The Coziest Sweater Ever: Pattern Testing The October Sweater

When I saw the testing call from Lindsay of Standard Knits for this sweater I was immediately tempted. So I thought about it. I looked at yarns, priced them out, looked to see what was in stock at Michael’s. I determined I could get enough yarn fairly affordably, so I applied.

Once I had the pattern I picked up some of the yarn from one of the Michael’s on my radar so I could collect enough yarn for the sweater. And as any good tester must do, I did my gauge swatch. The yarn I had picked out was Loops & Threads Camden Wool. It turned out I couldn’t quite get gauge, and the stitch definition was terrible. And one thing you want to be good when you’re about to do a project with a ton of cables, is the stitch definition.

The next yarn I tried was Loops & Threads Tweed. The stitch definition was great, but it was incredibly stiff, as many acrylic yarns are. By the time I had finished the gauge swatch my hands and forearms were pretty sore, but I still cast on the first panel of this sweater. After a couple rows it was way too much, and I needed to find a third option. And what should be sitting on my couch but my Stitch Primer Beanie? Also knit with bulky weight yarn, Lion Brand Color Made Easy, I was able to measure it and see that I could get gauge with it, and knew already it has beautiful stitch definition. And then the best thing happened, I was able to get a bunch of this yarn from Chantal (Knitatude) making it even more affordable for me to make!

A really important note, which Lindsay included in the pattern, is that the fabric you get with your yarn and needle combination should be quite stiff. Cables are essential for the coziest garments. And The October Sweater is full of them. And the yarn weight plus the needle size really make the cables stand out – the stiff fabric is essential for this!

While this is a big, cozy sweater, so there isn’t waist shaping or anything, there is still some shaping, for the arms. And it is brilliant. I’ve never knit a sweater that is seamed and has this kind of shoulder shaping, called an armscye. In the fit it’s almost like a raglan, but not quite, and I’ve been finding it perfect and so comfortable to wear.

I know there are a lot of people who don’t like to seam a garment after they’ve finished knitting it. And I understand the dislike of having an extra step to do. But I have to say my 2 favourite sweaters to wear are seamed, this one, and the Autumn League Pullover. It feels like the sweater really stays put throughout the day as you wear it. The October Sweater is quite heavy, but it doesn’t feel like anything is pulling because of the weight of it, and that has a lot to do with the seams.

Aside from the construction, there are a number of other little nuggets in this pattern that really make it special. The first thing that comes up as you’re knitting The October Sweater is the pockets. And if you wanted, it would be so easy to make this a kangaroo pocket, and also wouldn’t take much more yarn.

The next feature you encounter is thumb holes! When I was taking pictures of this sweater, I also tried getting some pictures of my Bennet Sister shawl, and it became a family outing. On the way back I was wearing my shawl and my sister was wearing The October Sweater. She had already fallen quite in love with it, thanks to the collar and oversized fit. But what sealed it for her was looking down at the cuffs and she asked if the holes were on purpose. Once I told her they were thumbholes she said “Yeah, you’re not getting this back.”

The final, very noticeable feature of this sweater is the collar. It is a BEAST, both in terms of size and the time and effort required to make it. There are A LOT of stitches that need to be picked up, and I’d never encountered having to pick up multiple stitches within one stitch before. Then once you’ve got all your stitches, there is now a mile of twisted rib to knit. When you’re binding off, make sure you do so loosely! You don’t want to ruin all the hard work you’ve put in to the collar with a bind off that causes puckering. There is no question that the result of all of this hard work is stunning, but it is hard work. I think it took about 11 hours for me to pick up the stitches and knit the collar.

Will it take you some time to knit this sweater? Yes. Will it be worth it? Definitely yes! My mom has some beautiful sweaters that her mom made her, and I feel like this sweater could be one of those heirloom sweaters that can be worn for decades, handed down, and always cherished because of all that goes into making it. And it is so wonderfully warm! You can get the pattern from Lindsay on Ravelry.