When I first came across the designer Misha & Puff, I couldn’t stop admiring their beautiful knits! Top quality merino wool sweaters in beautiful rich colors – my textile-loving heart was in awe. But as any typical maker, my first thought was not that I should buy one but rather, “I can make that!”. Knitting a Misha & Puff-style popcorn sweater became a goal of mine. Though it took me a couple of years, I was finally able to pull it off. (Or should I say on!)
When I first began looking for a popcorn stitch sweater pattern, Misha & Puff did not offer their own. So I went looking for something similar. Like most avid knitters, I went to Ravelry, one of the best places to find patterns.
After a bit of searching, I decided on the Arbusto pattern by Rosa Palmer. The slightly more fitted look and scooped neckline were more my style than the high neck of the Misha & Puff sweaters. And I loved the look of the popcorn bobbles against a background of reverse stockingette stitch.
While I was in the process of knitting my sweater, Misha & Puff did release their popcorn sweater pattern in both adult and children’s sizes! I haven’t tried either one yet, but I love their popcorn bonnet pattern and have made it several times for my daughter.
Tips for Knitting a Popcorn Sweater
Knitting bobbles can be a little tricky. I still don’t 100% love my bobbles. I wish they looked a little bit better. There are several different ways to knit a bobble stitch, and I may prefer the method that the Misha & Puff patterns use over the method in the Arbusto Pattern. However, the Arbusto sweater is knit completely inside out, so that adds another complication as to how the bobbles need to be knitted. Because of that I just stuck with what the pattern instructed.
I recommend practicing your bobble/popcorn stitch on a swatch or a smaller garment before moving on to knitting a popcorn sweater.
The most important thing to know about knitting a sweater, is that you have to make a gauge swatch beforehand. Don’t skip this part! When I was a newbie knitter, I thought I could skip this, but it came back to bite me (i.e. I made a sweater that didn’t fit me at all).
What is a gauge swatch?
A gauge swatch in knitting is making a small, knitted square using the yarn and needles that a pattern recommends. Then, you wash the small square as you would the finished garment, gently squeeze out the water between towels, and lay it flat to dry. When fully dry, measure your swatch and compare the measurements to the pattern gauge. The Arbusto pattern says that your square 20 stitches wide and 27 rows long should measure 4 inches each way. The most important part is the width. If your width is narrower or wider than 4 inches, you need to knit another swatch with a larger or smaller needle until you get the correct 4 inches.
If your row length is off, you can take that into account when making your sweater and simply change the total length of the sweater as needed.
Also, make sure that you like the feel of the knitted fabric of your swatch. If you choose a yarn too far off from the weight that the pattern recommends, you may be able to meet the required gauge, but the fabric could be too tight or too loose for your liking.
I was able to pretty quickly get gauge swatch that I was happy with for my Arbusto Sweater, using size 6 needles as the pattern recommends.
Here is a good video on how to make a gauge swatch.
Once you nail your gauge swatch, you’re ready for the fun part- casting on the sweater!
The Arbusto Sweater by Rosa Palmer
The Arbusto pattern is very well written. I love the look of the twisted ribbing, and though it’s a little weird to knit a sweater inside-out, it worked well. Her sizing is very inclusive and feels pretty spot-on. I am typically between an XS and a Small, so I decided to go with a Small and I’m glad I did.
I added length to my sleeves which is a typical adjustment that I need when sewing/knitting.
Tips For Using Ravelry
I LOVE Ravelry for finding patterns and yarns. My favorite way to use it is to search for a specific pattern or yarn that I’m interested in, and then click the “projects” tab to see what other people have already made with that pattern/yarn. It helps me get an idea of good yarn choices for the pattern and what color I might like to make. You can even look at all the projects made with a specific colorway of yarn. Sometimes it looks different knitted up than it does rolled into a hank, so this helps visualize what your finished garment could look like. Knitting can be an expensive hobby, especially if you want to use nice quality yarn. Taking the time to do a little research and planning beforehand can help make sure you will love and wear your finished garment.
The Yarn I used for my Popcorn Sweater
For this sweater I used Malabrigo Rios yarn in the colorway Yerba. I ordered 6 skeins but ended up only needing 4.5, so I’ll save the leftovers and maybe I’ll make a Banff hat.
Malabrigo Rios has been one of my favorite yarns for a while. It’s a beautiful superwash wool in rich colors. I’ve used it to knit baby clothes, hats, rompers, adult hats, a cardigan, and more! If you’re still new to knitting but ready to move on from cheap yarn to something nice but somewhat budget-friendly, I highly recommend this yarn!
Their merino wool is cushy and comfortable and washes up well time and again. Though it can be machine washed, I still try to hand wash all of my hand knits for longevity’s sake. When you put that much time into a garment, you want it to last for years to come!
The back of the finished sweater. I sure am happy with how the fit turned out!
Have you ever wanted to knit a sweater?
I hope this post will give you the encouragement you need to give it a try.
Looking for more knitting ideas?
Check out 6 of the Best Knitting Patterns to Make for Baby Boys
