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]

Men’s Hayfield Sweater Knitting Pattern

Men’s Turtle Neck Knitting Pattern

Shawl Collar Men’s Sweater

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Blankets are a great blank slate project that you can change up in a million different ways. From color to stitch pattern to size, the possibilities are almost endless.

Jared Flood, the designer behind Brooklyn Tweed, was inspired by a log cabin quilt his mother made in 1995 to re-create that design in knitting, which led to more blankets and ultimate Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit and Crochet Blankets, which includes 25 patterns from an array of designers using different skills and techniques to make cozy, pretty blankets.

The patterns are divided into three aesthetic themes: traditions, minimalism and colorplay. The patterns are rated on a scale of one to five, with one being the easiest, and there aren’t any pieces rated five. Two blankets are rated one, 14 are two, eight are three and one is four.

In addition, three of the 25 patterns are crocheted, but they either use single crochet or granny stitch, so they are pretty easy even if you don’t do a lot of crochet. You can see all the patterns on Ravelry.

Some of my favorites include Rattan by Rastus Hsu, a chunky blanket worked in knits and purls with simple crossing stitches to make a raised woven look; Homewood by Seth Richardson, covers in dramatic, loopy cables; Ainur Berkimbayeva’s Tessellate, one of the beginner projects that doesn’t really look beginner but is totally worked in knit and purl stitches; Warp + Weft by Aist? Butkevi?ien?, which is mostly knits and purls but makes a fun woven look fabric that blew my mind a little bit; and the same designer’s Canyonland, a multicolored blanket with wavy stripes.

The patterns tell you how to resize them for different dimensions and include information on pattern repeats where it is possible to make a totally custom size.

Many different techniques are included here such as cables, lace, shadow knitting, intarsia and other colorwork techniques, as well as modular knitting and lots of sewing pieces together. The patterns are all presented with charts, but there are line by line written instructions available on the Brooklyn Tweed website if you need them.

The book ends with a deep dive into log cabin knitting, telling the story of the quilt Jared’s mom made and how he made it in knitting, as well as the multitude of variations you can make if you want your own log cabin style design.

The back of the book includes a little written information about some of the special techniques needed, but there are no photos.

This is a lovely book full of inspiration for knitting and crochet blankets for any skill level. If you like to make blankets as gifts or aspire to have a handmade blanket in every room of the house, these designs would be a great place to start.

About the book: 192 pages, paperback, 25 patterns. Published 2024 by Abrams Books, suggested retail price $24.99.

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