Winter 2025 Knitting Plans

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WIP – Grey Cardigan | Priority High

I cast this one on in mid-November. I had bought this yarn, Mirasol Usun in the colorway Hematite, with the intent of making the South Shore by Kay Hopkins, but I was having trouble getting gauge. I actually ended up gauge swatching this yarn for a couple more cardigans and wasn’t happy with how far off I seemed to be. I kinda cast this one on on a whim forgoing a gauge swatch figuring that the open, flowy nature of this cardigan would be rather forgiving. I’m very happy with my choice. This is an easy but engaging knit. It got set aside for a bit because I decided to try and knit a cable sweater to wear for Thanksgiving, which ended up being my Christmas sweater instead. I also took a break from me-knits to work on Christmas gift knitting for a several weeks.

Now, this is the first one I’m picking back up again in the new year. I think it will be a great addition to my wardrobe. It is fairly relaxed but could be dressed up due to the lace pattern. I have joined it under the arms and after I knit another inch or so, will take a break from the body and switch over to knitting the sleeves. I really enjoy having the sleeves done before I finish the body. I find them easier to work on without having to flip a big heavy sweater around, and I don’t worry about my yarn yardage as much if I know my sleeves are done. I can just knit the body as long as I would like.

Hematite Garden Cardigan Project Plans

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WIP – Cream Pullover | Priority Medium

This is a left over project that has been in the works for awhile. I think I cast it on last March. This is my second Autumn League Pullover by Alexandra Tavel which is a great free pattern. For it I’m using yarn I salvaged from a frogged sweater I made a few years ago that just didn’t fit anyone in our house in a flattering way. So basically a free project at this point.

My intent with this sweater is to use it as a summer pullover that I don’t worry about getting dirty. So a great one to take to the lake or use if I’m working in the garden and need a light layer. Because of that, I’m just ignoring any pooling that is occurring and not messing with alternating skeins… which I had done on the previous sweater, but still had pooling happen. I feel like this will be a horribly useful piece in my wardrobe, it’s just not very inspiring and it is 100% cotton yarn which stresses my hands while knitting. It is not a high priority for the winter, but I definitely want it off the needles before the spring.

Moon Shadow Autumn League Pullover

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Navy Shawl Collar Cardigan | Priority High

This one feels a little bit silly to talk about in my Winter Knitting Plans, because as of this morning, it is an almost completed project and will be the first one off my needles in the new year. It will probably done at the time of posting. At the last minute, I ordered yarn for this project so I could cast it on as a Christmas break project, but, I did want to talk about my thought process in planning this project.

To start with, I knew that I wanted to make a top-down raglan cardigan with an oversized shawl collar. I just want a big, cozy, cardigan that I can throw on over anything else I might be wearing while I’m sitting at my computer. I always get chilly when sitting still and am constantly pilling blankets on my lap and over my shoulders. I also knew that I wanted it to be a worsted weight, warm, quick knit in a navy yarn. I searched through my favorites on Ravelry by doing an advanced search in my Cardigan bundle. From this, I narrowed my pattern decision down to three potential cast-ons: the Jiji Cardi by Chantal Miyagishima, My Opa cardigan by Lisa Chemery, and the Rosemary Cardigan by Amy Christoffers.

All three are worsted weight, top-down, raglan cardigans, with shawls collars, but each one had something that made it stand out. The “Jiji Cardi” is the longest and has the unique feature of knitting the shawl collar first to use as the base for the yoke. “My Opa Cardigan” has unique set in pockets and the directions for multiples lengths, with a button band that is picked up and knit last. The “Rosemary Cardigan” is knit in one go with the collar/button band knit at the same time as the body of the sweater.

Although I was very curious about the pocket design on the My Opa, I ended up choosing the Rosemary Cardigan for my Christmas knit, so I could just cast it on and go, without having to worry about any new techniques/construction or picking up a bunch of stitches later on. After I got the collar going on December 23, I was able to pretty much mindlessly knit the rest of the sweater while spending lots of time with my family over the holiday week. I did add additional length, making it fit six buttons instead of just four.

For my yarn, I chose to use KnitPal Cotton to the Core Worsted in the colorway Blueberry. It is a loosely twisted yarn that is made up of 65% cotton and 35% acrylic. I’ve worked with it before and knew that it would be a fluffy, lightweight yarn that would be a fun color with speckles and budget friendly for me to buy for myself right before Christmas.

Blueberry Rosemary Cardigan Project Plans

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Teal Green Circular Yoke Pullover | Priority High

For Christmas, my daughter and her boyfriend gave me 3 skeins of Berroco Remix Light in colorway Ocean, which I had had on my wish list. I had been planning to use it to make Susaen by Kirsten-Michele, but now that I’m getting ready to cast it on, I’m also tempted by the Field Sweater by Camilla Vad. Both have been in my favorites for awhile. I’m trying to decide which one would work better with the rustic texture of the Remix yarn. I might let my daughter pick the pattern for me.

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All Over Colorwork | Priority Medium

I would like to make an all-over colorwork sweater. I have narrowed it down to three options, two by Anne Ventzel the Coloured Crosses Senior and the Spot Sweater, both of which are a DK weight, and the third option the Heritage Sweater by Liv Ulven, which is an Aran weight. They are all raglans with the two Anne Ventzel being worked top-down, where as the Heritage sweater is work bottom-up. I will knit sweaters both ways, as there are benefits to both. With top-down sweaters you have the ability to try on the piece as you go. With bottom-up sweaters, you can start with knitting the sleeves and can use them as a gauge swatch. I also find that decreasing in the raglan, rather than increasing can lead to a tidier/less holey raglan seam. Which one I choose to make will probably come down to what yarn I find.

This would be a higher priority and probably my next cast-on before the Circular Yoke sweater, except that I haven’t picked out the yarn for it yet. I am planning to use a light off-white/greyish neutral with either a salmon pink or grass green contrast color. I may alternate the two contrast colors. Or maybe, if I’m lucky, I can find a fun tonal/color changing yarn to use.

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Berry Red Pullover | Priority Low

This one is mainly about the color. I would really like a sweater in a berry red. I’m currently leaning towards using Lion Brand’s Mako Cotton in the colorway Rosebud to knit up the Basic V by Minimi Knit Design. Or I may go in a different direction and make something like the Lastlong Pullover by Ailbíona McLochlainn. I would like wait and see if I can get the yarn on sale if possible.

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Light Colored Cotton Zip-Up Hoodie | Priority Low

I would like to make a cotton, zip-up hoodie. I have an old (at least 8 years) store bought one in navy, that is starting to show it’s age. I love it, especially in the summer to throw on over a tee shirt when the air conditioning is too chilly. Since I do have a navy one, I think I would like to make a lighter colored version. Right now the R&R Hoodie is standing out to me, because of the size range it offers all the way down to babies. I think it might be a nice one to have in my files for when I start making child-sized garments again. I have never sewn a zipper into one of my knits, so that will be a new challenge to try out. I’ve also never added pockets to a knitwear piece before and two of the these patterns feature pockets, so that could be fun.

As for yarn, I’m considering trying Drops Cotton Light. I’ve never used a Drops yarn before and there are a few in their collection that may be nice for some spring knits. I may place an order towards the end of winter.

This is a low priority knit for the winter and is likely to be pushed into my Spring Knitting Plans.

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Surprise Mitts Pattern Drafting | Priority High

For Christmas I made my daughter a pair of self-drafted fingerless mitts to match her Horizons Beanie. I typed up my notes for her mitts and would like to work on creating a full fledge pattern with at least 3 sizes and options for regular mittens and fingerless gloves. This does mean I plan to knit a couple more of these which can be gifted.

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I know there is more here than I will complete before the spring, but it was fun to sit down and really look at what I want to add to my wardrobe. It also helped scratch the shopping itch without actually buying anything at the moment. I will be keeping my eye out for very specific yarns.

Happy Knitting!