Softie Top Down Jumper

Do you remember these jumpers? I knitted them last year using a new chunky yarn from Stylecraft called Softie. The top one I made for myself and my friend Julia liked it so much that I also knitted a much smaller one for her. Both jumpers received a lot of 'likes' on social media, and the lovely people at Stylecraft suggested that it might be nice to turn my design into a pattern for everyone to knit. I don't have the skill or knowledge to scale up my pattern for multiple sizes - it's a completely different kettle of fish to sock designs - so it was a great relief that Stylecraft offered to turn my scribbles into a proper pattern. This pattern is now available to download for free from the Stylecraft website. If you are interested in knitting your own version, you can find the pattern here. 

I much prefer knitting things in the round as there's very little finishing to be done once you've done the knitting. I hate sewing things up and have even had a jumper sitting in pieces for around two years before I got round to sewing it together! Another advantage is that you can try the garment on as you are knitting it by either adding another cable or putting your stitches onto waste yarn. This means you can check how it's fitting and add more length to the body or sleeves for example, or perhaps add a couple more decreases if you think it's too loose. 

The version of the jumper that is being shown on social media uses some of the new colours that have just been released. Softie is a chunky yarn which is 80% premium acrylic and 20% wool. It really is soft and as soon as I saw it, I knew that I wanted to knit a jumper with a deep neck to snuggle inside. The yarn is quite lofty and light to wear and feels very cosy. There are now 10 colours in the range. The photo below shows the original colours; starting top right and going clockwise, we have Cream, Zest, Oats, Peony, Fig and Rosehip in the centre.

This photo shows the new additions to the range; from the top going down we have Coral, Fern, Indigo and Raspberry.

Photo copyright Stylecraft Yarns

Photo copyright Stylecraft Yarns

I'm delighted to tell you that this pattern is going to be the October project in the Stylecraft Makealong group over on Facebook. You can join the group here. If you've not knitted something in the round before, don't panic! There will be plenty of people there to help you out and you may learn some new techniques too, as the pattern involves some short row shaping around the neck, and some increases and decreases. I know that Stylecraft are making some videos to show you these skills. It's always easier when you see something being demonstrated I think. I'm going to be joining in too, and I'm going to be using a mix of the old and new colours - Coral, Raspberry, Fig and Rosehip. That's the combination used in the sample knitted for the official photos. If you'd like to join in with the makealong, it begins this Thursday, October 14th. I think it's going to be a lot of fun. Hope to see you there! xxx