Free Pattern : Marshmallow Flump Sweater

I love chunky knits and this one might be the chunkiest and cutest of them all. Made from We Are Knitters’ The Wool in Natural and Marshmallow, and Wool and the Gang’s Crazy Sexy Wool in Purple Haze it’s like wearing a hug whilst looking like a cute, pastel dream.

This sweater is designed to be quite oversized (I have a 36” chest and I’m wearing a medium) and it is easily adjusted for taller or shorter bodies. It’s knitted in the round, with raglan shaping and the arm stitches are held on waste yarn whilst the body is knitted and then picked up. It’s the perfect sweater if you’ve never knitted a raglan before! There is the option of rows with purl stitches with extra detail but this is up to you ❤

Difficulty:
Intermediate (can you make left and right leaning increases? If so, you can do raglan shaping!!).

Techniques used:
1) Cast on
2) Knit
3) Purl
4) Left leaning increase
5) Right leaning increase
6) Placing stitches on waste yarn
7) Knitting two stitches together
8) Cast off
9) Magic loop

Needles required: 15 mm 80 + cm circular needles (you’ll need to use the magic loop method for the sleeves).

Suggested yarn:
We Are Knitters The Wool - available here and here.
Wool and the Gang Crazy Sexy Wool - available here, here and here.
Molly by Mayflower - available here.
Knitcraft Cosy on Up from Hobbycraft - Currently out of stock online but available in stores.

I have used We Are Knitters The Wool in Natural (yarn A) and Marshmallow (yarn B) and Wool And The Gang’s Crazy Sexy wool in purple haze (yarn C).

Please note: I have tried to cover a range of sizes however if you feel none of these are right for you, please do contact me and I'd be happy to work out stitch counts and yardage so you can enjoy this pattern! Please do just remember that this is a hobby and I’m in the last 18 months of my PhD so I might be slow in replying. In the images, I’m wearing a size medium.

This jumper is knitted on circular needles top down with raglan increases. Sleeve stitches are then put on hold using waste yarn and picked up after the body is finished. The neckline and hems are knitted in 1 x 1 rib and the remainder of the jumper in seed stitch.

Measurements and stitch counts are indicated as below - Stitch counts are indicated in size order so make sure to follow your size.

Sizes:
XS, (S), M, (L), XL, (2XL), 3XL

Measurements

Measurements are all in cm.
A- Jumper length - 52.5, (54), 58, (63), 68, (70), 73 (If you want your jumper slightly shorter or longer, simply knit more or fewer rows after you have split the arms and body stitches).
B - Chest (measurement taken from under the arms across the chest) - 94, (102), 111, (120), 128, (137), 145.
C - Arm length (from neck to end of arm) - Up to you- try on as you go

Tension:
6 stitches x 8 rows = 10 cm x 10 cm

Yarnage:
900, (950), 1000, (1100), 1200, (1300), 1400 g of We Are knitters The Wool or similar.
1 skein of yarn is 200 g.

These are approximate - if you need to increase the length of the body or sleeves, you’ll need more yarn.

Raglan increases:
Each increase round will result in an 8 stitch increase- two either side of your four raglan stitches. Use a stitch marker to mark your raglan stitch. Knit up to the raglan stitch, make one right leaning increase, knit your raglan stitch, make one left leaning increase and then continue the round. Repeat this for each increase round.

Optional Seed Stitch:
For my sweater, I have used a simple seed stitch as extra detailing as I think it looks really cute! ❤.

Purl stitches are done every 4th row on every 4th stitch to create a simple seed stitch. On the 4th round of your sweater, knit three stitches after your raglan stitch (this will include your increase), then purl one stitch. Repeat this until you get to your raglan stitch and then knit three stitches, purl the next stitch and repeat. Every 4th row, repeat this but make sure your purls are in the same place as in above rows! As you increase stitches, you’ll need to add more purl stitches. Counting back from the first purl of the row, if there are 4 stitches not including your increased stitch, add a purl on the 4th stitch and repeat for the arms and body of you sweater. Hope that makes sense! If it doesn’t and you would like some clarity, please just ask.

Yoke:
Cast on 40, (40), 44, (44), 46, (48), 50 stitches using your preferred cast on method on 15 mm circular needles in colour C. Join the first and last stitches in the round ensuring your yarn isn’t twisted when doing so. Switch to colour B.

Knit 4 rows in 1 x 1 rib (knit one stitch, purl one stitch).

Switch to colour A. Knit one row and mark your raglan stitches as you go. Place markers after 14, (14), 16, (16), 18, (20), (22) stitches (back piece), after 6 new stitches (sleeve), 14, (14), 16, (16), 18, (20), (22) stitches (front piece) and then after another 6 new stitches.

The next row will be your first raglan increases (see instructions above).

Repeat the two following rows 8, (9), 10, (11), 12, (13), 14 times.
1) Knit one row
2) Knit one row with raglan increases

At this point you will have 104, (112), 124, (132), 142, (152), 162 stitches on your needles.

Your sweater will measure approximately 24, (24), 26, (28), 31, (33), 36 cm measured from the first row of knit stitches to your current row.

For size XS, knit 2 more rounds (with no increases). All other sizes, knit 1 round (with no increases).

Body and arm separation
Knit 31, (34), 37, (40), 43, (46), 49 stitches (this is your back piece). Place the next 21, (22), 25, (26), 28, (30), 32 stitches on some waste yarn or stitch holder. Cast on 4, (4), 4, (4), 4, (4) 4 stitches for under the sleeve, knit 31, (34), 37, (40), 43, (46), 49 (front of sweater). Place the next 21, (22), 25, (26), 28, (30), 32 stitches on waste yarn or yarn holder and cast on 4, (4), 4, (4), 4, (4), 4 stitches. Insert a stitch marker here to indicate the beginning of the round.

You should now have 70, (76), 82, (86), 94, (100), 106 stitches on your needles.

Knit in continuous rounds until you have the desired length for your sweater. I am 5“5 and I knitted 14 rounds which measures 17 cm but this is completely up to you. As a guide, knit 16, (17), 18, (20), 22, (21), 22 rounds.

Switch to colour B.
Knit 4 rounds in 1 x 1 rib.
Switch to colour C.
Cast off.

Arms (repeat these steps for both arms)
Sleeves are worked in continuous rounds. Dependent on the length of your needles, you may need to use the magic loop method.
Place the stitches you put on hold onto your 15 mm circular needles. Pick up the 4, (4), 4, (4), 4, (4), 4 stitches you cast on for the body to join the sleeves and body. You should now have 25, (26), 29, (30), 32, (34), 36 stitches on your needles. Place a marker to mark the beginning of the round. Knit every round.

Every 2nd row, knit together the first and second, and the second to last and last stitches of the round. Repeat this until you have 17, (16), 17, (18), 20, (22), 22 stitches left (this should be after 8, (10), 12, (12), 12, (12), 14 rows). Knit until your sleeves reach just short of your desired length (try on as you go!).
Switch to colour B.

Decreases are as follows:
XS - (k1, p1, k2tog, p1, k1, p2tog) x 2 (12 stitches)
S - k2tog, p1, k2tog, p1, k1, p2tog, k1, p1, k2tog, p1, k1, p1 (12 stitches)
M - k1, p1, k2tog, p1, k1, p1, k1, p1, k2tog, p1, k1, p2tog, k1, p1 (14 stitches)
L - k1, p1, k2tog, p1, k1, p2tog, k1, p1, k2tog, p1, k1, p2tog, k1, p1 (14 stitches)
XL - (k1, p1, k2tog, p1, k1, p2tog) x 2, k2tog, p2tog (14 stitches)
2XL and 3XL - (k1, p2tog) x 6, k1, p1 (16 stitches)

Knit 4 rows in 1 x 1 rib (knit one stitch, purl one stitch).

Switch to colour C and cast off.

Sew in all ends and you’re done!
Please do not republish my pattern or sell. Feel free to sell your jumpers but please credit me as the pattern author. ❤

Free Pattern: Seaside Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Welcome to the Seaside Chunky Knitted Cardigan pattern. I knitted this whilst on a trip to the Jurassic Coast and it will always remind me of Durdle Door and Weymouth where I spent a lot of time as a child. It is designed to be worn open and slightly oversized and the size is easily adjustable if you’re tall, short or just fancy something a little off-piste.

This cardigan is super cosy, chunky and perfect for beginner knitters.

Difficulty - Advanced beginner (Can you knit a hat? If so, you can make this cardigan!)

Techniques used

1) Knit
2) Purl
3) Knit two together decrease (K2TOG)
4) Pick up stitches
5) Cast on
6) Cast off
7) Mattress stitch and perpendicular and horizontal seaming
8) 1 x 1 rib (knit one, purl one)

Needles required - 10 mm and 12 mm straight knitting needles

Suggested yarn -

John Lewis 100 % wool chunky yarn (shop here) knitted together with Rowan Alpaca Classic DK yarn (shop here).
Note: This yarn was a payday treat and fairly expensive but it is lovely, soft and squishy. I’ve listed some suitable alternatives below but please do check tension if using a different yarn!

Alternative yarns -
Paintbox Yarns Simply Super Chunky 100 % acrylic (click here)
Rowan Big Wool 100 % Merino wool (click here)
Rico Essentials Super Super Chunky 50 % acrylic 50 % wool (click here)

This pattern currently has not been tested for the 2XL and 3XL sizes. I made mine in a size medium and scaled it up and down with some simple maths therefore yardage is approximate. If you have any comments or feedback of this pattern I would love to hear from you!

Please note: I have tried to cover a range of sizes however if you feel none of these are right for you, please do contact me and I'd be happy to work out stitch counts and yardage so you can enjoy this pattern!

The cardigan is knitted up flat on straight needles in five parts and sewn together using mattress stitch. Stitches are then picked up along the fronts and neckline and knitted in 1 x 1 rib. As it is knitted flat, the size is very easily adjustable.

Measurements and stitch counts are indicated as below - Stitch counts are indicated in size order so make sure to follow your size.

Sizes:

XS, (S), M, (L), XL, (2XL), 3XL

Measurements:

Measurements are all in cm
A - Cardigan length - 48, (50), 52, (54), 56, (58), 60 (If you want your cardigan slightly shorter or longer, simply knit more or fewer rows. Remember to knit the same number of rows for the front panels).
B - Width across the back piece - 56, (65), 74, (82), 92, (100), 110
C - Arm length - 30, (30), 32, (32), 34, (34), 36
D - Width of front panel - 15.5, (19), 22.5, (25), 28, (31), 34
E - Circumference of sleeve at top of arm - 37.5, (40), 42.5, (45), 47.5, (50), 52.5

Tension:

For 10 cm x 10 cm - 8 stitches x 10 rows (Please check tension!!)

Yarnage:

355 m, (400 m), 450 m, (520 m), 580 m, (620 m), 670 m of super chunky yarn using 12 mm needles.

These are approximate - if you need to increase the length of the body or sleeves, you’ll need more yarn.

Back

1) Cast on 38, (44), 50, (56), 62, (68) 74 stitches using the 12 mm needles.
2) Knit one row.
3) Purl one row.
4) Repeat steps 2 and 3 until you have 48, (50), 52, (54), 56, (58), 60 rows. If you want your cardigan to be longer, keep knitting but please note the number of extra rows to make sure your front pieces are the same length as the back. Yarnage will also need to be increased.
5) Knit 6 rows in 1 x 1 rib (This is to knit one stitch, purl one stitch and repeat until end). As you have an even number of stitches you should always start these rows with a knit stitch.
6) Cast off.

Front (make two):

1) Cast on 10, (12), 14, (16), 18, (20), 22 stitches.
2) Knit one row.
3) Purl one row.
4) Repeat steps 2 and 3 until you have 48, (50), 52, (54), 56, (58), 60 rows.
5) Knit 6 rows in 1 x 1 rib.
6) Cast off.

Arms (make two)

1) Cast on 30, (32), 34, (36), 38, (40), 42 stitches.
2) Knit one row.
3) Purl one row.
4) Repeat steps 2 and 3 until you have 30, (30), 32, (32), 34, (34), 36 rows. Please note the decreases below.

Decreases: Knit the 2nd and 3rd stitches and then the 3rd and 2nd stitches from the end of the row together.

XS and S: Decrease on rows 5, 11, 17 and 21.
M and L: Decrease on rows 5, 11, 13, 17, 21 and 27.
XL: Decrease on rows 5, 11, 13, 17, 22, 27 and 31.
2XL and 3XL: Decrease on rows 5, 11, 13, 17, 19, 21, 27 and 33.

5) Knit two stitches, K2TOG until the end of the row.

You now have 22, (24), 22, (24), 24, (24), 26 stitches.

6) Using 10 mm needles, Knit 6 rows of 1 x 1 rib.
7) Cast off.

Stitching together

The cardigan is sewn together using mattress stitch, the perpendicular and horizontal seaming technique. Check out my post (here) about the best tutorials I’ve found for help!

1) Starting from the edges, sew the back and the two front pieces together using the horizontal seaming technique.
2) Lining up the stitches carefully, sew the top of the arm to the back and body pieces using the perpendicular seaming technique. Repeat for both arms.
3) Starting at the 1 x 1 rib at the wrist sew up the arm and down the body using mattress stitch.
4) Repeat for both arms.

Front ribbing

1) Starting at the bottom of the right front panel (the right as if you were wearing the cardigan), pick up every other stitch with your 12 mm needle. Make sure you pick up the last stitch of the left front panel even if it’s not ‘the other stitch’.
2) Knit 3 rows in 1 x 1 rib.
3) Cast off.

Weave in all ends and block if necessary.

I added three buttons just for effect however as the knit is chunky, buttons should fit in between the stitches so button holes are not required.

All done!

Congrats on finishing your seaside chunky knit cardigan! I hope you enjoyed this pattern and if you have any questions or get stuck at any point, please do message me either at abbieknits@gmail.com or on instagram @abbieknits.

Please do tag me in anything you make - I’d love to see your Seaside Cardigans out in the wild!

Abbie xo

Free Pattern: Bunny Beanie

A beginner friendly, super chunky beanie pattern which is a quick and easy knit if you’re just starting out or wanting to use up some chunky yarn in your yarn stash.

Difficulty - Beginner - advanced beginner

Techniques used -
1) Knit
2) Purl
3) Cast on
4) Knit two together (K2TOG)
5) Optional colour work

Needles required - 10 mm circular needles (40 cm in length)

Yarn - Approx 100 g (65 m) of Lauren Aston designs super chunky merino or similar (here).

This beanie is knit in the round so there is no seaming required! If you need your hat to be slightly bigger, cast on an even number more stitches and just follow the pattern as stated but add an extra K2TOG on the last round. You can make this on straight needles if you’re not confident with circular needles but instead you’ll have to purl alternative rows when you reach the stockinette stitch.

On y va!

Cast on 44 stitches using the long tail cast on method (or method of your choice but I recommend one which allows stretch).

I suggest placing a stitch marker at the beginning of your round.

Knit 14 rows in 1 x 1 rib - that is knit one stitch, purl one stitch until the end of the row.

Knit 14 rows.

Row 29: Knit 2, K2TOG x 11 (33 stitches)

Row 30: Knit 1, K2TOG x 11 (22 stitches)

Row 31: K2TOG x 11 (11 stitches)

Cut your working yarn leaving a tail of about 10 cm. Using a darning needle, thread your yarn back through the stitches you have just worked so they’re being held by the yarn rather than your needles. Pull gently to close the hole. Pass the yarn through the closed hole and sew into alternative stitches on the last round (i.e. the stitches you just passed your yarn through) and tie off.

Optional colour work

The colour work is completely optional but is simple and easy to do if you’ve never done colour work before.

After the 14 rows of 1 x 1 rib stitch, knit 3 rows. Knit the first stitch of the round in your contrasting colour, knit the second in your main colour and repeat until the end of the row. Knit the next row in your main colour. For the next row, knit the first stitch in your main colour, the next in your contrasting colour and repeat until the end of the row. Knit the next row in your main colour. Repeat these 4 rows until you’ve done all the colour work you want - I recommend doing the decrease rows only in your main colour. Follow the rest of the pattern as written.

PomPom - The pompom is again optional but it looks really cute. I recommend a large pompom maker but you can use whatever size and pompom method you like. Consider using both your main colour and contrast colour(s) in your pompom!

That’s it! It’s really simple but looks really cute and is super warm and snug.

If you need any guidance please do ask for help - I’m always happy to talk about knitting!

Enjoy the pattern and if you do make a Bunny Beanie, please tag me in your makes! I’d love to see it!

Abbie xo

Free Pattern: Patchwork Chunky Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Patchwork cardigans are having a moment thanks to @wondercocreations and @Id.knit.that. They are the perfect way to use up any yarn leftovers you may have, they’re very easy to customise to your size and they’re very cool. I was asked to make a patchwork chunky delight and this pattern is my take on the trend (although we’re talking slow fashion here and chunky cardigans really are timeless).

Reading the Pattern - I’ve written this pattern out for two sizes. The cardigans fit very oversized so these two sizes will fit a range of sizes but I’ve also included instructions so you can make it fit how you want it - smaller, bigger, longer or shorter- scroll past the pattern for instructions. If you need any help adjusting the pattern to make it how you want it, please do message me - I’d be very happy to help.

Difficulty - Intermediate. There is a lot of seaming and colour changes. I wouldn’t recommend this as a first project but if you’ve made a jumper or cardigan before, this is the perfect next project if you’re looking for a challenge.

Techniques used -
1) Knit
2) Cast on (cable cast on preferred but use any you like).
3) Cast off
4) Purl
4) Mattress stitch
5) Seaming
6) Picking up stitches
7) Intarsia (Optional) - if you prefer to do intarsia rather than making separate pieces, go for it. I struggle to get the tension right and find mattress stitch looks neater but it’s entirely up to you. Note: If you do do intarsia, I suggest reducing the width of each square by 1 as I’ve added an extra stitch which is lost when seaming.

Needles required - 15 mm needles. You’ll need circular needles for picking up stitches but it’s up to you if you want to knit the body and sleeves on straights or circulars (makes no difference!).

I’ve labelled the colours A-F but you can just as many colours as you like.

Tension
7 stitches x 9 rows = 10 cm x 10 cm

Sizing

This pattern is written for two sizes with size 1 being the smallest of the two sizes. If you want to make it a different size, skip to the end of the pattern and there is some guidance for you! Size 1 instructions are stated first followed by size two in (). Size two is the same length as size one, so if you need to make it longer, add an extra row or two for each colour. The arm length may seem small but as the cardigan is oversized, they need to be shorter than you may normally have them.

Cardigan length (A) - 64 (64) cm
Cardigan width (B) - 73 (88) cm
Arm length - 47 (36) cm

Yarn - 6 (7) balls of Wool And the Gang’s Crazy Sexy Wool (here) or similar (other chunky wool ideas can be found here). I would recommend having an extra skein of yarn because you can use a surprising amount sewing and the ribbing requires a skein of yarn).

I want to use this pattern but don’t want to invest in expensive yarn….. can I still make this?
Yes you can! This can be made with pretty much any yarn in your stash as long as you have enough of it and this is done but knitting with more than one strand of yarn (i.e. holding three strands of aran/worsted together or two strands of chunky - here are some more conversions if you need them). If you do this, please check your tension but even if it’s off, the pattern can easily be adapted with some simple maths (scroll past the pattern to see how).

On y va!

Back
The back panel is knitted using 9 “squares” knitted in three columns and seamed together using mattress stitch. I like to seam as I go so there’s not lots left for the end and also you can see your cardigan take shape.

Make 3
Cast on 16 (20) stitches in colour A.
In stockinette stitch (knit and purl alternative rows) knit 16 rows.
Switch to colour B.
Knit 16 rows in stockinette stitch.
Switch to colour C.
Knit 16 rows in stockinette stitch.
Cast off.

The other two panels are the same but just with their colours alternated. For column 2 I knitted B, C then A and for column 3 I knitted C, A, B.

Seam together the three panels using mattress stitch to make a larger (almost) square panel that is 45 (57) stitches x 48 rows.

Front panels

It’s up to you whether you want three big squares on each front panel of smaller ones - you can see how both the designs look in the images.

For the bright cardigan, I made four smaller panels, each made up of 6 squares and sewed them together whilst for the more neutral coloured cardigan, I made two panels, each consisting of three squares. I’ve included instructions for both.

Smaller checked squares

You’ll need to make four of these - two for each front panel.

The front panels are made of two columns of panels sewn together. Each column is made of 6 squares, each square is 10 (12) stitches x 8 rows.

In colour A, cast on 10 stitches.
In stockinette stitch knit 8 rows.
Switch to colour B.
Repeat steps 1 and 2 5 more times, switching colour each time.
Cast off.

Sew two of the four panels together and repeat to give you the two front panels of the cardigan. Line them up with the back panel and from the edge moving inwards, sew them together using the horizontal seaming technique.

Larger checked squares

You’ll need to make two of these - one for each side.

In colour A, cast on 18 (23) stitches.
In stockinette stitch knit 16 rows.
Switch to colour B.
In stockinette stitch knit 16 rows.
Switch to colour C.
In stockinette stitch knit 16 rows.
Cast off.

Line up your front panels with the back panel and from the edge moving inwards, sew them together using the horizontal seaming technique.

Arms (make two)

The colour work on the arms is completely up to you and to be honest, I went with how much yarn of each colour I had left.

Cast on 34 (38) stitches.
Work in stockinette stitch.
Knit 8 rows.
On row 9, knit 6, knit 2 together, knit 7, knit 2 together. Repeat twice. You should now have 30 (34) stitches on your needles.
Continue in stockinette stitch.
On row 15 (13), knit 3, knit 2 together (x 6). For size 2, knit the last 4 stitches. You should now have 24 (28) stitches on your needles.

Size 1
Continue in stockinette stitch.
On row 25, knit 2, knit 2 together (x 6). You should now have 18 stitches on your needle.
Purl 1 row.
On row 27, knit 1 stitch, knit 2 together (x6). You should now have 12 stitches on your needles.
Knit 6 rows in 1 x 1 rib (knit and purl stitches alternatively).
Cast off leaving a length of yarn a bit longer than the body - this is for seaming.

Size 2
Continue in stockinette stitch.
On row 17, knit four stitches then knit 2, knit two together (x6). You’ll now have 22 stitches on your needles.
Continue in stockinette stitch.
On row 22, knit one stitch, knit two together (x6), knit the last four stitches. You’ll now have 16 stitches on your needles.
Knit 6 rows in 1 x 1 rib (knit and purl alternative stitches).
Cast off leaving a long tail to sew together.

To sew the arms onto the body, find the middle of the arm cast on row (between stitch 17 and 18 (19 and 20)) and line these up with the seam of your back and front panels. Sew the arms to the body using the invisible seam technique. Be careful not to pull it too tight as it can make the top of the arm tighter than it should be.

Using the long tail of yarn from where you cast of at the wrist, mattress stitch up the arm and then down the body to sew your cardigan together. Look on YouTube if you’re unsure how to do this!

After repeating for both arms, you should now have a completed cardigan (excluding ribbing). Try it on make sure you’re happy because once you add the ribbing it’s a pain to change.

Ribbing
The ribbing is optional but I personally think it makes knitwear fit better. I have done all the ribbing in one colour but again, that’s up to you!

Using your 15 mm circular needles, pick up every stitch along the bottom of your cardigan (begin at end of the left front panel (as if you were wearing it).
Knit 3 rows in 1x1 rib (that is to knit and purl alternative stitches).
Cast off.

Now do the same again but for the front of your cardigan. starting at the bottom of the ribbing you just did on the right panel (as if you’re wearing it) pick up every stitch along the front panel, the back panel which sits behind your neck and then along the other front panel.
Knit 3 rows in 1 x 1 rib (knit and purl alternative stitches).

Cast off.

That’s all the knitting done!

So now you just have to weave in all your ends. Pop on your favourite movie, sit on the sofa with a hot chocolate and let your mind wander. It’s the only way to do it without hating every rogue bit of yarn.

How to make this pattern work for you

As this pattern is constructed using columns of squares, it is very easy to adapt it to fit you or whoever you are making it for.

The first thing to do is decide how wide you want it. Let’s say for the sake of an example you want it to be 130 cm wide.

Tension = 7 stitches x 10 rows = 10 cm x 10 cm

130 / (10 / 7) = 91 stitches
Width you want your cardi / (10 / number of stitches per 10 cm) = number of stitches needed
For the sake of making maths simpler, round down to 90 stitches. So each of your columns of squares needs to be 30 stitches wide. Add an extra stitch to each of your columns as one will be lost when you join your pieces together with mattress stitch so for each column you’d need to cast on 31 stitches.

Let’s say you want your cardi to be 60 cm long (minus the ribbing)
10 / 10 * 60 (number of stitches per tension height / tension height * height of cardigan) = 60 rows
Therefore as there are three squares per row, each colour will be 31 stitches x 20 rows.
For the front panels, they need to be the same length as the back but slightly wider than each back panel. You’ll have ribbing around the front so the front panels don’t need to be half the width of the back but this will depend on if you want to wear your cardi closed or not. If you’re not fussed, for the example above, I would make each front panel 38 stitches wide leaving room for 4 rows of ribbing.

The length of arms required will change depending on the size of the cardigan. If you making it smaller for a tall person for example, the arms will need to be longer than if you were making it oversized for the same tall person. The best thing to do is to measure from the armpit to the wrist, try on the cardigan once the front panels have been sewn onto the body see how it sits on the shoulders and go from there. If you need any help, please do get in touch because it really will depend on the person.

Hope that all makes sense! Writing patterns is still new to me so if anything is not clear or if there’s a mistake in my numbers, please do let me know! I have tested both of these sizes so measurements and stitch counts should be correct.

As always, please don’t sell or replicate this pattern. It takes a lot of work to create a pattern so if you do use it, please credit me as the pattern author. You’re welcome to sell your finished products and please do tag me in any posts of your makes.

Happy knitting,

Abbie xo

Free Pattern: Martha Mohair Scarf

Perfectly snug and fluffy, this project is the perfect TV knit. A great in-between project for experienced knitters and also as a first-mohair project for beginners, it requires only two skeins of Take Care Mohair from Wool And The Gang and 3 - 6 hours of knitting. Enjoy!

Difficulty - Beginner - advanced beginner (techniques are easy but mohair is tricky to work with).

Techniques used -
1) Knit
2) Cast on
3) Cast off

Needles required - 10 mm needles

Yarn - 100 g Take Care Mohair from Wool And The Gang (here) or similar. Drops Alpaca Silk is good alternative but will be lighter (here).

On y va!
1) Cast on 26 stitches.

2) Knit every stitch. When you have one stitch left slip it knit-wise onto your right needle.

3) Repeat step two until you have only enough yarn for one last row (for me this was 97 rows).

4) Cast off.

That’s it! Super simple but lovely, soft and cosy ♥.

If you make a Martha Mohair Scarf please tag me as I’d love to see!

Abbie xo

Acrylic Yarn

Acrylic yarn is perhaps the mostly widely available fibre on the market today. It’s generally affordable, durable and easy to care for making it the fibre of choice for many. It’s a great choice for beginner crafters as it sits on needles nicely and if you need to frog it, it’s not a chore. But the properties which make it a good yarn also make it a pollutant. It’s persistent in the environment (meaning it takes a long time to break down) and it sheds microplastics which accumulate in soils and aquatic environments. The scary thing is now microplastics are ubiquitous in the environment and can be found in the food we eat (Cauwenberghe and Janssen, 2014), in sediments (Yao et al, 2019) meaning eventually there will be plastic markers in rock (Trinastic, 2015) and a plastic bag has even been found at the bottom of the Mariana Trench (info here).

As a community which is centred around curating slow fashion in a meaningful and sustainable way, it’s important that we become more familiar with the yarns we use. Even as an environmental scientist and an avid crafter, I knew very little about acrylic yarn other than ‘it’s plastic’. So, prepare yourself for some yarn science (coined by Sophie from @knit.purl.girl) and enjoy the confidence knowledge can give you when you next choose some yarn.

Bryan Bunny playing with Totoro made from Stylecraft 100% acrylic.

What is acrylic yarn?

Acrylic fibres are made from synthetic polymers (i.e. plastics) derived from fossil fuels. The basic building block of these polymers is acryonile (figure 1) and it’s persistence in the environment can be attributed to the double and triple carbon-carbon and carbon-nitrogen bonds. There are various ways of producing acrylic fibres, many of them using either hydrogen cyanide or propylene and ammonia and require high temperatures and are therefore energy intensive. Acryonile can be spun into fibres using organic solvents (which require specialist disposal), metallic salts or hot air.

Figure 1. The Acryonile monomer - consider a monomer as a single stitch and a polymer as a row of knitting.

The qualities of acrylic fibres which makes them so useful makes their disposal difficult – they’re wear resistant, have strong resistance to sunlight, are resistant to biological and chemical agents meaning they do not easily undergo (bio)degradation and take a very long time to breakdown. The exact time it takes for this to occur will depend upon environmental conditions (temperature, pressure, moisture for example) and the exact structure of the plastic fibre and it’s hard to find a definitive answer because there isn’t one.

Acrylic yarn as a source of microplastics

Microplastics are a significant source of pollutant in both marine and terrestrial environments. They can enter the environment directly (for example microbeads in cosmetics) or through the fragmentation of larger plastics where they can persist and bioaccumulate and are generally to be considered to be plastics smaller than 5 mm. It’s a relatively new problem and subsequently, the science is still in it’s infancy and the long-term impact of plastic pollution is unclear. It is possible that plastic may: be a vector for chemical contaminants, promote the growth of microorganisms as it provides a surface for biofilms to grow as well as cause ingestion problems at all levels of the food chain. What is clear however, is that microplastics are ubiquitous in our environment and that we really need to do something about it.

The release of microplastics through the washing of synthetic textiles has been proven but it is difficult to quantify. It occurs through a process known as pilling (basically when your clothes become bobbly) which arises from mechanical action from washing and/or wear. This will happen regardless of what your items are made from and will eventually happen to even the most expensive of clothing.

Microplastic fibres have been found in sediments, organisms and in water sources (Browne et al., 2011) and in wastewater entering sewage treatment plants (Dris et al, 2015). It have shown the microplastic fibres are released during washing of clothing made of acrylic and polyester at 30°C, 40°C and with and without detergent with more fibres being released when bio-detergent and fabric conditioner were used (Napper and Thompson, 2016). It is estimated that 720,000 fibres are released in a 6 kg washing load and these are on average 5.44 mm in length and 14.05 µm in diameter. What is unclear though is how much of this 6 kg of washing consists of acrylic garments and at what stage of their life the garments were at (early washes tend to produce more fibres). When I was researching this, this number (720,000) seemed to pop up a lot but no one had cited where it was from or how it was calculated. It’s a lot for sure and it is significant when you consider how often you do washing and how many wash loads per day or being done worldwide. A quick google shows that there are 83,000 households currently in York (city in the UK where I live), and assuming each household does an average of 4 wash loads (each at 6 kg) per week, that’s approximately 239,000,000,000 fibres released (yes you read that correctly – 239 billion). This of course makes a lot of assumptions and really it’s impossible to work out the real scale of the issue. But it’s a huge problem and it’s a hidden one

Should I stop crafting with acrylic yarn?

A simple answer is if you can – yes. But it’s a little more complicated than that. Acrylic yarns are generally more accessible – you’ll find them in all crafting shops, non-specialist shops (I’m thinking Wilkos and Boyes if you’re from the UK) and they’re cheaper. My opinion is that it’d be better for people to create their own clothes with acrylic yarn and cherish them than to go to Zara and buy a sweater. Creating your own clothing makes you feel more connected to it and other things you own, therefore needing to buy less. Lower consumption is kinder on the environment.

Affordable alternatives to 100% acrylic yarn (just a couple of my favourites)
Drops Nepal - Aran weight 65% wool, 35% alpaca
Drops Puna - DK weight 100% alpaca
Rico Creative Cotton - Aran weight, 100% cotton
Cascade 220 - Aran weight 100% wool (A little more expensive but it’s a favourite and not talked about much!)

I think that should answer the questions I had about acrylic yarn. As I said on Instagram, this series is simply to educate and also to open up the conversation around sustainability and the yarncraft community. This is only the first instalment of many so as time goes on, my opinions may change or I may no longer deem yarns I’ve recommended as suitable. But this is a learning process and one which I’m happy to be on.

Please feel free to leave any comments or questions or anything you think I’ve missed.
Hope you learnt something and will come back to join me for the next instalment.

Abbie xx