Super Bulky Basic Drop Sleeve Sweater

Super Bulky Basic Drop Sleeve Sweater is a very simple pattern. It is knit top down with options to knit the body flat or in the round. I like having the option because I’ll usually choose to knit flat and seam if I’m using self striping yarn. At a gauge of 2 stitches per inch, it knits up super-fast for instant gratification. Feel warm and cozy in this every day chunky oversized sweater. Show off your makes and tag me @jamesnwatts on Instagram and Tiktok and use #SuperBulkyBasicDropSleeveSweater. Also sign up for my newsletter at JamesNWatts.com

YARN

Adriafil Ipnotico—50 grams, 55 yards/50 meters, 52% wool, 48% acrylic.

Any super bulky yarn that you can get gauge with is good. For super bulky sweaters like this, I tend to go for more inexpensive yarns for two reasons: they need a lot of yarn, and super bulky yarns tend to show wear more than finer yarns in my experience so having some acrylic content makes them sturdier.

GAUGE

8 sts x 15 rows = 4” x 4” (10cm) on US 13 (9 mm) needles (or any size needed to get gauge) in stockinette stitch knit flat and blocked. Stitch gauge is more important than row gauge in this pattern, as all vertical lengths are given as both row counts and inch/cm measurements. You can adjust to your own row gauge if needed.

SIZING

XS(S, M, L, XL) (XXL, 3X, 4X, 5X)

To fit a chest circumference of:

30(34, 38, 42, 46) (50, 54, 58, 62)“

76 (86.5, 96.5, 106.5, 117)(127, 137, 147.5, 157.5)cm

Finished sweater is meant to be worn with 5-9” (12.5-23 cm) of positive ease at the chest and has a finished circumference of:

37(41, 45, 49, 53) (57, 61, 65, 69)”

94 (104, 114.5, 124.5, 134.5)(145, 155, 165, 175.5) cm

YARDAGE

454(504, 555, 605, 655) (706, 756, 807, 857) yards

415(461, 507, 553, 599) (646, 691, 738, 784) meters

NEEDLES AND NOTIONS

• US 13 (9 mm) knitting needles for body of sweater.

• US 10.5 (6.5mm) knitting needles for ribbing

• Locking stitch markers

• Ring stitch marker

• Darning needle for weaving in ends and seaming.

CONSTRUCTION

Sweater is knit top down, beginning with the back, knit flat to the underarm. Front right and front left are worked flat, separately with neckline shaping. When you reach the bottom of the front neckline, stitches are cast on using cable cast on and front right and left are joined together and knit to the underarm. If knitting the body in the round, front and back are joined at the underarm and the remainder of the body is worked in the round. If knitting the body flat, then front and back are worked to full length separately. Body is finished with 1x1 ribbing.

If you chose to knit the body flat, you will use mattress stitch to seam the side seams and shoulders.

Sleeves are knit in the round regardless of whether body was knit flat or in the round. Stitches are picked up and knit around the armhole and steady decreases are worked through the length of the sleeves. Sleeves are finished with 1x1 ribbing.

Stitches are picked up and knit around the circumference of the neckline and the collar is knit in 1x1 ribbing.