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Some Sweaters that Might Not Inspire Your Own Sweater Knitting

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1970s sweater knitting patternsThe introduction to this slideshow of sweater knitting patterns from the 1970s makes me smile in light of what we’re talking about this month. It’s talking about how everyone seems to knit these days, but they mostly just knit scarves and baby blankets.

However, not a single knitter I know has found the time to make a sweater, let alone a skirt or pair of pants. And matching sweaters for the whole family? Forget about it!

Well, I’ve never knit matching sweaters, but I can crank out a couple of sweaters a season (especially since my daughter is still pretty small) and I’ll bet you can, too.

The post suggests that people knit more sweaters back in the day because they didn’t have other distractions like the Internet. But watching television is a great way to get more knitting done, so cozy up with this slideshow for inspiration (even if it only inspires laughter and an understanding of what you don’t want to make) and get ready to knit your own awesome, much more fashionable sweaters.

And if we’re being honest, I would totally knit a couple of these. But those pictured would be much better for an infant, and probably fit better, too. How about you?

[Photo via Collectors Weekly.]

 

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Comments

  1. Those little sweaters are better than the hugely oversized ones of the ’80s (or whenever it was). We traveled to Scandinavia while our daughter was in college. She gave us measurements, so we could buy a sweater to bring back to her. My husband commented, “She’d better marry a football player, so he can wear it after oversized goes out of style!” Wonder whether she still has it?

Have you read?

Add a Little Lace to Your Knitting Patterns

If you’re new to lace knitting or just aren’t sure how to incorporate the technique into garments, check out these tops and sweaters that use lace as a decorative element.

The easiest lace out there is eyelets, and you can practice them plenty with this eyelet covered sweater from Knitcro Addict. It uses light/DK weight yarn and is worked in four pieces knit flat. It’s intended to be a little cropped and a little oversized, and includes sizes XS to XXL in the pattern.

If you’re in parts of the world where it’s getting colder as you read this, the Nora sweater from Bummbul might be a good choice. This is actually a great one for learning lace because it’s worked in super bulky yarn, which makes it easier to see what you’re doing and makes the lace super graphic. This one just comes in one size, with a 42 inch (106) cm bust, but that could fit a variety of people depending on how much ease you like.

Minimi Knit Design has a cute allover lace cardigan worked in one piece from the bottom up. It’s worked in lace weight mohair held double, which maybe isn’t the best for those new to lace (because it can be hard to rip out) but it sure is pretty. Sizes range to fit from 30 to 66 inches/76 to 168 cm bust measurements.

If you’d rather not have lace all over your sweater, you can knit the Lumi sweater from Originally Lovely, which has a chevron lace pattern on the yoke and is otherwise worked in reverse stockinette stitch. (It’s worked inside out so you don’t have to purl every stitch.) The pattern has 9 sizes from XS to 5XL and uses worsted weight yarn.

Or try the super romantic sookie blouse from Trust the mojo (available on Ravelry). This sweet top is started working flat from the bottom up and has a V-neck and I-cord edgings. The sleeves are worked separately in the round, and the pieces are all joined together to work in one piece to finish off the top. It comes in eight sizes and is available in English and French.

You can also pair lacy sleeves with an otherwise plain top, like on the Starflower Wrap from Annelise Driscoll Gingrow. This intermediate pattern makes a wrap sweater with generous lacy sleeves and a double wrap belt. The pattern has nine sizes, from XS to 5XL, and is available for free from Hobbi.