I started this sweater in my parents’ living watching Home Alone 2 and realized a little late I was knitting practically the same sweater my sister was wearing. Despite the fact that we aren’t actually twins, my sister and I dress more and more alike with every passing year.

I stand by this sweater anyway. The perfect Christmas sweater in my mind is a little oversized, very soft, short enough to imply a waist but long enough to wear in front of a grandparent, and most importantly, only red adjacent. Red is not my star color. I need jewel tones only in my life.

Currant Sweater

Size: 2

Finished Dimensions:

Width (lying flat): 20.5″

Length: 19.5″

Materials:

Needles: US Size 6 and US size 8 Circular

Yarn: Knit Picks Shine Worsted in Currant, 13 skeins (975.0 yards/22.93 ounces)

Gauge:

9 stitches and 12 rows = 2 inches in ST (size 8 needles)

Back

CO 97 with size 6 needles

Rows 1-18: K in 1×1 rib

Switch to size 8 needles

Row 19: Knit

Row 20: K5, p to last 5, k5

Repeat rows 19 and 2 until back measures 12”

Knit in stockinette stitch until back measures 18″ ending on WS row

Row 1: K40, k2tog, k1, place remaining stitches on stitch holder

Row 2: Purl

Row 3: K to last 3, k2tog, k1

Repeat rows 2 and 3 until 37 stitches remain. End on WS row.

Pick up left 43 from stitch holder (leaving 11 behind) 

Row 1: K1, SSK, k to end

Row 2: Purl

Repeat rows 1 and 2 until 37 stitches remain. End on WS row. BO

Front

Repeat steps in Back until front measures 16.5″

Row 1: K42, k2tog, k1, place remaining stitches on stitch holder

Row 2: Purl

Row 3: K to last 3, k2tog, k1

Repeat rows 2 and 3 until 37 stitches remain. 

K in stockinette stitch for 6 more rows. BO

Pick up left 45 from stitch holder (leaving 7 behind) 

Row 1: K1, SSK, k to end

Row 2: Purl

Repeat rows 1 and 2 until 37 stitches remain. K in stockinette stitch for 6 more rows. BO

Neckline

Stitch BO edges of shoulders together

Switch to size 6 needles

Row 1: pick up and knit 11 stitches from back stitch holder, pick up and knit 37 along neckline, pick up and knit 7 from front stick holder, pick up and knit 37 along neckline. 

Knit in 1×1 rib until neck measures 2″. BO loosely. Stitch BO edge to underside of neckline (from the wrong side)

Sleeves

Stitch sweater back and front at the sides (garter stitch to garter stitch, leaving armholes at the stockinette stitch edge transition) 

Row 1: Pick up and knit 90 stitches around armhole with size 8 needles. Join in round

Rows 2-5: Knit

Row 6: *SSK, k41, k2tog; repeat from *

Rows 7-11: knit

Repeat rows 6-11 until 42 stitches remain (ending on row 11)

Switch to size 6 needles

Rows 1-18: k in 1×1 rib

BO