A few days ago, the headline “The Christmas jumper is out!” jumped out at me (!!) from the online pages of The Guardian. What I had expected to find when I clicked on the article was something like “The ugly Christmas jumper is out! The tasteful Christmas jumper is in!” Sadly, this was not to be. The article claimed that the Christmas jumper is now “out”, and the Christmas suit is “in”. As illustration, here is the Christmas suit:
The Guardian December 1, 2017; Photograph: Handout
From the frying pan into the fire, dear Reader! At least the article states clearly that the Christmas suit is “the sartorial equivalent of wrapping paper”.
I know that the novelty Christmas jumper has been very trendy (at least here in the UK) for some years now. Instead of escalating the trend with ever more garish Christmas clothing, why don’t we adopt a more lovely Christmas jumper tradition? We hand-knitters can lead the way! Here are a few ideas.
Birkin by Caitlin Hunter:
© Jonna Hietala
Julgran by Andi Satterlund:
© Andi Satterlund
Skógafjall by Dianna Walla:
© Tolt Yarn and Wool
#05 Selburose Pullover by Lena Skvagerson:
© Lena Skvagerson
Are these not doing it for you? Well, there is always a Christmas suit with your name on it:
The Guardian December 1, 2017; Photograph: Handout
I’m leaning toward the sweaters you feature……the selburose pullover catches my eye. The suits not so much!
It is pretty; isn’t it? I have no time this winter but will keep it on the radar for next year.
I have bought but not cast on yet for Tidings for an understated festive sweater (https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/tidings). I can’t decide whether to do the one colored row though!
Wow, Tidings is lovely! Thanks for the link. And I think the coloured pattern repeat is OK; somehow it seems cheerful without being garish. Have fun with the knitting!
A great selection! I see that Selburose comes with a handy matching cowl on Ravelry, although I suppose one could adopt this idea and make up something similar for the others too – I like the idea of having a choice of a warmer or cooler neck – temperatures are fluctuating wildly up here in Edinburgh!
You and I are on the same wavelength, Liz! I’ve been thinking a lot about knitting matching cowls rather than turtlenecks.
It’s the perfect solution to the problem of jumpers with a high neck being too hot – I can’t believe I haven’t thought of it before!
I’m in your camp when it comes to Christmas sweaters. And for those who would prefer a vest, I recommend Jade Starmore’s Rosarie de la Haye.
Thanks for the suggestion, Gretchen. This a lovely vest (link for readers: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/rosarie-rosaraie-de-lhaye). I would have to improve my stranded knitting to attempt it!
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