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

Getting ready for back to school makes me think about pencil crafts, so let’s take a look at some pencil themed knitting patterns!

I recently made a pencil on a circular knitting machine, and it was a fun, quick, easy project that uses little bits of leftover yarn (and if you don’t have yellow you can make it a colored pencil using whatever color’s your favorite). And if you want to make a bigger version check out this pattern from Orange Olive Road on Etsy.

If you want to knit a pencil pillow by hand, check out Sketchy, available on Ravelry from Shana S. Cohen. This one uses worsted weight yarn and has two size options and the choice to make a pencil with an eraser or a colored pencil.

Pencil scarves seem to be the most popular kind of pencil knitting pattern, and there are lot of cute ones. This one from Cosy Craft UK mostly uses garter stitch, with some welts to add texture and what looks like an I-cord edging. It calls for DK weight yarn.

If you want to go all garter stitch try this version from Emsley Co Creations, which uses five colors of DK weight yarn and just a little shaping to make the point of the pencil.

There’s also this fun, mostly stockinette so it looks like it curls a bit, pencil pattern that looks like it’s worked in chunky yarn from Little Knits Studio. This one uses just a little garter stitch and easy shaping for the point.

If you don’t want a pencil scarf, how about some pencil socks? The No. 2 Pencil Socks from The Yarn Enabler are available from Ravelry and use five colors of sock yarn. They feature wide ribs to mimic the texture of a pencil and have options to be worked from the top down or the toe up.

Needs Sharpening by Alexander Walker is a free pattern on Ravelry that uses five colors of sock yarn to make a sort of shortie sock. The little bit of black at the tips of the toes inspired the name. These, too, can be worked in either direction and are available in three sizes.

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