Sweaters and Tops Perfect for Spring

I don’t know if you’re starting to feel it where you live, but here in the south it’s starting to feel a little springlike again. It’s raining instead of snowing, and it’s supposed to be nearly 70 tomorrow. It’s probably time to stop knitting big bulky sweaters and start thinking about transitional pieces, if you haven’t already.

Here are a few free patterns for sweaters and vests perfect for spring or fall that have caught my eye lately.

Love Knitting has a few great free patterns you can get by signing up for a free account with them. There’s the UK Alpaca Tunic, a fun striped tee with cute little picot edgings worked in alpaca yarn so it’s still plenty warm for cool mornings. The Rowan Ladies Twinset is a classic in tweedy yarn (and a tweedy looking stitch pattern, too) and this fun cardigan from Lang Yarns is worked in bright cotton yarn and has a really interesting textured stitch pattern.

Looking for more Vest patterns to knit? Check out these Vest Knitting patterns on Etsy.

And the Noro Waistcoat is colorful and a fun shape for spring, and the bulky yarn will help you knit this one up in no time.

Lion Brand has this cute Ribbed Collar Bolero that’s a quick and easy knit in striped Homespun. The little sleeves give a bit of coverage and the circular shape is just fun. Also check out their Colorblock Slipover, which is worked in intarsia squares that form a simple, mostly rectangular shape. It’s a dramatic look and great practice at intarsia if you’re new to that technique.

Berroco’s Winifred uses a chevron lace stitch to bring a little coolness to a long-sleeved pullover worked in a yummy alpaca, wool and silk blend. Perdido is a vest with a deep ribbed collar and cable patterns on the sides and back. Rated for intermediate knitters, it’s a good early cable project.

And Classic Elite Yarns has a fun cropped cardigan style vest that’s pretty, fuzzy and warm in a mohair yarn.

Are you knitting for spring (or fall, in the Southern Hemisphere)? I’d love to hear what you’re working on!

Next Pattern:

The other day I saw a post from Pinterest about trends for summer and it said one of them was “cultivating whimsy.”

Well, I don’t know where Pinterest has been all this time, but we’ve been cultivating whimsy here at Craft Gossip for a long time. I love sharing projects that are a little different, things that make you smile when you see them, and will make you smile when you knit them and wear them or use them.

Such it is with the Tutti Frutti tee knitting pattern from Bea Creative Knits.

This cute little baby tee is worked top down in the round with contiguous shoulder construction to shape the sleeve caps. There are short rows for the neckline and folded hems with picot edging at the hemline, neckline and edges of the sleeves.

All of this would be great on its own, but then there’s the addition of a super cute fruit icon, which is added with duplicate stitch. There are a lot of options, including strawberry, banana, orange, cherries, watermelon, lemon, blueberries, kiwi, peach, dragon fruit, apple and pear, so it’s likely you can add on your favorite fruit.

It is offered in eight sizes, to fit a bust measurement ranging from 28-30 inches (71-76 cm) to 56-58 inches (142-147 cm). The design is meant to be worn with around 6.3 inches/16 cm of negative ease, but you can choose the fit you prefer. There’s also optional bust and waist shaping included in the pattern if you want to make it even curvier.

This is considered an advanced beginner or intermediate project because of all the skills involved, but it’s sure to be a lot of fun even if some of these techniques are new to you.

Grab a copy of the pattern for yourself form Bea Creative Knits on Etsy.

[Photo: Bea Creative Knits]

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