If you are looking for a sweater pattern to knit and are browsing through Ravelry, there are more than 200,000 garment patterns to choose from. And 6,000 new patterns get published to the platform each month. So deciding which pattern to make can be incredibly challenging.
And in addition, a handmade sweater can easily take 40, 50, sometimes even 80 hours to knit. That’s a lot of time to spend on something that ends up sitting at the back of your wardrobe.
Over the last several years, I’ve knitted a lot of garments. Some of them were incredibly fun to make… but I hardly ever wear them. Others have become pieces I reach for again and again, season after season, year after year.
So today I thought I’d ask myself a simple question: If I had to start my handmade wardrobe all over again – which patterns would I actually knit twice?
And if you’d rather watch than read, I explore this idea in the video below.
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Let’s start with the sweater that completely changed how I think about building a handmade wardrobe.
Garment #1: Sweater No. 28 by My Favourite Thing
Why I knitted it
I first decided to knit this sweater because I saw it in another YT video. Carmen from the Knitting A Good Yarn Podcast on YouTube showed it in one of their episodes and she described how much she loved knitting it.
At the time, I wasn’t 100% sure if it was my style. But since I had some yarn that I knew would look great with this pattern and I was really craving a relaxing, mindless knit at the time I decided to cast it on.
That was actually in November of 2024 and I’m sure you can relate to that feeling when Christmas is approaching that there is so much going on that you really crave a soothing project.
And that’s exactly what this was for me. One of the things I love most about this pattern is actually the repetitiveness without it being boring. As you can see, you have these two alternating sections of ribbing and garter stitch, so you do have to purl a lot (in case this is something you don’t enjoy you need to be aware of this) but for me this was just what I needed.
Construction & Yarn
The sweater is knitted from the top down and has drop sleeves and an oversized fit.
I held two yarns together, a cream colored cashmere yarn that I got from a storebought sweater that had belonged to my father in law and that I unravelled years ago. And a beautiful light grey yarn from Hill Country Weavers called “naturally HCW – ACL”, a very soft blend of alpaca, cashmere and sik. I got this yarn on a trip to Austin, Texas so it also held a very special memory for me.
Fit
One of the reasons this sweater made today’s list is because of the fit. Now, I usually don’t gravitate towards very oversized garments but this one I absolutely love. I think it looks so effortless and also elegant at the same time. I think it’s the combination of the pattern together with the drapey yarn.
How often I wear it
It is very comfortable to wear, it’s super cozy and I wear this sweater all the time during the colder months of the year. And especially when we go to Brittany in France which we do multiple times a year, this sweater always comes with me.
Would I change anything?
The only modification I made to the pattern is that I doubled the length of the collar and when I wear it I fold it inwards. I really like the look of it.
One thing to note about the pattern is that it doesn’t contain short rows so you get this line where the fabric is bunched up just below the collar (as you can see in the picture). I personally don’t mind this, I think it adds to the look of the design, but it’s just something to be aware of.
If I were knitting this again today, I would do exactly the same thing. I would double the collar length and knit the rest of the sweater according to pattern. And I think this patterns really benefits from a drapey yarn like an alpaca or cashmere or silk yarn.
Garment #2: Sweater No. 12 by My Favourite Things
Why I knitted it
After I completed the Sweater No. 28 and loved it so much, I had a look at the knitting pattern portfolio of My Favourite Things. And since I really like stripes and broken rib, this is the pattern I chose to knit next.
Construction & YARN
The pattern is written for a fingering weight yarn held together with a silk/mohair at a gauge of 22 stitches and 32 rows over 10 cm / 4’’. However, I decided to knit it with just a fingering weight yarn at a different gauge of 26 sts and 40 rows over 10 cm / 4”. So in order to compensate for that, I knitted a larger size (I amde size large instead of XS). And that worked out just fine.
This sweater is knitted from the top down and it has a raglan construction.
Fit
The overall fit is good but I wish I would have made the sleeves and the body a little bit longer. I was playing a little bit of yarn chicken so I don’t have enough yarn to add length and that’s okay, but in a perfect world that’s what would I would do. Overall, I like the tight fit and I also like the collar that stands up a bit.
How often I wear it
I wear it on a regular basis during the colder months. Not as often as my Sweater No 28, but definitely regularly.
Would I change anything?
If I were to knit it again, I would hold the yarn together with a silk/mohair yarn. I love the yarn I chose, it’s A Cashmere by Nakyangyarn (which was very kindly gifted to me by the company). It’s so wonderfully soft, but because it’s so soft it pills quite a bit and I think the addition of a silk/mohair yarn would have counteracted that issue a bit.
Garment #3: Mélanie by Marzena Kołaczek
Why I knitted it
Two years ago I got myself a spinning wheel and last year I challenged myself to spin up a whole sweater’s quantity. The fiber I used is a very soft 100% Merino from Woolento, I used two different colorways (200 g each).
And because there is so much going on in the yarn itself, I was specifically looking for a simpler pattern. I was so happy when I found the Mélanie pattern because it fit my aesthetic exactly. And it’s even available for free which I think is so generous of Marzena.
Construction, Yarn & Fit
The pattern is knitted from the top down and has drop sleeves. It contains short row shaping to raise the back neck and is fitted. I also really like the folded hem detail and the mock turtleneck which you add in the end.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have quite enough yarn so I couldn’t do the folded over hem and did some ribbing instead. And the sleeves also turned out a bit shorter than what I was hoping for. I think overall, my sweater would have benefited from a little bit more of positive ease on me.
How often I wear it
I think this is a wonderful everyday piece for me. It fits perfectly within my color scheme, the yarn is super soft and I really like to wear it.
Would I change anything?
If I were to knit this again, I would love to do the folded hem. And I would also make sure to knit the sleeves a bit longer and go up a size so that the sweater doesn’t fit so snuggly.
I think it would look gorgeous in a bit more drapey yarn with a subtle sheen, like some kind of silk or cashmere blend.
Garment #4: Porcelain Damask Sweater by LE KNIT by Lene Holme Samsøe
Why I knitted it
Lene Holme Samsøe has a very popular colorwork pattern called the Porcelain Sweater. I absolutely love this design but I wasn’t sure if this would be something I would actually wear on a regular basis.
So when she announced in the fall of 2024 that she was creating a similar design but instead of colorwork it would have these textured sections, I knew I had to make it.
Construction, Fit & Yarn
One thing I love about this design is that it looks intricate, but once you get into the rhythm it’s such an enjoyable knit. It’s really only knits and purls that create these beautiful textured sections.
The sweater is knitted from the top down and has a drop shoulder. It is supposed to be worn with 15-25 cm 6-10” of positive ease. My own version has significantly less ease, though (9 cm / 3.5”).
So if I were to knit it again, although I am happy with the fit, I think I would go a size up to get a bit more positive ease.
The yarn I used was the classic combination of Knitting for Olive Merino held together with a strand of their Soft Silk Mohair. I used the colorways Nordic Beach and Oat and love the cool toned beige these two created.
Would I knit it again?
Absolutely. And I think it is proof that even garments with beautiful details can still become incredibly wearable. In my opinion it looks very elegant but it’s also casual enough for me to be able to wear on a regular basis.
If you wanted the textured sections to be more visible, you should consider knitting the pattern without the silk/mohair but personally I really like this blended look.
So far we’ve only talked about pullovers. But if I had to rebuild my wardrobe tomorrow, cardigans would actually be some of the very first things I’d knit.
Garment #5: Sunday Cardigan by PetiteKnit
Why I knitted it
The reason I chose to knit this pattern is actually a funny story. I purchased the yarn which is Ask by the Norwegian brand
Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk when we were on vacation in Norway so this yarn holds a very special memory.
And initially I intended to knit the Zweig sweater by Caitlin Hunter with it which was a very popular pattern at that time (2019). It has a colorwork and lace yoke and since I saw everyone making it, I wanted to make it as well.
But that didn’t work out at all, it was too tight, I ripped it back several times and started over but I couldn’t make it work. So I decided to use the yarn for another pattern.
And that’s when I came across the Sunday Cardigan. I had seen samples of the sweater version of this cardigan (the Sunday Sweater) when I bought the yarn in the yarn store in Norway and really liked the aesthetic of it. So I decided to make the Sunday Cardigan.
Yarn
Ask is a sport weight yarn and the Sunday Cardigan is written for a bulky weight gauge. The pattern is actually written for two lace weight yarns held together with a worsted weight yarn.
So I had to recalculate the math of the pattern in order to make it work for my yarn. But I’m so happy I did because I absolutely love how this sweater came out. I have worn this over and over and over again over the last 6 years since I made it.
Fit
I really like the fit, I mainly wear it open. One thing I would change if I were to knit this again is that I would make it just a little bit longer. It doesn’t really bother me since I wear it as a layering piece anyway and wear something underneath it at all times, but if I were to knit it again, I would definitely lengthen it.
Another thing that I found a bit tedious is that the button holes are created by widening the space between the stitches and then stitching around them to create the hole. I didn’t really enjoy this method so if I would knit it again, I would just add the buttonholes during the knitting process.
How often I wear it
I have worn this cardigan so much over the years that it has started to felt. So I am actually considering knitting it again. I can definitely highly recommend this pattern.
One thing I’ve realized over the years is that building a handmade wardrobe isn’t really about finding the “perfect” pattern. It’s about learning what you actually love wearing. That’s something that takes time and just giving it some thought in order to figure it out.
If you this way of thinking about a handmade wardrobe, I think you’d really enjoy my Handmade Wardrobe Circle. It is my membership and every month we explore a different aspect of building a handmade wardrobe with intention.
Sometimes we’re planning future projects or are working through our unfinished objects together. Sometimes we’re talking about fit, colors, wardrobe planning, or simply encouraging one another to actually finish the things we’ve cast on.
It’s a wonderfully kind and supportive group of knitters who all share the same goal: creating clothes they’re genuinely excited to wear. If that sounds like something you’d enjoy, you can find more about it here: The Handmade Wardrobe Circle.
Garment #6: Timepiece Cardigan by Ailbíona McLochlainn
This is the cardigan I reached for when I want to feel cozy and hugged.
Why I knitted it
At the beginning of 2024, I learned about unspun yarn for the very first time. So in case you don’t know, unspun yarn comes in big plates and it is basically yarn that is not really spun at all, there is no twist to it. It is very delicate when knitting with it but it creates a very lovely and very sturdy fabric once it is knitted up.
I had ordered 300g of a beautiful dusty shade of pink called Livslinje (which means lifeline in Swedish), the yarn base is Nutiden yarn from Höner och Eir. But when I tried knitting with it I soon realized that I needed to hold the yarn double in order to be able to properly work with it without it breaking all the time.
And when I was searching for a rather simple cardigan for which my 300g of Nutiden held double would be enough, I came across the Timepiece cardigan.
What I love most about it
I really like the simplicity of this design. It is knitted from the top down with an integrated button band that is done in double knitting. The pattern comes with different options, you can add buttons and button holes, of course, you can add pockets. But I chose to make this very simplistic version without any details.
And I very much enjoyed the knitting processed, seeing the different colors in the yarn and how everything came together.
Fit
I was a bit short on yarn, so I could only knit the sleeves to a ¾ length. I didn’t do any decreases throughout the sleeves and only did one round of knit 2 together, then I did one round of purling and then I bound off. This created a slightly puffy sleeve effect and I really liked it.
How often I wear it
I wore this cardigan so much right after I finished it, it was so versatile and I just loved putting it on. I felt so cozy and like someone was giving me a big hug, it’s hard to explain.
And then something very sad happened because one day I was in a rush and I wasn’t thinking and I put the cardigan in the washing, not even in the wool cycle. And when I took it out it was completely felted and this is how it looks now.
Would I knit it again?
Yes, I would love to have this piece again in my wardrobe. But: Nutiden yarn comes in collections and once it’s sold out, it never comes back again. So I cannot reknit this cardigan with exactly the same colorway.
But I did purchase yarn to replace this beloved cardigan and here it is. This is Snefnug by CaMaRose and I think the colorway actually comes rather close to the Livslinje. I am planning to make a cardigan out of this yarn this fall or winter. I am not sure if I will be knitting the Timepiece cardigan, but I would love a very simple, versatile cardigan.
Garment #7: Oxford by Tricot Design MCL
When I first started planning this project I was specifically looking for a pattern that could become a true wardrobe staple for me.
I was already familiar with the beautiful designs of Marie-Christine from Tricot Design MCL and at first I wasn’t sure which pattern of hers I should knit. I was torn between Oxford and Farandole. In the end I decided to knit the Oxford because it is more simple and therefore more versatile.
How often I wear it
This is one of my more recent makes, I finished it in April of 2026. Therefore I have only worn it a couple of times before it got too hot. But I absolutely love it, the way it fits as well as the yarn that I chose.
Construction & Yarn
It is knitted from the top down and has this beautiful set in sleeve look. In the end you add the double knit button band and collar. The yarn I used is Pascuali Pinta in the colorway sage which was very kindly gifted to me by the company, Pinta is a blend of merino, silk and ramie and it has this lovely sheen and feel to it.
I held the yarn double to get gauge because Oxford is written for a DK weight yarn and Pinta is a light fingering yarn.
Would I change anything?
I did some additional decreases on the sleeves right before the ribbing because they seemed so wide to me. I do like the look it gave me but I think it would have also looked fine the way Marie-Christine wrote it in the pattern without the decreases.
The cardigan grew a lot lengthwise when I blocked it. So if I were to knit it again, I think I would make just a tiny bit shorter.
So far we’ve talked about sweaters and cardigans. But if there’s one thing that’s completely changed my knitting over the last few years, it’s realizing that a handmade wardrobe isn’t just for winter.
The more lightweight garments I’ve added, the more often I actually get to enjoy wearing the things I make. And these next patterns are perfect examples of that.
Garment #8: Joni by Natasja Hornby
Why I knitted it
I have been drawn to Natasja Hornby’s design aesthetic for a long time. I feel like she designs very special and unique pieces that are just beautiful. So in the summer of 2024, I decided that I wanted to knit her Joni top. And I wanted to knit it with yarn that I got on vacation, Isager Bomulin, which I planned to dye myself using natural dyes.
Yarn
I dyed the yarn using nettles and then modified it with ferrous sulfate. But because I’m used to dyeing on protein fibers (wool) and Bomulin is a blend of cotton and linen, the colorway turned out differently from what I expected. I was expecting a dusty sage green and what I got was more of a light grey with a green undertone.
I cast on anyway but because my gauge was off I had to knit a larger size, I made size 3 instead of size 1. But later on, when I was already at the point where I had joined under the arms and was working on the body, I realized that the top was coming out way too big for me. I had also made several mistakes in the lace portion on the yoke and since I wasn’t really happy with the yarn I made the decision to frog the whole project.
And then the yarn sat in my stash for two years. Now during all that time I always knew I wanted to give knitted Joni another try but I just wasn’t sure about the yarn. Then I decided to hold it together with another yarn to get gauge, I chose Knitting for Olive’s Pure Silk. I got it in the white colorway and then I dyed it together with the Bomulin, this time using logwood. And finally this resulted in a color that I was happy with.
How often I wear it
I only recently finished this piece but I nevertheless wanted to include it in this list. Simply because it was such an enjoyable knit and I think the design is just so special.
It is a bit more elaborate than the other patterns I’ve shown you so far, but I think I will get a lot of wear out of this. I love the fact that the two yarns took the dye slightly differently so they created this heathered effect in the knitted fabric.
Would I change anything?
I only realized after I had joined for the body and the sleeves that I made the lace panel shorter than what is written in the pattern. That was completely unintentional, but I actually really like the way it came out.
Construction
The top is knitted from the top down, you start by knitting the back piece, then you pick up for the right and left front before you join them together. And it basically consists of this beautiful lace panel and ridged stockinette sections. You can knit the body either straight or fitted and I chose the fitted options. I also really like the rounded hem which is done by short row shaping.
How it fits into my wardrobe
I will have to wait and see how well this will fit into my wardrobe and how often I will reach for it.
Would I knit it again?
I could definitely see myself knitting this again, and I think it would look especially great in a cream or off white color like the one Natasja is wearing in the sample photos.
Garment #9: Anker Tee by PetiteKnit
Why I knitted it
PetiteKnit has a whole Anker line, consisting of a sweater, a cardigan and also a dress for kids. I made the dress version for one of my nieces as a birthday present a couple of years ago. And because I loved the dress so much and was looking for a summer pattern for myself, I decided to cast it on.
Construction & Yarn
I think this construction creates a beautiful fit. You knit it from the top down and at first you increase in the yoke portion in between these ribbing sections. After that you also do a couple of raglan increases, once you’re at the stockinette part.
There is no short row shaping to raise the back neck which means the top sits up a little higher but I personally don’t mind that.
The yarn I chose for this pattern is a 100% cotton yarn by DMC called Natura Just Cotton. The colorway is “106 light blue” and I absolutely love it. Not only is cotton very comfortable to wear on hot summer days, it can also be washed in the washing machine, together with the rest of the laundry. And it is also very affordable.
Fit
Overall I think the fit is lovely. The ribbing naturally pulls in so it sits a bit tighter at the yoke. And the stockinette is a bit looser.
How often I wear it
I love the way this top turned out and I wear it all the time in the summer. I also love that cotton is so easy to care for, I simply put this top in the laundry along with the rest of the clothes.
Would I change anything?
I did make some modifications to the pattern:
Initially I did the ribbing for the body and the italian bind off as it is written in the pattern. but the top turned just a little bit too short for my liking, so I wanted to add some length. That’s when I decided to do a folded hem instead because I really like the look of it.
For the folded hem, I basically lengthened the top to how long I wanted it to be, then I made one round of purls, then I knitted another couple of cms in stockinette, using a smaller needle size. And then I bound off and sewed the hem down on the inside. By the way, this is Natura Just Cotton by DMC which is a rather inexpensive yarn that I really like.
As for the sleeves, I wanted them to be a bit shorter compared to what is written in the pattern. so I only did 3-4 rows of German short rows immediately after picking up the stitch of the underarm, then did a very short ribbing and bound off.
If I were to knit this again, which I would absolutely love to do, I would knit it again in the exact same way and not change anything.
Garment #10: Night Sky by Heidi Kirrmaier
This piece is one of my oldest knitted garments but I still absolutely love to wear it.
Why I chose it
I loved this design the moment I saw it for the first time. I love the design aesthetic of Heidi Kirrmaier in general and I just knew I had to knit it. It is so feminine and elegant, although I don’t think it’s the most flattering piece for me since I have rather broad shoulders. But nevertheless, I really love this top.
Yarn
This is the first summer garment I ever made and it is also the first time I knitted a garment using hand dyed yarn. The yarn is Ignae by Ovis et cetera and it is a lovely blend of wool, ramie and silk. If you are sensitive towards yarn, this might not be next to skin soft enough for you, though. But for me it’s fine, as I’m used to it. Igneae is a fingering weight yarn and I only needed two skeins. For the yoke, I increased stitches so that I basically knit a size XS for the body and a size S for the yoke (just to take into account my broader shoulders).
Since it is handdyed, I alternated skeins, so I switched from one skein to the other every other row.
Construction
The top is knitted from the bottom up and features a circular yoke construction. I often don’t like the fit of circular yokes on me, they tend to rise up whenever I lift my arms, but I don’t have this issue with this top, it sits beautifully. I also really like the fact that the decreases are part of the overall design, they look lovely in my opinion.
And I also really like the lace part that’s both on the hem and the sleeves.
Would I change anything?
If I were to knit this again, I would make it just a little bit shorter.
I think the pattern really benefits from a drapey yarn so I would choose some kind of silk or linen blend.
I also saw one version on Ravelry where there knitter made the lace on the body in a contrast color (she chose a white) and I think that is a lovely idea as well.
Putting this list together was actually much harder than I expected. Not because I couldn’t think of ten patterns, but because it made me reflect on why some garments become favorites while others don’t.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from building a handmade wardrobe over the years, it’s this:
The best knitting pattern isn’t the one that looks the most exciting before you cast on.
It’s the one you’re still excited to pull out of your wardrobe years later.
And I think that’s a really comforting thought. Because it means we don’t have to chase every new release or every trend.
We can knit slowly, choose intentionally and over time, create a wardrobe that genuinely reflects who we are.
