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Build your wardrobe (and knitting skills) with 6 wearable, knittable designs for fall & beyond.
Anne Merrow3 min read
When the days get shorter and the air starts to feel crisp, my thoughts turn to fall sweaters. I can’t wait to get a sweater on the needles for social knitting and a new one blocked, ready to wear and show off. With so many great sweater patterns to choose from, here are my newest favorites—three with long sleeves to wear all year and three vests or slipovers to finish quickly and wear in the shoulder season.
Fall days may start and finish crisp, but if the sun gets warm, a pullover can feel too hot. Choose a cardigan so you can button as much as you like (and take it off easily if needed). Check out “Who’s Got the (Best) Button? How to Choose the Right Buttons for Your Knitting Project” for tips on choosing the finishing touch.
Bonus: All of these cardigans include pockets!
Columbia Cardigan by Courtney Kelley, in Kelbourne Woolens Germantown Worsted
The brioche ribbing pattern and shawl collar of this sweater make for a warm, lofty sweater to curl up in. Knitted in a classic American wool, the design features a brioche stitch pattern, long sleeves to turn back, and a casual fit that looks contemporary.
Chore Jacket by Mary Lou Egan, in Brown Sheep Company Harborside Aran
Worked in an aran-weight yarn, the mainly stockinette stitch pattern of this cardigan works up quickly. The silhouette follows the popular barn-jacket trend—and with its easy fit, you’ll reach for it over and over.
Vintage Maple Cardigan by Lisa Lloyd, in Green Mountain Spinnery Weekend Wool
To show off your cable prowess, cast on this gorgeous sweater and get ready to turn heads. To learn about choosing yarn and other cable techniques, check out “4 Ways to Make Your Cable Knits Pop”.
Whether you layer it under a jacket for extra warmth or make it the top layer on a fall day, a sleeveless sweater (or slipover) not only keeps you warm, it also makes a style statement. Needing less yarn and knitting commitment, a vest will have you wearing your finished object in a fraction of the time of a full-size sweater.
Pole Vest by Sissal Kristiansen, in Navia Brushed Tradition
The graphic pattern of this vest follows a traditional Faroese colorwork rule: an unused yarn is carried no more than five stitches at the back of the work, making this an excellent project for a beginning colorwork knitter to get a feel for tensioning two yarns. The lofty yarn traps air for warmth, and large needles make the project speed by.
Charlie Slipover by Juliette Pécaut, in Wooldreamers Manchelopis and Rowan Kidsilk Haze
This vest gets its bold shoulders from a simple step in finishing and its halo texture from a combination of unspun wool and silk/mohair yarn. The diamond stitch pattern is a traditional touch in a modern silhouette.
Skellister Vest by Sandi Rosner, in Jamieson’s of Shetland Double Knitting
The Fair Isle motifs in this vest look complicated, but the pattern uses only two colors per round, making this vest a good stretch project for a knitter with just one or two stranded colorwork projects under their belt. Worked in the round and steeked, the vest requires no purling in colorwork, and the panel of steek stitches makes the vest jogless.
What has you itching to start knitting sweaters?
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