You just started knitting and have never even finished a simple scarf? This easy knit sweater pattern is for you! It’s just that easy!
The chunky yarn and oversized fit make this block sweater so comfy. It is made up of simple squares in garter stitch, sewed together with bulky yarn.
Ready to fool your friends and show off what you can make? Let’s dive right into it!
No time right now? Pin this easy knit sweater pattern for later!
Scroll down for the free version but I recommend you purchase the ad-free PDF Pattern to get all the instructions and pictures in a nice PDF you can print and take notes on without relying on your phone or an internet connection, I’ve got you covered!
The Block Sweater is now available on Ravelry and on Etsy. Pick your favorite shop and add it to your basket now before you forget.
*This post contains affiliate links (only for products I love, use and spend my own money on obviously). This means I earn some yarn money if you make a purchase through one of these links (of course at no extra cost for you!), which I promise to use to create more awesome patterns like this one. All opinions are my own. See my full disclosure here.
Before you Start
Materials
- 7 mm knitting needles. I use and love this stainless steel set. They are not the prettiest but they are very cheap and convenient. You get a whole range of sizes with whom you can make most projects.
- Nice, soft, bulky yarn for 7 mm needles. I used Julia yarn from Zeeman. In total, you need 7 100g skeins (approx 1200m).
- Tapestry needle for weaving in the ends.
- Stainless steel T pins for blocking.
Because the yarn I used is not available everywhere, and I know how painful it is to try to find equivalent yarn which will give you the same effect I have selected a few equivalent yarns for you.
- Paintbox Yarns Simply Chunky: Out of the 50 shades they offer I’m sure you’ll find what you need.
- Lion Brand Color Made Easy: Soft and trendy colors
- Brava Bulky Yarn: A very affordable alternative
Abbreviations
Nothing fancy here!
- K = knit
- St = stitch
- Garter stitch = Use the knit stitch on both sides of the project
Gauge: 25cm x 25cm = 35st x 58 rows in garter st.
Tips and Tricks
- Colors: You can use as many or as few colors as you want for this easy knit sweater pattern. However, I recommend picking at least 4 different colors. This way no 2 touching squares have the same color.
- Seams: The color of the yarn used for the sewing makes a big difference! Choose something contrasting. Using a very bright fun color with more sober block colors or the other way around gives great results. This is a perfect solution to use up some of your leftover yarn as you only need about 30m. I have even done it with a different color for each seam which gave a very funky but nice result. Avoid using one of the colors of the blocks as it will not look very nice. Use thick yarn for the seams, the same size as the knitted yarn or bigger. You want the seams to stand out. But be careful it still fits in your tapestry needle.
Size
This easy sweater knitting pattern is an oversized comfy sweater. This pattern is for medium to large size but I will tell you how to adjust it to any size very easily (Look out for the text in italic throughout the pattern).
The Actual Easy Knit Sweater Pattern
Knitting the different components
The Block Sweater is a knit sweater from squares. It’s made out of 14 squares and 2 rectangles.
The Squares
Cast on 35 st on 7mm needles
Knit in garter stitch until you reach 25 cm.
Cast off.
If you want to adjust the size of your sweater you can make bigger or smaller squares. Be mindful that you will not only reduce/increase the width of the sweater but also the length of the sweater and the size of the sleeves. If you only want to change the width you can 8 rectangles instead of squares for the body sections. And make 6 squares for the sleeves.
Make 14 of these in different colors.
The rectangles
The bottom section of the easy knit sweater pattern is made with 2 rectangles. Their width is the width of 2 of your squares (50 cm) and their length is the length of half a square (12.5 cm).
Cast on 70 st, knit in garter stitch for 12.5 cm. Cast off.
Make 2 pieces in different colors.
If you changed the size of the squares to fit your desired size you need to adjust the size of the rectangles accordingly.
Blocking your Color Block Sweater Knitting Pattern
Before sewing the different pieces together, you should block them. This helps even out the tension in your knitting and a better result.
Don’t skip this step as it can make a huge difference. Read my detailed tutorial on why block, how-to, and all my tips and tricks if you need help.
First, weave in the ends of all your squares and rectangles. Cut any remaining ends nicely.
Sewing the pieces of your easy knit sweater together
Tips
Usually, the seams are the less fun part of a project and you try your very best to make them as discrete as possible. In this case, it is the opposite, they are what makes this easy knit sweater pattern fun, different and stand out. Ok, I admit, they are still not my favorite part of the project to make but at least here you will see them.
The important thing is to be as regular as you can manage.
Clear out a big area, somewhere in your home where you can fit the whole knit sweater flat and sit around it to sew. I usually move the living room table and put my knit sweater on the floor right in the middle of the way. It doesn’t make Mr. Artichoke very happy but I don’t have a better spot.
It might stay there for a few days as there are a few long seams and it is not the most comfortable position, so plan ahead, do your cleaning so you don’t need to move it. You want a clean surface anyway to assemble your hard work.
Sew Your Knit Sweater from Squares Together.
Arrange the squares and rectangles the way you want alternating colors.
You need 4 squares for the front body, 4 for the back, 2 for each upper arm and 1 for each lower arm. The rectangles go at the bottom of the front and back panels.
Once you like what you see, start sewing. I usually do all seams in one direction then start on the other direction. This helps me stay consistent.
Try to cut one long enough thread of yarn so you can finish one entire seam with one piece. When you use more pieces it creates weak spots which can come loose (even if you are an expert at weaving in ends). And, you will see the different layers of yarn at the junction which will make your easy knit sweater a tiny bit less pretty. That would be a pity!
The most important thing here is to be as regular as you can! Did I say that already?
After each stitch, pull lightly on the yarn to tighten up the stitch.
When you reach the junction of 4 squares try to tie them together with a nice cross. It’s what I found out gives the best results.
For the opening for the head, I have sewn up to half of the top squares.
The bottom rectangles are sewed to each panel but not together on the side.
Once you’ve done all seams, weave in all the ends. Double check the entire color block sweater for loose ends on both sides, I always end up with a few.
Now all is left to do is to gift it or start enjoying it!
Did you enjoy this pattern? Have a look at the Block Blanket pattern, it uses the same concepts of simple squares to make a beautiful and warm blanket (psst … it’s even easier to make).
