I'm on a roll! I decided knitting little things is more fun than knitting big complicated things---some times. After a few tries getting the proportions good enough, I came up with this little cutie. She's the plain version. I was thinking I'd add some fairisle motifs to the front of the next one(s). You are welcome to the pattern. I made it on my standard gauge machine. I think you could try it on a midgauge or bulky and if it turns out way too large, you could modify but use the techniques. I'm sticking with the (electronic) standard so I can do some fairisle stuff on it more easily. It takes a tiny bit of yarn, so if you have odds and ends you want to get rid of, this would be a good project to do just that. You could embellish the sweater a lot of different ways---one that is nice is to put the year on it, maybe some initials, or a snowflake. If you're going for quick and dirty, minimizing colors makes it easiest.
TINY CHRISTMAS SWEATER ORNAMENT
by Mar Heck
Machine: Standard Gauge (any machine, but larger gauge = larger sweater)
Yarn: Any that works with your machine– I used Symphony, small amounts of red and white
Finished size: body is 2 ½ “ long by 2 ½” wide excluding hanger
Gauge: not important, but mine was
Approximately 8 st x 10 r to one inch at T 8
Pictured is a plain version, but you could do tiny stripes, embroidery on the front, a fairisle snowflake or other stitch types or embellishments. Would be cute to incorporate a person’s name or initials and the year. (See below.) The more colors you use, however, the more ends there are to work in. But you don’t have to be as careful as you would with a life sized sweater. The body is knit in one piece from mock ribbing at the bottom, up over the shoulders to the back side, ending with mock ribbing again. The sleeves are hung from the body and knit downwards, ending at the cuff.
Directions:
Body ---Cut a 12” piece of red yarn and set aside. This will be used for the neck. Bring out 23 stitches and push back to non-working position every other needle. With white, E wrap stitches in work. COR T 3 knit 10 rows. Hang a hem on every other empty needle. 23 needles in work. Hang claw weights. Change to red T 8, knit 10 rows. Bind off 3 stitches for underarm, k 1 row, bind off 3 stitches for other underarm, knit back to right. Knit 10 rows. With a separate piece of main yarn, bind off around the gate pegs the center 9 stitches for the neck opening. Wrap the yarn both sides around the adjacent needle to prevent holes. Push the needles all the way out and lift neck stitches off the gate pegs. With the same yarn piece, ewrap back on the same 9 needles. Wrap the adjacent N to prevent a hole and drop the yarn end for now. Keep N all the way out on the first row so the stitches knit off. Knit 10 rows. Ewrap 3 stitches, knit one row, ewrap 3 stitches for the underarms, knit back to the right. Knit 10 rows. Transfer every other stitch to its
neighbor and push the empty N to the back of the bed. With white, T 3 knit 10 rows. Hang a hem on every other empty needle and bind off all stitches by going around the gate pegs.
Sleeves—With wrong side of sweater facing you, pick up whole stitches of the armhole opening, 10 stitches each side of the shoulder. On the 20 stitches, knit 2 rows, decrease one stitch both sides x 2 (16 stitches). Knit 16 more rows. Transfer every other stitch to neighbor and push empty needles to back of the bed. With white, T 3, knit 10 rows. Hang a hem on every other empty needle and bind off all stitches by going around the gate pegs. Repeat for other sleeve.
Hanger---Pick up 3 stitches at the center back of the neck. Push in one part button. Knit I cord 80 rows (or desired length). Pick up beginning 3 stitches and hang on the stitches in work. Bind off.
Finishing—Seam sleeves and sides with matching colors, hide all yarn ends inside the sweater. Tiny motifs you could use on the front of the sweater:
The heavens sent us 4" of snow overnight. The world looks clean and pretty. I love snow---up until about December 31, then it loses its welcome somehow.
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