Pattern Scout
Pattern Scout: Slipovers!
Knitwear designers everywhere are ditching sleeves. We love this. Life gets extremely easy once a garment dispenses with all that tubey business and allows you to finish a cute new sweater snipsnap just like that.
Here’s a big handful of slipovers, vests—whatever!—for abbreviated knitting whether you want a top to wear now, or you’re planning ahead for autumnal glory.
The design names are links to each pattern at Ravelry. You’ll find yarn ideas from the MDK Shop below the pictures.
Holiday Slipover by PetiteKnit
MDK Events Manager Extraordinaire Ashley Balding knit up hers with Atlas, held double, in Citron. See a gallery of Atlas colors above.
Slanting Slipover by Anne Ventzel
Those lush textured stitches and twisted ribs will pop in Atlas! Or add marled complexity with Spincycle Trine.
Chainmail Slipover by HERBGARDEN Knitwear
We love this charming cropped design for Felted Tweed held double.
Belledonne by Along avec Anna
Delicious brioche is made even more sumptuous knit up in Atlas and Kidsilk Haze held together. Jillian Moreno rhapsodizes about this combo here.
Ahsoka Slipover by Nabita Jouret
Clever construction for a timeless design that looks great styled under a big jacket and as a light layer. Brava, Nabita! We love this for Kidsilk Haze and Felted Tweed held together.
Herbsaint by Thea Colman
Make yours next-to-the-skin soft wool in Tov DK. Or opt for a summer top version in Creative Linen.
Savannah Cool by Fatimah Hinds
Bring breezy back! Keep it cool in your two favorite shades of Creative Linen.
We’re always on the lookout for great design.
Pattern Scout: 4 Modern, Sleek Designs
Pattern Scout: 8 Ideas We Love for Dyed in the Wool
Love!!! Thank you MDK!
I have “Low-Key” by Elizabeth Smith in the works. It seems to be quite popular. It’s amazing how much variety can be created from so small a piece of cloth. Thanks for all the suggestions – that Anne Ventzel pattern is new to me and looks so interesting.
Thanks for the suggestion! I’ve got some DK merino I want to use up, this project looks perfect !
I also love Low-Key. Elizabeth Smith writes a great pattern and her associated tips make her designs almost ☺️ foolproof!
Maybe designers will go back to sleeves knit flat, so they can both be knit at the same time thus avoiding sleeve island/second syndrome… and then both sleeves will be knit same gauge, with increases matching.
And we won’t be flipping an entire sweater around in our laps.
Sometimes I pick up stitches for the sleeve along the shoulder edge and knit flat instead of in the round. After the first few rows, it’s easy.
I have several sweaters in pieces, some years old, that I can’t bear to seam – not that it’s hard to do well, it’s just tedious to me! But have never been stranded on sleeve island with a top down sweater. Two ideas for you: (1) don’t wait until the end to do the sleeves, after you put the sleeve stitches on hold, knit a couple inches down the body then pause the body and pick up and knit the sleeves, and then go back and finish the body. (2) put the part you aren’t working on into a pouch or pillow case inch made of something slick like silk and cinch it closed – it will stay clean and unabraded, and turn by itself without your having to flip it.
I understand the aversion to sleeves knit in the round. Even though I do not share it. How’s that for a bit of empathy! Also, if knit from the top down, sleeve knitting – let’s hear it for “arm socks” – can be done once a bit past the armscye. No whole sweater flipping. Which needn’t happen anyway if you just rotate the sleeve opposite the working direction…. Plus the whole thing can be tried on, again. But, if ya knitting sleeves in the round, nothing makes it better I betcha.
I love these! Thank you!
I love these, too! Knitting with two strands of yarn not so much. I’d rather knit sleeves (joke, but true. Sleeves are a breeze!). Surely I could make the Ahsoka Slipover just in worsted, not two yarns to equal worsted? I wouldn’t mind not having the texture, or whatever need for the two strands. Love the yellow of the Slanting Slipover.
Fabulous!