Introducing my latest design, the Sunshine Seeker sweater. Every year at about this time, I go into full on waiting for spring mode. I don’t know what it is about February that says spring is almost here! The days where the sun is streaming in through the back window at 6 pm gives me this warm fuzzy feeling in my soul. Days are getting longer, sun is getting warmer, and spring vibes are in the air.
This sweater is my last chunky wool knit of the season. I added some mesh detail for those days where it’s sort of warm, but not too warm. It’s a perfect balance for the end of winter, heading into spring.
It’s knit up on size 15mm (US 19) straight knitting needles, ensuring a quick and chunky knit. The fun mix of colors and stitches makes for a project that won’t get old or boring! All you need is a few hours of time to knit this piece up. This is an easy level sweater as long as you have the basic knitting skills down.
To purchase your Sunshine Seeker pattern, click here or visit the shop link in the menu above.
Happy Saturday guys! I figured I’d put together a little guide here to the knitting needles that I use in my patterns. I often have people asking where I get my needles, what length they are, etc. I’m hoping this will help everyone out!:)
There are so many knitting needles out there that it’s super easy to get lost in a daze of what in the world you should purchase. Many patterns will vary on whether you are going to need circular or straight needles. On the plus side, if a pattern calls for straight needles, you can use circulars and simply use them as if they were straights. I don’t often use circulars. Very rarely.
Wool and the Gang 25mm needles
I’ll start with the 25mm needles and work down. US these are a size 50. When I first started knitting, I ordered all of my yarn and needles from the Uk. I tend to call my needles by the mm sizing instead of the US sizing.
These needles are 12” in total length and have 11” of workable length.
These needles are typically my go to needles for my super chunky knits and my best selling patterns, The Lost Road Trip Cardi and The Winter Blues Sweater. You can actually fit quite a few stitches on these needles!
The best part about knitting with 25mm needles, is they make a project go super fast! You can seriously knit a sweater in no time at all. The reason I choose to use them for my chunky knits, is they show off the softness of the super chunky yarn. When you use smaller needles, the yarn is more compacted and hence, a bit more firm. I’m just not the biggest fan of that.
They do take a bit of practice to get used to but once you do, you’ll be in love with them!
My circular pair can be purchased from Loopy Mango here.
The straight pair can be purchased from Wool & The Gang here. I will also add, Wool & the Gang does also sell circulars in this size now.:)
We Are Knitters 15mm needles
My next favorite for chunky knits is the 15mm needles. I don’t knit big yarn with any size smaller than these. I sometimes use 12mm for ribbing, but not the main body of the sweaters. This is about the smallest size you can go and still keep the cozy soft feeling of the super chunky yarn.
These needles are 14.5” in total length, with 13.5” in actual workable length. Their website states differently, but I like squishing stitches as far as I can. 🤣
My 15mm needles can be purchased from We Are Knitters here.
Wool & The Gang 12mm needles
Next up is the 12mm knitting needles from Wool and The Gang. These needles I tend to use mostly for ribbing. The Winter Magic sweater uses these needles for just a few rows. I believe my only full sweater knit with these needles is my Bring Me Coffee Cardi which kind of makes for the same concept as using my 25mm needles with the super chunky yarn. The texture and softness just shines through!
These needles are 13.75” in total length and have 13” in workable length.
You can purchase these needles from Wool & The Gang by clicking here.
Wool & The Gang 8mm needles
My 8mm, US size 11, straight knitting needles are one of the two sizes I use for knitting smaller yarns. I love using these needles for We Are Knitters petite wool, they’re the absolute perfect fit. I also love using an 8 with cotton and having them knit up a bit quicker and have more stretch and an airy feel to them.
These particular needles are 12.75” in total length and 12” in workable.
You can purchase these ones from Wool & The Gang by clicking here.
We Are Knitters 5mm needles
Almost every cotton design I knit is using these 5mm, US size 8, knitting needles. They’re the perfect fit for making cotton sweaters! Although they’re currently the smallest size needle I’ve used and take the longest to work up, the result is beautiful.
These needles have a total length of 14.5” and a workable length of 13.5”. You can easily fit many many cotton stitches onto these!
I hope everybody had a super wonderful and merry Christmas! As I only have a few weeks left of this pregnancy, we decided to stay at home this year and enjoy Christmas with just our family. Unfortunately we did also have a couple sick kids, which is such a bummer. Really, the only couple days of the year where you really would rather not be sick! I’m really crossing my fingers that this is their last illness of the season.
The season of sales is almost over and this will be my last big sale for a while! All patterns, including bundles, are currently 25% off through the 28th. Then I have another exciting thing happening, so you will want to stay tuned for that!
My patterns are all fairly easy and I’ve had many levels of knitters knit them. But I do get frequently asked what I would recommend personally as a first sweater for the newest of new knitters.
My top picks for all of you new knitters joining us are :
The Winter Blues Sweater
Skills needed: Casting on, 2×2 ribbing, stockinette stitch, make one stitch, bind off, seaming
The Kels Marie Pullover
Skills Needed: Casting on, twisted rib, yarn over and knit two stitches together (just for edges) make one stitch, bind off, seaming
The Cropped Striped Winter Sweater
Skills Needed: Casting on, twisted rib, stockinette stitch, changing colors, make a new stitch, bind off, seaming
The Candy Hearts Sweater
Skills Needed: casting on, stockinette stitch, garter stitch, twisted ribbing, yarn over and knit two stitches together (just for accent on sleeve cuffs) bind off, seaming, duplicate stitch (for “hearts”)
I try to be available for help as needed for my knitters out there. So please don’t hesitate to reach out if you need any assistance. I do have five children though so I might not always get back to you immediately, but I try!
happy love co 