The days are shorter, the mornings are crisp, and there's no better time to pick up your next winter knitting project. Whether you're just casting on for the first time or you're a seasoned knitter ready for a challenge, this is your guide to the 10 garments we think you should make for this Australian winter.
From left to right: Step by Step Sweater Sweater by Florence Miller, Vest No. 1 by My Favourite Things.
The Best Winter Garments for Beginners
Getting started with garment knitting can feel daunting, but the right pattern makes all the difference. We've chosen two designs that hold your hand through every step, so you can spend less time puzzling over instructions and more time enjoying the rhythm of your needles.
True to its name, the Step By Step Sweater by Florence Miller is the perfect beginner sweater kit. Worked from the top down in 10 ply wool, it walks you through core techniques - increases, raglan shaping, and finishing - so you finish with skills as well as a beautiful sweater.
- Skill Level: Beginner
- Yarn Weight: 10 Ply / Worsted Weight
- Construction: Top Down / In The Round
If a full sweater feels like a leap too far, a vest is the perfect place to start. Vest No. 1 by My Favourite Things strips garment knitting back to its essentials: no sleeves, no complicated shaping, just clean lines and satisfying stockinette. It knits up quickly and layers beautifully over a long-sleeved tee.
- Skill Level: Beginner
- Yarn Weight: 10 Ply / Worsted Weight
- Construction: Top Down / In The Round
From left to right: Timbo Vest by Manos del Uruguay, Olga Sweater by PetiteKnit.
Our Most Popular Winter Garment Kits
These are the kits we’re always coming back to, season after season. If you're looking for a place to start, there's no better guide than what everyone else is already reaching for. These two have become firm favourites for good reason!
Designed by Manos Del Uruguay, the Timbo Vest has a quiet confidence about it. Its structured ribbing and relaxed fit make it the kind of piece you reach for again and again. Worked from the top down in chunky Manos Cardo, it introduces broken rib stitch in the most satisfying way - straightforward enough for beginners, beautiful enough to wear forever.
- Skill Level: Beginner
- Yarn Weight: 12 Ply / Bulky Weight
- Construction: Top Down / In The Round
The Olga Sweater by PetiteKnit has earned its place as one of our most popular kits, and it's easy to see why. Top-down stockinette with beautiful stripe detail, a generous relaxed fit, and a clean, refined finish, this sweater will never go out of style.
- Skill Level: Intermediate
- Yarn Weight: 8 Ply / DK Weight
- Construction: Top Down / In The Round
- Techniques: Stripes
From left to right: Weave Sweater by Spektakelstrik, Pierrot Vest by Manos del Uruguay.
Stunning Colourwork Sweaters for Winter
Ready to take your knitting to the next level? Colourwork transforms a garment from something you made into something that stops people in their tracks. These two designs will be the ones that finally convince you to pick up another colour.
The Wave Sweater by Spektakelstrik is stranded colourwork at its most hypnotic. Worked from the top down with raglan shaping and a twisted rib turtleneck, its undulating two-colour pattern moves across the body like water. Choose two colours you love and let the pattern do the rest.
- Skill Level: Advanced
- Yarn Weight: 10 Ply / Worsted Weight
- Construction: Top Down / In The Round
- Techniques: Stranded Colourwork
The Pierrot Vest by Manos del Uruguay is a wonderful introduction to intarsia - a boxy, graphic design knitted flat in chunky Manos Cardo wool, with a bold colour-blocked motif that does all the talking. Simple in construction, proof that a little extra colour goes a long way.
- Skill Level: Intermediate
- Yarn Weight: 12 Ply / Bulky Weight
- Construction: Bottom Up / Worked Flat
- Techniques: Intarsia
From left to right: Cloud Sweater and No Frills Sweater by PetiteKnit.
Simple yet refined winter classics
Not every winter knit needs to make a big statement; sometimes the most enduring pieces are the ones that do exactly what they promise. With clean lines, considered construction, and no unnecessary detail, it’s the kind of knitwear you'll reach for winter after winter.
The Cloud Sweater by PetiteKnit is exactly the kind of sweater you knit once and reach for every day. Worked from the top down in simple stockinette, its generous fit and funnel neck give it a quiet elegance - understated enough to wear with everything, beautiful enough to be noticed.
- Skill Level: Intermediate
- Yarn Weight: 12 Ply / Bulky Weight
- Construction: Top Down / In The Round
The No Frills Sweater by PetiteKnit has always been a wardrobe staple, and it's easy to see why. A simple top-down raglan with wide rib edges and a slightly shorter length that gives it an effortlessly flattering shape. Classic, considered, and completely timeless.
- Skill Level: Intermediate
- Yarn Weight: 8 Ply / DK Weight
- Construction: Top Down / In The Round
From left to right: Segue Kids Cardigan by Vera Loves Knitting, La Vie en Rose by Morris and Sons.
Best Winter Garments for Babies & Kids
The little people in our lives deserve the best knitwear too. These two designs are thoughtfully constructed, beautifully detailed, and made to be worn season after season - the kind of handmade pieces that will be worn, loved, and passed down.
Every child deserves a handmade cardigan that's built to last and bold enough to match their personality. The Segue Kids Cardigan by Vera Loves Knitting is a seamless, top-down design worked in Rowan Felted Tweed, with striking intarsia colour blocks and rolled cuffs that make it truly special - the kind of handmade piece that gets passed around at family gatherings and admired by everyone in the room.
- Skill Level: Intermediate
- Yarn Weight: 8 Ply / DK Weight
- Construction: Top Down / In The Round
- Techniques: Intarsia / Stripes
The La Vie En Rose Baby Cardigan by Morris & Sons is a beautifully unique baby knit - worked sideways in one piece in a soft Morris Empire 4 Ply, with delicate ribbon detail and snap fastening. A thoughtful construction, a sweet result, and the kind of handmade gift that never goes out of style.
- Skill Level: Intermediate
- Yarn Weight: 4 Ply / Fingering Weight
- Construction: Worked Sideways / Worked Flat
Winter doesn't last forever, but a handknit does. Whatever you choose to cast on this season, we hope it brings you the quiet satisfaction that only comes from making something with your own two hands. Browse all of our winter kits in store and online; we can't wait to see what you make!
1 comment
I am interested in the La Vie en Rose pattern & yarn for a newborn size; except I will need blue! Thanking you,Alison Stritch