally I like knitting patterns where I feel like you can use whatever yarn you have (because my stash is big enough and I want to use it, thanks) and make a successful project. This is one of those times when a special yarn makes the process that much easier.

The Floral Bouquet Shawl from Xandy Peters uses a specific extended color pooling yarn from Feisty Fibers, which allows you to place the bobble flowers with increasing frequency as you knit the project.

It starts with a solid color yarn, then the two color yarn is added in, and you make a bobble whenever you encounter the color pops. This would be hard to replicate with other yarn that doesn’t have the extended color pooling built in.

The background of the shawl is ribbed, making the project reversible.

The shawl uses fingering/sock yarn and comes out to be an asymmetrical triangle that’s 54 inches/137 cm long and 36 inches/ 90 cm deep and 60 inches/150 cm across the top edge.

Xandy says the pattern is for intermediate to advanced knitters. Knowing how to work traditional bobbles would probably help, but there’s a great video tutorial for how to work the floral bobbles so you can practice on other yarn or even incorporate the bobbles into other projects.

The bobbles are five-petaled flowers but they also kind of look like starfish to me, which could be fun on a child’s cardigan or other pattern. They’d also be fun on the leg of a sock or around the brim of a hat for extra whimsy.

The pattern includes photo and video tutorials, and written and charted instructions. It also includes tips on what to look for if you choose to use different yarn for the project, and instructions on how to dye your own yarn to use in the project.

If you want to give it a try, you can find the pattern on Ravelry.

[Photo: Xandy Peters]

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