Fun
MDK March Mayhem 2019: Pullovers
This was a nearly impossible task: winnowing down the thousands of beautiful pullover designs to these sixteen.
We didn’t give up, though, and have arrived at this smorgasbord, cornucopia, bountiful buffet of designs that made 2018 such a memorable year for knitwear design.
Dive in by clicking each pattern name to see more details over at Ravelry.
Round 1 voting for MDK March Mayhem begins on Thursday, March 21.
Here is the MDK March Mayhem bracket, so you can get the full view of all four categories.
Remember: if you love a pattern, buy it if you can. You’ll make that designer’s day—and you’ll have a tasty pattern ready to make. And when you order your yarn from MDK, you help make everything we offer—how tos, inspiration, fun, diversions of every sort—free for everybody.
Here, listed in alphabetical order by designer’s last name, are 16 pullovers that have won our hearts, and we know will win yours, too.
Huna by Neisha Abdulla. A roomy, drop-shouldered fit that is easy to wear, with playful asymmetry: the cable on the body is echoed on one sleeve.
Noten by Ankestrick. Bold stripes and a folklore “print” yoke, this is a handknit love letter to fashion designer Dries Van Noten. Pleats at the sides add a subtle fit and flare.
Widow’s Kiss by Thea Colman. The dimensional cabled fabric, elegant neckline and chic short hem, with the contrast of plain stockinette sleeves. Inspired by a specific rustic yarn, but a beautiful choice for many worsted weight wools.
For Fox Sake by Maxim Cyr. Foxes. In. Glasses. And somehow, the tail is there, too. Whimsy and graphic punch, dialed up to 11. What can a knitter do but cast on?
Karekare by Francoise Danoy. A sleek pullover with yoke based on a traditional geometric wave motif found in Maori weaving.
Rainy Drops by eri. An elegant answer to the puzzle of turning a few delicious speckled skeins into a sweater. Two sleeve options, and the possibility of using both in the same sweater!
Chaika by Midori Hirose. The magic lightness that comes from knitting a yarn looser than the label says. A flowy cropped-ish pullover with a dramatic contrasting neck (or not).
Sipila by Caitlin Hunter. Scrolling paisleys around the yoke that look good in monochrome or a rainbow, a choice between baroque long sleeves or a snappy short-sleeved tee. Cotton or wool: no wrong choices with this joyful pullover.
Pixham by Jimenez Joseph. A stylish box top that’s knit sideways with a braided detail that gives the knitter a fun moment of weaving. Neatly seamed and trimmed. Simple and beautifully detailed.
Olive—My Size by Pernille Larsen. Polished and delicate, the sample uses multiple strands of mohair/silk and merino to exquisite effect. It’s hard to believe this design was originally a baby sweater.
Tuileries by Julie Knits in Paris. A trim, body-skimming silhouette, with fine ribs and a funnel neck. This is a daily sweater that delivers on its promise of Parisienne joie de vivre.
Papa by Junko Okamoto. Instantly recognizable, with a bear-hug fit and bright splash of modern colorwork. To see it is to smile.
Rockefeller Center by Xandy Peters. Drop-stitch lace and you can wear it frontwards or backwards? People will talk. That’s OK.
Tulip by Ririko. Box top or tunic? Bell sleeve or fitted? It’s knitter’s choice and you can’t go wrong.
Sunburst by Yuko Shimizo. The wide cropped shape and color choices are everything here: cozy, relaxed, and totally fashion.
Sevrine by Vanessa Smith. The hourglass shape looks so fresh, plus: the reverse-stockinette background makes sinuous mirrored cables pop.
fashion-forward ! live
Wow. These are quite a crop of winners. Noten and Rockefeller Center really have my attention and I will favorite them. But I no longer have the fingers or figure for these interesting tops and knitting garments for others is perilous. I need something short and sweet and clever but simple. Will you be doing accessories? I can’t remember from previous years if this is a March Madness category. P.S. It puzzles me how the term ‘tunic’ (Tulip) went from meaning mid-thigh to what used to be called regular sweater-length. Are mid-thigh-length things now considered caftans? Everything is relative I know but things are getting far too loosey-goosey for me. What does Anything mean any more??
I hear you. I have a disproportionally long torso, and am also well endowed, so the current style of cropped tops often ends an inch or two *above* my belly button. However, adding length is usually a pretty simple modification— I can see myself making Widow’s Kiss and just adding a couple cable repeats to get the length I need.
I am intrigued by several of these designs, but as a slow knitter with 3 sweaters in my queue and one on the needles I also need to be a little sensible. Oh, but those foxes…
Yes! I have a long torso, full bust AND broad shoulders. Often, “regular” length shirts and sweaters are too short on me, and I find that longer is always better. I tend to dismiss the cropped styles as “not for me,” but you make a good point about how easy it is to add rows to some designs.
What’s a tunic? We’re seeing what we think of as a tunic listed as a dress. And it’s often being worn with leggings. As a former elementary teacher I just love the leggings with tunic option for girls instead of what you and I would call a dress with leotards as it gives the little girls so much more freedom as they move, play and sit cross-legged.
I think slim people like a pared-down shape to their tunics and aren’t trying to cover tummy, butt and upper thighs exposed by leggings… so the hemline rises!
I love so many pieces on the list and wish I had more time or that I were a faster knitter. Next year—what about a men’s pullover/ cardigan category?
Oh, whoops. Head and Shoulders is a category. Can’t wait.
Too many choices
I would have thought Nurtured by Andrea Mowry would have been in the mix. I love that one, made it for my daughter.
Currently making ‘Papa,” LOVE IT!! such FUN.
One of my friends in our knitting group and I are comparing picks. Fun!
Fantastic collection! Often even within one pattern! Amazing what a difference color can make. More than usual I’ve found the mods in projects to be so helpful & more often than not they were given as options by designer. Excellent design trend. Or perhaps maybe just excellent curation?