Chunky Knit Sweater

Is it just me or did fall just come out of nowhere this year? I guess the weather varies depending on where you are, but around these parts, it just suddenly decided that it was fall. It was hot and summery and humid, but then September started and BAM! New season. The high temperatures have been in the low 70s and some of the leaves have already started changing (!?!). I'm sure it'll get warmer again soon, because weather's bonkers like that, but either way it's definitely got me into the fall/winter crafting mode. So when I found a few skeins of super bulky yarn in my stash, I knew I needed a chunky sweater. 

I knitted a little baby-sized hoody for my youngest last year, but I've never actually made an adult-sized sweater. I have another one in the works, but it's a long way from being done, so this is my first official knitted sweater! It's not my dream sweater design, but it's a great beginner pattern that works up super quickly with basically no shaping. So if you're a newbie knitter like me, then this one is definitely worth a try. 

The pattern is "Quick and Easy Pullover" by Susan Haviland for Canadian Living. I used size 17 (12.75mm) circular needles and 3 skeins of Bernat Softee Chunky in Grey Ragg. If I'd had enough yarn, I would have loved to make mine an XL for the extra baggy look, but I only had enough for the size small. On the upside, I can now say that the pattern runs fairly true to size. 

I made a couple of small changes to the pattern as written. I added an extra inch both before and after the first increase row on the front and back, for a total of 2 extra inches in length for each piece. So as written, it's definitely more of a cropped-length sweater. And I'm fairly certain there's a small error in the pattern. The row after joining the second ball of yarn during the neck and shoulder shaping, I reversed the order of working the stitches to start with the second ball of yarn rather than the first, since I'm pretty sure it's impossible to work the other ball of yarn first based on where it's positioned. But otherwise I followed the pattern as written. 

The stitches are pretty loose, so I wouldn't recommend wearing it by itself (unless you really wanted to be like, "Hey world! Meet my bra!"). And if I had the chance to make it over again (with more yarn), I think it would be nice to lengthen the sleeves a bit (they're rolled in the picture at the top of this post). So it's not a completely perfect sweater design. BUT it is super warm and cozy. I love looking at the dreamy, giant knit stitches and the fabric is flowy and squishy. What's not to like about that? It works up really really quickly, which is always satisfying, and it's pretty easy. If you're looking for a simple knit sweater pattern, I can definitely recommend this one (although I would recommend considering minor modifications, depending on how you like your sweaters). 

Have you ever knitted a sweater before? What was your first sweater like? I hope this inspires you to make something new today!