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Hands Occupied

Contemporary yarn crafts by Heidi Gustad. Knitting, crochet, latch hook and macrame.

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Jack-O’-Lantern Sweater / Handmade Wardrobe

October 17, 2019 9 Comments

Read about how this intarsia jack-o'-lantern sweater came to be, and the joy of making exactly what you want to make, just for you.

Happy Halloween!!! 🎃 While some knitters find intarsia scarier than a headless horseman, I think it’s a blast and a half! (I mean, within reason.) If you master intarsia knitting, the design possibilities are endless. You can add all kinds of large scale designs to your knitting, even a jack-o’-lantern face! In this post, we’re going to look at how a little bit of intarsia and a good understanding of fit helped make the happiest little Halloween sweater a part of my handmade wardrobe.

The Pattern: self-improvised and charted / The Yarn: Ewe Ewe Yarns’ Ewe So Sporty in Orange Peel, Chocolate & Lemon Chiffon

Read about how this intarsia jack-o'-lantern sweater came to be, and the joy of making exactly what you want to make, just for you.
A jack-o’-lantern sweater because, why not?

Inspiration

After attending Sydney Crabaugh’s (@squidneyknits) vintage knitting retreat last spring, I have found myself in love with seamed sweaters. After knitting a 1940s-style baby sweater during the retreat, I went home and immediately cast on an adult-sized sweater, working from a vintage pattern I found online – the 1938 Fernlace Pullover pattern. You might remember the fit on the first wasn’t quite right, so I cast on a second version almost immediately afterward that addressed the fit issues.

On the heels of the twin Fernlaces, I decided I wanted to keep working in this same silhouette, but was convinced I need to find the perfect existing pattern to add an intarsia design to. Then I realized, “Hold on a minute! I’m a f*cking knit designer. I can do this!” (Sometimes my anxiety brain makes me forget I can do things – I’m working on it. 🤷🏼‍♀️)

With that confidence in mind, I also was feeling the extreme urge to make a sweater with a vintage decor-inspired jack-o’-lantern motif on the front just because I thought it would be fun! I wasn’t making this on a deadline, it only had to fit me, and it only had to look like whatever I wanted it to look like. And you know what? It’s perfect. Between the fit and the fun, I haven’t been filled with more joy in a finished object of my own design in awhile, and I kind of needed that joyful feeling more than I realized.

Read about how this intarsia jack-o'-lantern sweater came to be, and the joy of making exactly what you want to make, just for you.

Since I’m sure someone will ask, no, this isn’t available as a pattern, but if there’s enough interest, I could be convinced to release something super similar next year. Let me know if you’d legitimately be interested in such a thing because sweaters are a lot of work and I might be the only nutter who is excited to run around with a jack-o’-lantern on her chest. 🎃

Read about how this intarsia jack-o'-lantern sweater came to be, and the joy of making exactly what you want to make, just for you.

Fit trick – adding some ribbing!

I included a couple valleys of ribbing under each arm to help with fit issues I have noticed in the past for me with vintage-style, seamed sweaters. I liked this easy trick and will definitely use it again! The best part for me is that I can toss this ribbing on the sides of a lot of knitting patterns to help with fit. In talking casually with other makers with curves on Instagram, it’s clear that an easy trick like this side ribbing could come in handy for more makers than just myself. Ribbing, by nature, pulls in your fabric a little bit, and has some elasticity to it, which is how it can help (even just a little bit) with fit.

Read about how this intarsia jack-o'-lantern sweater came to be, and the joy of making exactly what you want to make, just for you.
I feel like Betty Draper here, if she had a sense of humor. And was nearsighted… 😆

Sleeves

I’d initially toyed with the idea of making a much more dramatic and voluminous sleeve. Then I realized that I’d wear this sweater far more (as much as one wears a jack-o’-lantern sweater I suppose!), if it had a casual, Betty & Veronica t-shirt vibe. So I went with a vanilla fitted short sleeve and am very happy I let go of those dramatic sleeve notions.

The simple sleeve and sporty looking ribbing at the sides really help make this a sweater I can wear as a regular top all by itself. Especially since this is a piece I’ll be wearing most often in autumn, a knit t-shirt makes total sense.

Read about how this intarsia jack-o'-lantern sweater came to be, and the joy of making exactly what you want to make, just for you.
Read about how this intarsia jack-o'-lantern sweater came to be, and the joy of making exactly what you want to make, just for you.

Last but not least, the jack-o’-lantern intarsia bit!

Here’s where the bit about being a knit designer came in handy – I’ve used knit design software before to design charts, and I’m used to the pitfalls of miscalculated aspect ratios and the flattening effect knitting in intarsia can have, depending on your tension. The intarsia design was pretty easy once I nailed down a couple reference images. I wanted something that was very 1940s in its visual style, but not impossibly complicated to knit in intarsia. After playing around with a couple paper sketches, swatching & blocking in intarsia for my gauge (critical TBQH), and doodling up the chart in StitchMastery, I was good to go! And again, I’m very delighted with the outcome. ❤️

Read about how this intarsia jack-o'-lantern sweater came to be, and the joy of making exactly what you want to make, just for you.

Happy Halloween, friends!

Read about how this intarsia jack-o'-lantern sweater came to be, and the joy of making exactly what you want to make, just for you.

Filed Under: Handmade Wardrobe Tagged With: halloween, handmade clothes, handmade wardrobe, intarsia, pumpkin sweater, vintage knitting

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad is a craft book author & content creator in love with primary colors & vintage vibes. She specializes in knitting, crochet, latch hook and macramé, and her first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is out now!

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Comments

  1. Emily

    October 17, 2019 at 8:21 am

    This is so wonderful. You asked if anyone would want the pattern- and I’d totally use the intarsia jack-o-lantern and turn it into a throw pillow for my couch. It’d be so cute!!

    Reply
    • Heidi

      October 17, 2019 at 3:34 pm

      Thanks, Emily! (That would be SO cute!)

      Reply
  2. Karina | Ctochet By Karina

    October 17, 2019 at 11:45 am

    Great read Heidi! The top looks amazing. I found your insights on fitting to be very helpful for my Persephone Granny Square Jacket – which is a project I’m designing just for my own pleasure ☺️

    Reply
    • Heidi

      October 17, 2019 at 3:34 pm

      I love it!!! :)

      Reply
  3. Julia

    October 20, 2019 at 11:08 am

    I’d love to see a pattern for that, too!

    Reply
  4. Myriam Garçon

    October 21, 2019 at 9:10 am

    I want this pattern, I would absolutely love to have a sweater like this to hand out candies on Halloween! The children would love this! Of course, I would make the sleeves longer, because Canada.

    Reply
  5. Ferny

    October 21, 2019 at 11:27 am

    That’s an awesome jumper – and you really suit that orange colour too!

    Reply
  6. Avy

    September 4, 2020 at 2:24 pm

    I would 10,00000% buy a pattern for this sweater!! Please make one! This is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen!!

    Reply
    • Heidi

      September 8, 2020 at 7:06 pm

      It’s on my to do list! I ended up writing a book last winter, so it wasn’t in the cards for 2020. I’m so glad to hear you’re interested! :) -Heidi

      Reply

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Heidi Gustad from Hands Occupied / Craft Book Author and Knitting, Crochet, Latch Hook and Macrame Designer

Hi! I’m Heidi, an author, yarn craft designer and content creator specializing in knitting, crochet, latch hook & macrame. My work unapologetically features primary colors and vintage-meets-modern style. My first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is now available!

Professionally I’m most known for: advanced intarsia knitting design & modern latch hook design.

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A new YouTube tutorial is live today covering how A new YouTube tutorial is live today covering how to knit the Little Butterfly Stitch (aka Bowknot Stitch). It adds so much cute character to simple stockinette. Only a little funky to knit, and it packs a huge visual punch! 🦋 
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Find the video & written stitch pattern on the blog and YouTube, links are in bio. 
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Yarn: @kelbournewoolens Germantown in Baby Blue via @knit_picks. Needles: Prism Interchangeables, also from Knit Picks. 
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Pictured: a light blue swatch of Little Butterfly Stitch knitting on a pink background. A skein of yarn and a few stitches of knitting are nearby.
“You’re telling me words can be pronounced in “You’re telling me words can be pronounced in different ways and mean the same things?!” 👀 Posting this here, just to make it clear: when anyone says skayne, skeen, or skyne, it can be safely assumed we’re talking about a bundle o’ yarn,  a SKEIN. It’s not necessary to shame someone for using a word that is known to have MULTIPLE common pronunciations. 🧶
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Can you plz comment sharing how you say SKEIN and where you learned it? The OED happens to say SKAYNE, but it’s not a personal attack if someone says SKEEN and you say SKYNE or even Saskatoon. I’m legitimately curious. We don’t all knit or crochet the same way, and craft evolves a bit like language - it is passed on. There is so much value in having conversations about & embracing these variations! ✌🏻
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#handsoccupied #heidigustad #skein #yarn #yarncraft #knit #crochet #yarnaddict #knitincolor #soldotnacrop #language #englishisweird #oed #oxfordenglishdictionary
Sometimes my weekend projects involve hair rather Sometimes my weekend projects involve hair rather than yarn. Here’s the latest mediocre-but-improving result of my slow quest to learn to set vintage inspired curls. 💇🏼‍♀️ I’m hoping to be able to wash my hair less using a regular vintage set, but we’ll see if it ends up being practical. 😆 Hair frustrates me so much more than crafts! 
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Do you also style your hair using vintage methods? If you have any tips for vintage hair styling or good resources to share, please do!
I suppose this is one way to decide what yarn colo I suppose this is one way to decide what yarn color suits your pooch. 😆 Navy really might be Woodrow‘s color - what do you think? 
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Pictured: A medium sized, brown, senior dog asleep on a green bed. For some reason a donut ball of navy wool yarn sits on his head.
The first stitch tutorial of the new year is live The first stitch tutorial of the new year is live on YouTube! Diamond Brocade is a great knit+purl only stitch for beginners or anyone wanting a classic look for their knitting project. Find the video with a written stitch pattern on the blog or head directly to the video on YouTube. Both are linked in bio. ✌🏻 
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