Syncope Sweater Knitting Pattern

I can’t say for sure what has come over me, but I have lately been feeling like I want to knit a cropped sweater. I do not particularly have a wasitline that I would consider conducive to cropped sweaters, but maybe this is part of me accepting my body as it is in middle age (gasp).

In truth I’ve started to think it would be cute to have a cropped sweater to wear over dresses or with button down shirts. If things get really wild, it might cause me to experiment with high-waisted pants. Look out, world.

Syncope means fainting, and the reason this sweater has that name is because the designer, Winter’s Weather Knits, has lately been prone to fainting spells because of low weight and blood pressure. They say this sweater feels like the sensation of fuzziness before fainting, which doesn’t really sound like a good thing, but they report that it is kind of comforting.

Whatever the name, it’s a cute cropped drop shoulder sweater with a slipped stitch pattern that gives it a lot of simple texture. It’s worked from the bottom up in one piece and comes in nine sizes.

Chest measurements for the sweater range from 39 to 71 inches, or 99 to 180.5 cm, and it is meant to be worn with 8.5 to 10.5 inches/21.5 to 26.5 cm of positive ease. You can adjust that as you like, and you could also make it longer if you want, though it’s harder to adjust bottom up patterns because you can’t try them on as you go. If you know how long you typically like your sweaters you can go by that measurement.

The sweater is worked in fingering weight yarn, so it’s great for that weird time when nature can’t quite decide what season it is. Or for layering when you don’t want to add too much extra weight or warmth.

You can find the pattern on Ravelry.

[Photo: Winter’s Weather Knits]

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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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