Top down jumper

Thursday 14th October 2021

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Our Make Along for October is this lovely, cosy jumper by Helen Kurtz from Josie Kitten.  It’s a really interesting construction and the colours just look fantastic together.  If you’ve never tried a top down jumper, you are in safe hands with Helen, so why not give it a try?

We asked Helen how she came up with such a lovely design.

“As soon as I saw the Softie yarn, I knew that I wanted to knit myself a jumper in it. It is such a soft and cosy yarn, it's just perfect for a jumper. Because I dislike sewing jumpers together (I once had a jumper sat for nearly 2 years waiting to be sewn together!) I chose to knit it top down in the round. This is such a wonderful way of knitting jumpers because you can try your jumper on as you go and make adjustments to get the best possible fit for you. The huge bonus is that apart from weaving in the ends, there is no sewing up at all. 

“I wanted my jumper to have a big neck to snuggle inside and keep out the chill. I love stripes so that was an obvious choice for me. I really liked all the colours in the range, especially Rosehip and Zest, so included all the original colours in my jumper as they look so good together. Since I knit my first jumper, more colours have been added to the range and I'm planning on using a couple of those when I join in the Make Along.

“I like the Softie yarn because it is soft! Plus, it has great yardage and doesn't feel at all heavy when you're wearing a garment made from it. It feels almost like you're wrapped in a soft cloud.

“Knitting in the round may be new to some people but it is much easier than you think. Just make sure you use stitch markers to show you where the start of the round is and, also the sleeves. You might not be familiar with knitting short rows which are used to shape the front of the jumper, and some techniques for increasing stitches. But don't worry, there will be videos to help you with these techniques and there will be lots of people joining in the Make Along who will be able to help you if you need it.”

Thanks for all the great advice, Helen.  The top down sweater is now available for you to download free on the Stylecraft website and don’t forget to join us in our Make Along group.


 

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