Stitch a Sweater with Fun Details

I think I first saw Maxim Cyr’s Bumpy Sweater in my Instagram feed (I’d love if you gave me a follow!) and saved it because I liked the look of it and wanted to share it with you. But I don’t think I read the description of the sweater at the time, which, when you understand how this one is put together, makes it all the more fun.

The sweater is worked from the top down in the round, and the stripes are actually I-cord. What’s more, when you work the cord stripe, you leave a long tail that’s then woven in (literally) to the fabric, which adds the dotted stripes underneath the cords. Pretty cool, huh?

And I’m sure it won’t shock you if I say this would be a great time to use some yarn left over from other projects, or even yarns with different textures in addition to different colors, to give the sweater even more personality. Have a ball of fuzzy yarn left over from a project? Maybe this is the place to use it!

It’s worked in DK yarn and comes in nine sizes, with a chest circumference ranging from 32 to 64.75 inches, or 80 to 162 cm. It’s meant to be worn with 2 to 6 inches, or 5 to 15 cm, of positive ease, but you can choose a size that feels right for you.

And it should be clear from those chest measurements that this is a garment that’s great for both men and women who like a relaxed fit and a bit of fun in their knitting patterns. I know I don’t share a lot of patterns that are specifically for men or by male designers, so if you have favorites feel free to name drop in the comments.

You can find this pattern on Ravelry.

[Photo: Maxim Cyr]

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Magical Woodland Knits by Clare Garland is a few years old as I write this, but it’s such a fun book I couldn’t resist sharing it. Step into a magical forest full of realistic woodland creatures including rabbit, deer and squirrel, birds and mice, to name a few.

In all there are 12 creatures, and though they are rather small (the wolf is the largest at 14.5 inches/37 cm tall and 18.5 inches/47 cm long), they are so detailed these are definitely not projects for new knitters.

One of the smaller projects, for example, is the robin, at 5/5 inches/14 cm long. It calls for nine different kinds of yarn. Sometimes some are held together, while others are worked with on their own. This pattern only includes three pages of instructions, but the print is rather small and in that time there are six different sets of short rows. None of this makes it too difficult for a knitter with experience reading detailed patterns, working short rows and working with multiple strands of yarn at once, but it’s worth knowing going in that even for small projects you’ll need a lot of supplies and time to work on them.

These are also not meant to be children’s toys, as they can include wires and other supports that could be a danger to little ones.

The process photos often look like taxidermy on a tiny scale, with little animal pelts stretched out and tons of stitch markers showing where and how things go together.

The finished animals are so pretty it’s certainly worth the effort to stitch up these creatures. You might be tempted to make all 12 and set up your own forest scene or use them to decorate your Christmas tree. You can check out all the patterns on Ravelry.

Along the way you’ll also find a little folklore about the animals, charming drawings and pretty photos of the finished animals, too. In the back you’ll find some helpful techniques like picking up stitches, making I-cord and working short rows.

About the book: 128 pages, paperback, 12 patterns. Published 2020 by David & Charles. Suggested retail price $24.99.

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