Category: Knitting projects

Knitting projects I have completed or have in progress. My thoughts and review of the pattern, yarn, and outcome. Also knitting project ideas to consider or find for free.

Knitting a Man’s Sweater in Bulky Yarn

This bulky wool yarn sweater was knit loosely from the Joker pattern in the Lopi 41 book. It is made in a size XL for a man.

The warmest sweaters are knit with wool but caring for wool is not so simple. My son lives in a cold climate and I’ve wanted to make him something warm. I know he will never hand wash anything in a sink. So, finally I told him that he will never have to wash the sweater. If it gets a spill, rinse the spot and let it dry.

If he always wears the sweater over other clothing, it should be fine.

I’ve been looking for some simple sweater patterns that men would wear.

I’ve settled on the Joker pattern in the Lopi 40 pattern book – Ravelry page here. The pattern uses bulky Alafosslopi yarn which creates a nice thick sweater that will knit up quickly. I don’t plant to do all that colorwork on the yoke because my kids like subtle, dark colors. I’ve used Alafosslopi to knit the Carbeth Cardigan, which had no colorwork. And honestly I found that knitting stranded with two hands was a bit tough to do with this yarn.

Gauge Swatch and Casting On

My gauge is goo with needle recommended. I knit with a couple of black stripes with the main color green to see how well that worked. When there is a long cast-on like the beginning of the body, I do a two-stranded cast on using yarn from two skeins. That way I won’t have to worry about running our of yarn for the Old Norwegian cast on.

Alafosslopi yarn skeins
Alafosslopi in olive green and black heather.
Joker sweater gauge swatch

Yarn Amounts Used

In the end, this is approximately how much yarn was used. Eight skeins total needed to knit size XL if done in one color.

  • Alafosslopi Green – 6 + a little
  • Alafosslopi Black – 1 + a little

The Joker pullover is knit from the bottom up. Then the sleeves and body are attached and a colorwork yoke is knit. I was not looking for a colorwork pattern, and ended up not doing much of it.

The Joker pattern is pretty straightforward for anyone who is used to knitting a sweater, but does not go into detail. Directions are in cm which I had to convert. Under the sleeves, the armpits have Kitchener stitch to close up the hole.

One note that I hope will be helpful to others, and to myself for next time, is to do a very stretchy bind-off around the neck. I had to rip back and re-do the neck. Binding off loosely is not enough. The neckline curls under so the bind-off is hidden.

How I did the stretchy bind-off: Like this video by Andrea Mowry, EXCEPT I only did 2 stretchy style, then did 2 regular style. I’ve found that doing the stretchy bind-off all the way around will often make that last row way too loose. So I alternated and it turned out great.

Stretchy bind off alternating: Knit one, bring yarn over needle to add another stitch. Knit one – 3 stitches on the right needle. Pass the first two over the last stitch to leave one on the right needle. Do this twice, then do a regular knit one, pass the first stitch over (twice).

Joker sweater rolled collar

We went camping for a couple of days at Long Point Campground, and the sweater was still damp when we returned home! It had been drying for 4 days! So I put the dehumidifier on which helped.

Joker Alafosslopi sweater
Done knitting, before the wash
Joker being washed in sink
Into the wash
Washed and blocked sweater to dry
Drying Joker

Sweater is finished – March 27, 2023, just in time for my son’s visit. He can take it back home with him! But first, Skittle needed to make sure it was good and comfy.

Joker sweater knitting
black cat curled up on hand knit sweater
Closer to the true colors
Joker sweater knitting
black cat sleeping on hand knit sweater
A cozy sleeping spot for Skittle
Joker sweater knitting
Joker sweater knitting

Please keep reading more knitting stories

DIY Felted Wool Seating Pad Knitting Pattern

Knitting a simple wool chair pad to use up some heavy weight and worsted wool. This DIY pattern uses Fair Isle, colorwork that is simple and can easily be changed.

Five Cozy Scarf Knitting Projects For Fall

Five cozy scarf patterns to begin knitting this Fall. Keep for yourself or give to friends and family. The selection has small and long scarves, with many free patterns included.

What’s In My Knitting Queue?

Sharing some of my knitting projects in the works.

After knitting a couple of sweaters that ended up not so great, I’m wondering where my attention should be when it comes to knitting.

I wrote a couple of pages on knitting a beginner scarf. I did this mainly because I have a friend who lives in the north who wants me to teach her to knit.

garter stitch section of scarf
Garter stitch section

For myself, I have some very pretty, Soft Donegal, blue yarn my daughter bought me for my birthday and I need to use it. I’m keeping an eye out for a cardigan pattern. I love to knit pullovers, but I prefer wearing a cardigan. I don’t have a favorite pattern chosen yet.

I do have a short list of favorite cardigans to consider, which include the Traveler’s Cardigan by Ozetta, or Pocket Edition by Hinterm Stein (although it calls for DK yarn). I’m still searching.

Soft Donegal yarn in blue
Soft Donegal yarn

Bulky Wool Men’s Sweater

My youngest son lives in the north and his apartment is in a basement where it is perpetually cold. I’ve wanted to knit him a warm sweater, but I know he will not care for a wool sweater correctly. Now I am considering knitting him a hefty pullover anyway. He does not have to wash it. In fact, I will tell him not to wash it! How dirty will a sweater worn at home get anyway?

I’m knitting a bulky wool sweater made with Alafosslopi yarn and loosely following the Joker pattern.

Alafosslopi yarn skeins and cast on for the Joker sweater knit in bulky yarn.
Alafosslopi in olive green and black heather.

Trove Sweater

The Trove Sweater pattern has a unique design and I’m thinking of doing it to use up my pink stash of Jamieson and Smith as the main color. All I’ve done so far is the gauge swatch. This will be a very involved project, so I will have to be in the mood to knit it.

gauge swatch for Trove
Trove sweater gauge swatch

Colorwork Hat

Hat knitting has fallen to the wayside as I’ve had these larger sweaters to complete. But hats are perfect projects for having fun with colorwork, which I’ve missed.

One of my favorite hat patterns is the Triple-patterned Watchcap. It has a hefty brim decorated with a Latvian braid. I’m considering knitting it again (number 4) but using different colorwork graphs. The style is perfect for keeping ears warm.

Triple Patterned Watchcap hats in three colors
Knit in sizes, XL (red), L (green) and S (pink)

Found a New Designer & a New Yarn

Instagram is a great place to find knitwear designers, patterns and yarn. It is where I recently discovered Unwind Knitwear designs by Rachel Illsley (link goes to her Ravelry pattern page). She designs a lot of colorwork sweaters and one in particular has caught my eye. More on that soon, but my hope is to use some Appledore yarn for this project.

Knitting Projects in Progress

Like many knitters, I do have some unfinished projects lying around. The Easy V pullover is nearly finished (actually, now it is done), with only the remainder of the second sleeve to go. I changed the sleeve colorwork, so what is shown below is NOT part of the pattern.

Easy V pullover sleeve colorwork knitting.

The Brodgar poncho is still in the works, as is the little Sophie Scarf. These are great TV knits for the evening because they are simple knits and purls.

Knitting the little Sophie Scarf
Sophie Scarf
Knitting the Brodgar Poncho
Brodgar Poncho

More knitting stories from the blog

Lots of Changes This Year

Writing a blog, sharing photos, and doing research and making links takes time. Lately I don’t think the time spent doing all that is worth enough to continue. I have stopped writing my gardening blog, and…

Knitters and Our Many Projects

How many projects do you have on your needles? It is not uncommon to find that fellow knitters have many things going at once.

The Easy V Colorwork Sweater Knitting Project Review

Finished knitting the Easy V sweater and these are my thoughts on the knitting project.

Now that I have finished the body on the Easy V sweater, I tried it on. Length is good, but other than that, I am not super happy with this knitting project. The pattern is fine, but I don’t like the style on me. I’m not happy with my yarn choices either.

See a link to the pattern buying page below in the pink block.

Easy V body of sweater is finished so I tried it on for length, which is perfect.

I had trouble getting the neck size cast on right. I’d begun with a green yarn and larger needle. Restarted the sweater using white Lettlopi yarn in a smaller size. This size seemed better.

When it came to using the hand-spun variegated yarn, the colors didn’t really mesh that well, but I was fairly happy with the color work yoke. But, the yarn is quite bulky and makes the fabric thick – even though I went up a needle size to knit that area.

Sometimes after washing and blocking a sweater can look immensely better. I’ve knit so much that I do plan to finish.

Easy V sweater knitting

Maybe the neck will look better after washing and blocking. It is one of the elements of this top that is unique.

Easy V

Pattern directions are very good, and it’s not that I don’t recommend this sweater pattern, but be sure you like the style before choosing it. The colorwork is very easy to do. It is supposed to be similar on the sleeves, but I changed the pattern for the sleeves to one of my own. The colors needed to be divided up a bit for my liking, and I was running low on the variegated yarn.

Easy V sweater body with twisted ribbing at the bottom.

The Sleeves

I substituted my own colorwork pattern on the sleeves. This is not part of the pattern. I debated omitting colorwork on the sleeves, but in the end I changed it up instead. It was an opportunity to use up the yarn and incorporate the white which is on the neck.

I ran out of the blue yarn and substituted two strands of Jamieson and Smith fingering held together.

The ribbing is twisted rib, like the body ribbing. This is also my own doing and not part of the pattern. I like the looks of a twisted rib. To do it, simply knit through the back loop, and purl – around.

Sleeve colorwork
My own choice of colorwork patterning on the sleeve. This is not part of the pattern.
Blue at top is original worsted, blue at bottom near ribbing is tw strands of J&S held double.
Easy V sweater sleeve in colorwork
Sleeve and yoke comparison

At this point, finishing this sweater is a bit of a chore. I’m ready to move on. My yarn selections were bad (except for the brown Lettlopi), with that colored yarn being very bulky. I wish I had not followed the yoke colorwork and left some brown showing.

The more I knit, the more I realize which types of yarn to avoid, and which I like best. This sweater is really not my style, but I’m sure it will be cozy warm for when I need warmth — two days out of the year!

Check out the Easy V pattern page at Ravelry, and be sure to browse color combinations from other knitters.

Have you knit this sweater? What do you think? I’ll be trying mine on soon – in the air conditioned house.

Easy V finished and has been washed and is drying on the boards.

Sweater is dry and here are my photos after trying it on. I’m not too happy with the fit as the neckline is loose and makes the whole sweater sag. I used a size 3 needle to do the neckline, but it really should be tighter. I’m not happy with the outcome.

More knitting stories from the blog…

Camel Yarn Weekend Hat Project

A simple ribbed hat pattern with enough brim folds to keep ears warm. The Weekend Hat is a pattern by designer PetiteKnit.

First Attempt at Knitting Clotilde

I didn’t get far when I began the Clotilde Cardigan pattern, but it’s a good looking cardigan, and I’ll try knitting the pattern again.

Christmas Gift Knitting; Hats For the Guys

Get an early start on hat knitting for Christmas. This page lists a few hat patterns, for free and to purchase, that work well for guys. Also, I’ve listed some machine washable yarn to get…

Casting On and Beginning The “Arco Iris” Sweater Pattern

Knitting the Arco Iris sweater pattern by Joji Locatelli using Miss Babs Kunlun yarn in color Moss green.

I couldn’t pass up the Miss Babs yarn sale and grabbed some of my favorite “Kunlun” yarn. My intention was to knit the new Joji Locatelli pattern called “Arco Iris”.

The sweater is a v-neck with 3/4 sleeves and pretty, textured ribbing (pattern link below). It calls for a DK yarn so this merino, cashmere and silk blend should work nicely.

I purchased four skeins of color “Moss”. This was not my first color choice but the Miss Babs sale is popular, so I took what I could find that offered enough skeins (4) for my project. Green is good. It is one of my favorite colors to wear.

Kunlun yarn in Moss green
Kunlun yarn in “Moss”
Swatch drying
Swatch blocked and drying
gauge swatch and cast on yarn for knitting
Swatch

My swatch has been knit, washed, blocked and dried. My row count is off slightly as I have about 31 rows in 4 inches and it should be 29. But stitch count is exact, so I’m sticking with the size 6 needle. I will just watch the length. Some articles about swatching say that row problems can sometimes be fixed by changing needle types. I’m waiting for some new wooden Lykke needles to arrive.

Casting on January 12th with two skeins wound and ready to alternate. This is my first Joji pattern.

Find the Arco Iris pattern at Ravelry

knitting raglan sweater

Once the 24 inch Lykke needles arrived I switched from the 16 inch metal, which was getting very crowded. The following day the 32 inch arrived and I’m now using that. View Lykke needles on Amazon – this is an affiliate link to the needles I purchased.

I need to say how beautiful this yarn is to work with. Look at those wonderful stitches, all lined up and perfect looking. I don’t know if I’ve ever knit with yarn that is so defined. I’m knitting two rows at a time from alternating skeins to keep the shading good.

So far the pattern is very easy to follow, with lots of stitch counts noted to keep me on track. The increases are easy to remember. There is a lot of purling – every other row – which I personally don’t mind.

Pattern Problem at End of Increases

Now that I have reached Section 3 the body and sleeves are divided and that all went well – until I decided to Tink back to add stitches – see Mods section below. This was not a pattern problem, just my choice.

The first confusion arose in Section 3 in the Note. We are told to continue neck increases “every 4th following row”. Apparently that “following” means the rows to come – from here on out. I would word that differently to be clearer. That means we knit the divider row as Row 1, Purl row is 2 and so on. That has us increasing on a purl row which is not what we have been doing.

The designer lists how to make those purl row increases, but it seems the directions for them are wrong. A fellow knitter left a comment on the pattern page that the the m1pl and m1pr definitions in the “abbreviations” section were incorrect. I checked that out by watching this Purl Soho video about how to do both increases. I have to agree that the designers directions for these increases are incorrect.

It also took me a bit to figure this all out. A couple of simple sentences could have made all this much clearer for me. Then again, maybe I am the only one who didn’t get it. It’s possible.

Mods

One test knitter (Toriyu) mentioned casting on extra stitches for the body when dividing the sleeves – even though her size did not include this. My size 4 directions also say to cast on Zero. So I tinked back to the separation row and cast on six stitches under each arm for a total of 12 extra stitches. I did this because I don’t want the body to be tight. The test knitter then decreased those extra stitches as she knit down the body.

To Be Continued

My next Arco Iris post is about knitting the v-neck ribbing with the cables. I decided to knit the neckline before I finished up the body. You can read that here.

Happy knitting!

Fontana’s face

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