This pattern has been a long time coming. I first designed it last fall, but when I had finished knitting it up, the armholes were much too small! Heartbreak! It took me a year before I was ready to pull it all apart and start knitting again. I changed the design around a bit and now I am so happy with it!
One of my favourite animals to encounter in the winter woods are Snowshoe Hares. They've shed their summer greys and browns and put on a coat of pure white. They would blend in perfectly with the snow, if not for some tiny accents of black on their ears and their black eyes. I wanted to design a sweater that would reflect this beautiful creature for my daughter. The pattern is sized for a 12-18 month-old. My daughter is nearly 17 months old now, and about average size.
This sweater features puffed sleeves, a gathered, moss stitch skirt with an empire waist bodice, and a hood with ears.
Here is the link to the printable version: Snowshoe Hare Sweater printable
Snowshoe Hare Pullover
Yarn: Patons North America
Shetland Chunky in white and black (for the ear tips)
Needles: 5mm circular
Gauge: 13st and 19
rows = 4” in St st
Abbreviations:
gt
st- garter stitch
k-knit
k2tog-knit
two together
m1-
make 1 stitch
p-purl
RS-right
side
ssk-slip,
slip, knit
st-stitches
St
st- stockinette stitch
WS-wrong
side
Measurements:
Sleeve
length: 13”
Girth:
20”
Sweater
length: 14.5”
Front
Cast on 37 st.
Work 1.25” in stockinette st and end after working a WS row. Bind
off 2 st for underarm shelf at the beginning of the next two rows.
RS row: k1, ssk,
knit to last 3 stitches, k2tog, k1
WS row: p
RS row: k1, ssk,
knit to last 3 stitches, k2tog, k1
WS row: p
Work in St st
until garment measures 4.5” from the bottom. End after working a WS
row.
Work neck as
follows:
Left Front
Knit 11 stitches.
Turn work.
WS row: Bind off 2
st, p to end
RS row: k
WS row: Bind off 2
st, p to end
Work the left
front in St st until the garment measures 6 inches from the bottom.
Bind off.
Right Front
Join yarn. Bind
off 7 st, k to end
WS row: p
RS row: Bind off 2
st, k to end
WS row: p
RS row: Bind off 2
st, k to end
WS row: p
Work the right
front in St st until the garment measures 6 inches from the bottom.
Bind off.
Back
Cast on 37 st.
Work 1.25” in stockinette st and end after working a WS row. Bind
off 2 st for underarm shelf at the beginning of the next two rows.
RS row: k1, ssk,
knit to last 3 stitches, k2tog, k1
WS row: p
RS row: k1, ssk,
knit to last 3 stitches, k2tog, k1
WS row: p
Work in St st
until garment measures 5” from the bottom. End after working a WS
row.
Right Shoulder
RS row: k 9 st,
turn work
WS row: Bind off 1
st, p to end
RS row: k
WS row: Bind off 1
st, p to end
Work in St st
until garment measures 6” from bottom. Bind off right shoulder st.
Left Shoulder
Bind off 11 st, k
to end
WS row: p
RS row: Bind off 1
st, k to end
WS row: p
Rs row: Bind off 1
st, k to end
Work in St st
until garment measures 6” from bottom. Bind off left shoulder st.
Sleeves
Cast on 21 st.
Work 1.5” in garter st.
In St st (starting
with a purl row), increase one stitch on each side of a RS row, every
6th row until there are 29st. Continue working in St st until sleeve
measures 7.5” from the bottom. End after working a WS row.
Bind off 2st at
the beginning of the next 2 rows.
Work 16 rows in St
st.
Bind off 2 st at
the beginning of the next 4 rows.
Bind off 4 st at
the beginning of the next 4 rows.
Bind off remaining
st.
Body (Skirt)
Cast on 96st and
join to form a circle. Work 1.5” in garter st. Switch to Moss
stitch or St st and continue to work in the round until garment
measures 8”. Bind off.
Block pieces. Sew
the shoulder seams together, then the side seams. Sew the sleeves up
the seams and then set in armhole as follows: Beginning separately at
each underarm, sew up until 2.5” from the top shoulder seam on each
side. Gather the remaining sleeve cap to fit and sew in place.
With the body tube
laying flat, use a stitch marker to mark the sides of the body. Match
the sides of the body to the side seams of the top and pin in place.
Gather the fabric of the body to fit the top and sew in place, with
seams to the inside. If you want, add a couple of buttons to the
bodice for decoration.
Hood
Starting with the
last two bound off st of the lowest point of the neck (Right front of
sweater), pick up and knit 54 st as follows:
Right front to
shoulder seam, pick up 14 st
Back between
shoulder seams, pick up 26 st
Shoulder seam to
left front, pick up 14 st (Ending with the first two bound off st of
the lowest point of the neck)
Work 1” in St
st, then increase as follows on a RS row:
K17, m1, (k4, m1)
5x, k to end (60 st).
Work
in St st until hood measures 9.75” tall.
With 30 st on each
needle and folded with right sides together, bind off using a three
needle bind off.
Hood Band
Next, pick up and
knit 3st for every 4 rows around the hood. Work hood band in garter
st until the band measures 1”. Sew the bottoms of the band down to
the neck of the sweater (They should just meet in the middle). Weave
in ends.
Ears
With
5mm needles, cast on 11 st
row 1:
k
row 2:
p3, k5, p3
Repeat
these two rows until you have 22 rows
Row 23:
k
Row 24:
p4, k3, p4
Row 25:
k
Row 26:
p5, k1, p5
Row 27:
k1 ssk, k5, k2tog, k1(9st)
Row 28:
p
Row 29:
k1, ssk, k3, k2tog, k1(7st)
Row 30:
p
Row 31:
k1, ssk, k1, k2tog, k1(5st)
Switch
to black
Row 32:
p
Row 33:
ssk, k1, k2tog (3st)
Row 34:
p
----This
is where the ear will be folded back when completed----
Row 35:
k
Row 36:
p
Row 37:
k1, m1, k1, m1, k1(5st)
Row 38:
p
Row 39:
k1, m1, k3, m1, k1(7st)
Switch
to white
Row 40:
p
Row 41:
k1, m1, k5, m1, k1 (9st)
Row 42:
p
Row
43: k1, m1, k7, m1, k1 (11st)
Row 44:
p
Continue
in St st until back measures the same as front. Bind off. Fold in
half with wrong sides together and sew the edges of the ear together.
Fold in the bottom two corners into the middle and sew onto hood this
way. I like to sew the ears to the hood at the bottom of the ears and
then tack them part of the way up to the hood, so they stand up
straight.
