The Idea
I am a fan of homemade gifts.
Over time, I find it increasingly difficult to give store-bought presents.
I've noticed that as the years go by, I've tended to go to the store to buy gifts when big occasions approach, simply because it was expected. I found myself in a process that was more about checking a box due to social pressure, giving for the sake of giving, thinking, "this might please them," or offering something from a list, without deeper reflection. It was about buying an object for people and moving on.
At a certain point, gradually detaching myself from the materialism of certain celebrations, I realized I wanted to put more personal touch into gifts, even if they were less expensive but more meaningful.
In this sense, I believe handmade gifts are perfect as they represent a true gift of time and thought. They push us to truly consider the person we want to please and make choices to try to delight them. This more active approach encourages more empathy. It's also a lot more work, that's for sure!
So it was in this logic that, for my niece's 5th birthday, I suggested knitting her a handmade sweater.
Of course, the idea was to please her with things she loves, and she absolutely ADORES clothes, so it worked out well!
Before starting, I had a little exploratory conversation with her to guide my creation. From her rather vague responses, as expected for a child of her age, I retained two basic elements: "it shouldn't be itchy" and "pink".
That was enough to start my reflection, but not very informative either. So, I thought about her interests and passions to bring out more material. Since my niece is a big fan of fairy tales and very stylish, I thought it could guide the creative universe I wanted to explore.
From all of this, two main options emerged: either a plain sweater with a large unicorn motif, as often seen on social media, or a jacquard sweater with patterns representing her various passions.
I was more inclined towards the idea of being able to represent multiple types of things or ideas on a single sweater that would truly match one person's passions. So, I chose the jacquard option.
I'm sharing my pattern here, which is currently only available in one size: my niece's. I'll probably offer all children's sizes later on, but for now, I'm short on time. If you've adapted it to another size and are willing to share the information with the community, please let me know via the website's contact form. I always respond.
The Pattern
The Tiara Sweater is made in circular jacquard from top to bottom. The collar is made with an integrated hem and finished with elastic to maintain the elasticity of the opening. The pattern is available in sizes 5-6 years.
Material: For the rose 07 base, 525 meters or 574 yards of baby merino yarn. The motifs require one 50g or 175m/191 yards skein of baby merino yarn in 8 different colors: Natural (solid color 02), light gray (mix 22), yellow (solid color 04), lavender (solid color 25), purple (solid color 14), frosted lavender (solid color 60), light turquoise (solid color 10), black (solid color 21). For substitutions, I recommend choosing a soft and easy-to-care-for material like cotton.
Needles: Circular and double-pointed needles 3mm/US3 and 2.5mm/US2 or equivalents to achieve the correct gauge.
Gauge 10X10 cm or 4x4in : 24 stitches X 32 rows.
Finished size : see chart on the pdf downloadable at the bottom of the page.
The Instructions
For this pattern, I made a YouTube tutorial to help you make the single yarn cast ons for the underarms. You can find it here:
THE TOP:
- Cast on 124 st with the purple yarn (14) using 2.5mm/US2 circular needles.
- Place a marker at the beginning of the round.
- Knit one round in stockinette stitch.
- Knit in 1x1 rib for 3 cm or 1.2 inches (approx. 14 rounds).
- Knit one round in purl stitch.
- Knit in 1x1 rib for 3 cm or 1.2 inches (approx. 14 rounds).
- Switch to 3mm/US3 circular needles and knit the stitches of the current round together with the stitches from the first round to create the doubled collar with the first 14 rows folded inward.
- Create the back reinforcement in rows. The marker of the round is the center of the back:
- Right side row: Knit 16 stitches. Turn.
- Wrong side row: Knit 16 stitches after the marker (total 32 stitches). Turn.
- Right side row: Knit 32 stitches after the marker (total 48 stitches). Turn.
- Wrong side row: Knit 32 stitches after the marker (total 64 stitches). Turn.
- Right side row: Knit 48 stitches after the marker (total 80 stitches). Turn.
- Wrong side row: Knit 48 stitches after the marker (total 96 stitches). Turn.
- Knit to the marker to resume circular knitting. Increase one stitch just before the marker by knitting the strand between the last and first stitches from back to front: 125 stitches.
- Switch to motif A and repeat it 25 times in width. Feel free to use markers to identify each repetition. To make increases, knit the strand between the last and first stitches from back to front.
- Complete motif A once in height: 275 stitches in the 32nd round.
- On the 33rd row, make 13 increases, one every 2 motifs for the first 24 motifs, and one additional for the last = 288 stitches.
- Switch to motif B and repeat it 12 times in width.
- Work motif B until reaching the 53rd round. Separate the body and sleeves: knit 48 stitches (back), put the next 48 stitches on hold (right sleeve), cast on 8 stitches (right underarm), knit 96 stitches (front), put the next 48 stitches on hold (left sleeve), cast on 8 stitches (left underarm), knit 48 stitches (back).
THE BODY:
- Switch to motif C and repeat it 26 times in width for the body = 208 stitches.
- Complete motif C once in height.
- Continue knitting in rose 07 until reaching a height of 21cm or 8.3in from the underarm.
- Switch to 2.5mm/US2 circular needles and knit in 1x1 rib for 5cm or 2in.
- Bind off the body.
THE SLEEVES:
- Resume the first sleeve with 3mm/US3 circular needles = 48 stitches.
- Follow motif C: start the round in the middle of the underarm, pick up 4 stitches, knit the 48 held stitches, pick up 4 stitches, place a marker = 56 stitches.
- Motif C is repeated 7 times in width and once in height.
- Continue in stockinette stitch with rose 07.
- At 2 cm or 0.8in in height, decrease one stitch on each side of the marker: slip 1 stitch after the marker, knit 1 stitch, pass the slipped stitch over; 2 stitches before the marker, knit 2 stitches together = 54 stitches.
- Repeat these two decreases 6 more times every 4cm or 1.6in = 42 stitches.
- At 26cm or 10.2in in height from the underarm, switch to 2.5mm/US2 circular needles and knit in 1x1 rib for 5cm or 2in.
- Bind off and repeat the same for the second sleeve
THE FINISHINGS:
- Weave in the (many) ends and block.
And there you have it, a fabulous fancy sweater made at home, perfect for all the princesses in your life!
Don't forget to tag me on Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok with the hashtags #terrifiknits and #TiaraSweater or #PullTiara once you're done, or add this project to your Ravelry list!
I can't wait to see your version!
What You'll Need :
Knitting pattern: download the instructions by clicking on the button below
Tiara Sweater Terrifiknits (PDF, 837.9 KB)
All my patterns are available for free.
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Yarn used: Baby merino , color pink (uni colour 07), Natural (uni colour 02), light grey (mix 22), yellow (uni colour 04), lavander (uni colour 25), purple (uni colour 14), frozen lavander (uni colour 60), turquoise (uni colour 10), black (uni colour 21), Drops
https://www.garnstudio.com/yarn.php?show=drops-baby-merino&cid=8
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