Knit a fun Christmas sweater covered in fluffy pompoms
This Christmas sweater will definitely make the festive wait more fun. It works up in no time thanks to the thick needles, and then you get to decorate it—make some fluffy pompoms and deck out the entire sweater or just the sleeves with them! If you make the pompoms removable, you can also wear the sweater without them after the holidays.
Size: Women’s size M.
Finished measurements:
- bust circumference 106 cm
- shoulder to hem 53 cm
- sleeve length from underarm 46 cm.
Christmas sweater: supplies
- 9 skeins (450 g) of Lana Gatto Maxi Soft (100% merino wool, 50 g = 90 m) in shade 12246 Rosso, and 4 skeins (100 g) of Gepard Kid Seta (70% mohair, 30% silk, 25 g = 210 m) in shade 333 Ruby
- For the pompoms, you’ll need about 80 g of any white yarn; the sample uses Novita 7 Brothers in shade 011 (white)
- 6 mm (US 10) circular needles (40 cm) and 7 mm (US 10.5) circular needles (40 cm and 80 cm), plus 6 mm (US 10) double-pointed needles, or size needed to match gauge
- pompom maker, fork, or cardboard for making pompoms
- tapestry needle.
Stitch patterns:
- 1x1 rib: *Knit 1, purl 1* alternately. Repeat *–* to the end of the round.
- Stockinette stitch in the round: Knit every stitch on every round.
- Stockinette stitch flat: On right-side rows, knit all sts; on wrong-side rows, purl all sts.
Gauge: for stockinette stitch, 13 sts × 19 rows = 10 × 10 cm.
Abbreviations:
- k = knit
- k2tog = knit 2 stitches together
- p = purl
- s, sts = stitch, stitches
- rnd = round.
How to knit the Christmas sweater:
Cast on 140 sts with both yarns held together on 6 mm (US 10) circular needles. Join to work in the round, placing a marker at the start of the round.
Knit 1x1 rib for 5 cm, then switch to 7 mm (US 10.5) needles.
Work stockinette stitch until the piece measures about 31 cm. Continue the current rnd until there are 5 sts left in the rnd. Bind off the next 10 sts by passing them over. Knit 60 sts, then bind off the next 10 sts by passing them over. Knit to the end of the rnd.
From here, work the front and back pieces separately flat, alternating right-side and wrong-side rows. First, knit the back piece. Place the 60 front sts on hold on another needle or scrap yarn.
Back piece
Work stockinette stitch until the back measures 53 cm from the hem. End with a wrong-side row. Leave the sts on the needle or place them on scrap yarn. Break the yarns.
Front piece
Work stockinette stitch until the front measures about 46 cm from the hem. End with a wrong-side row. On the next row, knit 37 sts and place them on hold onto another needle or scrap yarn. If you’re using circular needles, you can simply leave the sts on the cable.
Next, shape the neckline. The right and left sides of the front piece will be finished separately.
There are now 23 sts remaining on the current row. These sts are for working the right side of the neckline. Begin decreasing at the neckline edge on every other row on the right-side (RS) rows:
- 1st row (RS): Bind off 4 sts by passing them over. Knit to the end of the row. There are now 19 shoulder sts. Turn work.
- 2nd row (WS): Purl to the end of the row. Turn work.
- 3rd row (RS): Decrease at the beginning of the row with an skp decrease (= slip 1 knitwise, k1, pass slipped st over). Knit to the end of the row. Turn work. 18 shoulder sts remain.
- 4th row (WS): Purl to the end of the row. Turn work.
Repeat rows 3–4 once more. 17 sts remain. Continue in stockinette stitch until the front measures 53 cm. Break the yarns. Do not bind off the sts, leave them on hold on a spare needle or scrap yarn.
Next, work the other side of the neckline (left shoulder). Decrease at the neckline edge on wrong-side (WS) rows. Begin with a WS row:
- 1st row (WS): Bind off 4 sts by passing them over. Purl to the end of the row. Turn work.
- 2nd row (RS): Knit to the end of the row. Turn work.
- 3rd row (WS): Decrease at the beginning of the row by purling 2 sts together. Purl to the end of the row. Turn work.
- 4th row (RS): Knit to the end of the row. Turn work.
Repeat rows 3–4 once more. Continue as for the right shoulder. End with a right-side row. Do not bind off the sts or break the yarns.
Next, join the front and back pieces at the shoulders by grafting.
Grafting the shoulder seams
Grafting, also called the Kitchener stitch, is a technique for joining two knitted edges. The benefit of this method is that the seam will be neat and stretchy. You can use a tapestry needle or your knitting needles to graft. Here, we use the three-needle bind-off method.
Sleeves
Using 7 mm (US 10.5) circular needles, pick up 48 sts around the armhole, starting at the center of the lower armhole edge. Join in the round and place a marker at the start of the round. Work stockinette stitch until the sleeve measures about 41 cm.
On the next rnd, switch to 6 mm (US 10) double-pointed needles and decrease as follows: *k2tog four times, then k2*, repeat *–* until 8 sts remain. Then k2tog four times. You will have 28 sts left. Divide them evenly onto four needles, 7 sts each. Work 1x1 rib for about 5 cm. Bind off and break the yarns.
Tip!
If you don’t want a fitted cuff, you can skip the decrease round and go straight to working the rib.
Neckline
Using 6 mm (US 10) circular needles, place the the front and back sts that were on hold onto the needle, then pick up 20 sts around the neckline as follows: knit the 26 back piece sts, pick up 10 sts, knit 14 front piece sts, and pick up 10 sts. Join in the round, place a marker at the start of the round, and work 1x1 rib for about 9 cm. Make sure to bind off the sts so that the neckline is as stretchy as possible. Fold the ribbing in half to the inside and sew it down on the wrong side.
Finishing the Christmas sweater with pompoms
Make white pompoms in any sizes you like, using your preferred method: you can wrap the yarn around a pompom maker, a fork, a piece of cardboard, or even your fingers. Leave long ends so you can tie the pompoms to the sweater. The sample sweater was decorated with 24 pompoms total, 12 on each sleeve.
Trim the pompoms evenly with scissors. Attach them on the WS of the sweater with a few stitches. If you want to take them off later, tie the ends in a tight bow instead of sewing them down.
