Rookie Sweater Pattern by Sandnes

Your first proper jumper? This could be the one. 🧶

Fancy knitting yourself a jumper but feeling slightly daunted by the whole "knit an actual garment" business? The Rookie Sweater Pattern by Sandnes could be just the ticket. Designed as a beginner-friendly raglan sweater, it's worked from the top down in a single strand of Ballerina Chunky Mohair, using larger needles so it grows surprisingly quickly. In other words, plenty of jumper satisfaction without a six-month knitting commitment.

The sweater starts at the neck, with the yoke worked back and forth while you make the raglan increases and shape the neckline. Once that's done, you join the work in the round and continue with raglan increases before separating the sleeves and body. The neckband is worked at the end. It's a straightforward construction that gives you the satisfaction of making a proper hand-knitted jumper while keeping the knitting itself beautifully manageable.

We particularly like the fact that it's knitted in Ballerina Chunky Mohair. The yarn makes a wonderfully soft and lightweight sweater with that gorgeous fluffy mohair halo, while the chunky weight means your knitting grows quickly on 6mm and 7mm needles. And because the pattern is worked from the top down, you can easily adjust the length to suit you - just remember that a longer jumper will need a little more yarn.

A beginner-friendly pattern for a very wearable jumper

The Rookie Sweater comes in nine sizes, from XS to 5XL, with finished bust measurements from 102cm to 157cm. The pattern gives guidance for the finished length and sleeve length, but both can be adjusted to suit the person wearing it. As always with knitting patterns, we recommend checking your measurements rather than simply choosing your usual clothing size.

Pattern details: Sandnes 2507-03; knitted in Ballerina Chunky Mohair; worked from the top down; single strand; raglan construction; 6mm and 7mm needles; tension 13 stitches = 10cm; sizes XS-5XL. Skill level: Beginner.

This is a printed single knitting pattern, not a kit or downloadable PDF.
You'll need your chosen Ballerina Chunky Mohair yarn and the appropriate needles separately. Sandnes specifies these amounts required  :

4 balls for XS-S-M,
5 for L-XL,
6 for 2XL-4XL and
7 for 5XL

with extra yarn needed if you make the sweater longer.

If you've been thinking about knitting your first jumper, this is a very good place to start. Simple construction, big needles, gorgeous fluffy yarn and a finished garment you can actually wear. We call that a pretty good knitting project.