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It’s the little details sometimes that catch my eye and make me want to knit a sweater. An unusual stripe pattern, a great texture, a cool construction. I am forever adding to my favorites and then I start scrolling through past favorites to remember lost loves that have gone to the back of my queue. I am always falling in love with another sweater, digging into my stash to see if I’ve got the yardage and if it could really find a place in my queue. My sweater addiction is why my to-knit wish list is probably a mile long at this point. This month I’m all about special details that make me swoon.

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Winston by La Maison Rililie

I love a dolman sleeve in my ready-to-wear wardrobe, but I haven’t knit one yet. Winston just might make me pick up fingering weight yarn and knit a sweater. The stripes on the yoke and the construction have me itching to find just the right yarn to make this one. I think this cardigan is just so sculptural and lovely, it’s like wearing a work of art.

Photos: La Maison Rililie.

The stripes give it just enough color to make me happy. Honestly, I’m not a fingering weight sweater knitter, but patterns like these make me think twice about my yarn weight choices.

Variance by Keiko Kikuno

My favorite way to knit a sweater is sideways, from cuff to cuff. I’ve only done it once but I loved every minute of it when I was knitting my Cosette tee. Since I’m always on the lookout for a sideways construction sweater I got excited when I saw Variance.

Photos: Making Stories.

This pattern with the stripes is just lovely and not the typical knit.

Colors for a Cloudy Day by Yellow Cosmo

Last month I showed you a sweater with just a hint of brioche on the side and that reminded me of this sweater with colorwork peeking out at the bottom that I knew was somewhere in my favorites. If you’re terrified of doing colorwork, this is just enough to get you started.

Photos: Yellow Cosmo.

Added bonus: the curved hem is the perfect way to accent the peek-a-boo colorwork. Make the body of the sweater neutral and then add pops of fun to the hem with the colorwork. I really need to move Colors for a Cloudy Day to the top of my queue.

Kushi by Claudia Eisenkolb

Projects like Kushi make me say, ‘who came up with this idea?’ as I’m scrolling through Ravelry. I love the stripes, the asymmetry to it and how it elevates a simple cardigan.

Photos: Claudia Eisenkolb.

This takes an everyday sweater and adds an element of fun and interest with the stripes. Plus it gives me an excuse to figure out what the contrasting colors of the stripes will be! Any opportunity to add color to a project automatically makes it one I want to knit.

Cebada by Laura Grutzeck

Cebada is a little different from the rest because of texture the cables give this sweater. Typically, I don’t like knitting allover cables on a sweater, I always feel like it just weighs the sweater down. What I love about this one is how the cables curve around the bust and give this neutral sweater a lot of interesting detail and texture.

Photos: Fairmount Fibers, Ltd.

Of course, when I look at it, I think this would be absolutely amazing in hot pink, but that’s just me.

When we spend so much time knitting a sweater we want it to have a wow factor, or be something that you can’t buy at the store. I think all of these would definitely be special pieces to add to your closet.

About The Author

Dana Williams-Johnson knits every day. Knitting is what brings Dana joy, and she shows that through her use of color (hello, rainbows) and modifications of favorite patterns into replica sweaters for her dogs.

You can read about it all on Dana’s blog, Yards of Happiness, and watch her video podcasts on YouTube.

19 Comments

  • Dana, love your choices. Love you and Jellybean.

  • I always look forward to seeing Dana’s choices — what an eye she has! And I always enjoy meandering through the projects for the patterns she picks. I’m a color person, not a cable person, but this time, it’s Cebada that really grabs me.

  • so my favourites list just got longer by 3….thank you, a pleasure to read you as always

  • What interesting sweaters! I hadn’t seen any of them before. Thank you!

  • Yes to Cebada in hot pink! Yes, yes, yes!

  • As always, after reading about your picks, 2 or 3 more sweaters get added to my queue! Love your Rhinebeck sweater, by the way.

    • Oh, and my queue? 183 sweaters including two from this post!

  • Dana’s choices never fail to inspire me. My cue just keeps growing!

  • Dana, have you seen the Natsumi pattern? Sideways construction, cable across the chest. A fun knit!

    • WOW: love Natsumi……but I LOVE all of these sweaters, so I’d better get offline and pick up my needles!
      Thank you both for all of the wonderful ideas!

  • And now I want to knit a sweater, or two or theee! Thank you for your inspiration!!

  • Terrific column, and I love your blog. I also enjoy seeing garments with different construction methods, makes you think outside of the regular patterns. Where you would use hot pink, I would go with turquoise or chartruese!

  • Would love to see what colors you would use for Variance.

  • Dana, these sweaters are astonishingly interesting. Thank you for bringing them to our attention. I’ll be stash diving this afternoon for a couple of them!

  • You have fabulous taste! I have already purchased Colors for a Cloudy Day.

  • Several very beautiful designs— thanks for bringing these special details to light, Dana!

    I haven’t knitted it yet, but Doineann (https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/doineann) is a sideways-constructed cabled sweater that I’m itching to try. And in DK for those of us who don’t want to do a whole sweater in fingering 😉

  • As always, I love reading what you have to say!! I just kept thinking about how Jellybean would look in her version of these sweaters lol!!

  • Thanks for the great options, as always!

  • You must be looking over my shoulder. I just found a lovely pattern with a simple stitch pattern and thought, “Why should I knit that giant (albeit lovely) cable down the front?” Your answer hit me right where I live. Why should I knit a sweater that looks like everything they’re selling at the mall? Thanks for that reminder! Every piece I knit is a chance to show that I’m unique.
    All the love!

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