Clue #1 - Front of the jumper

Let’s get knitting! Do you have everything you need to start? If so, then it’s just to continue reading and start knitting the front of the jumper with the Santa hat.

Are you still missing some of the materials? See a list of what you need here.

And one more thing before we start - do you know already which size you’ll be knitting? We’ll be knitting step by step size 7/8 years, which is marked in bold.

Sleepy Santa Sweater

Sizes: 2 - 3/4 - 5/6 - 7/8 - 9/10 - 11/12 years
Size (by height in cm): 92 - 98/104 - 110/116 - 122/128 - 134/140 - 146/152

Notes for the pattern

RIDGE/GARTER STITCH (worked back and forth):
Knit all rows.
1 ridge in height = Knit 2 rows.

DECREASE TIP (evenly spaced):
To work out how to decrease evenly, count the total number of stitches on the needle (e.g. 70 stitches), and divide by the number of decreases to be made (e.g. 12) = 5.8. In this example, decrease by working together approx. each 5th and 6th stitch.

PATTERN:
See diagrams A.1 and A.2 (A.2 applies only to sizes 7/8 – 9/10 – 11/12 years).
To avoid long strand-lengths at the back of the piece when working pattern work with 3 balls; i.e. work with 1 ball of grey on each side of Santa and 1 ball of each colour in the middle of the jumper (i.e. A.1). To avoid holes when changing colour, twist the strands together. When A.1/A.3 has been completed continue with grey over all stitches to finished length.

RAGLAN:
All decreases are worked from the right side!
Decrease as follows at the beginning of the row: Work 1 edge stitch in garter stitch, slip 1 stitch as if to knit, knit 1 and pass the slipped stitch over the knitted stitch (= 1 stitch decreased).
Decrease as follows at the end of the row: Work until there are 3 stitches left on the row, knit 2 together and work 1 edge stitch in garter stitch (= 1 stitch decreased).

JUMPER – SHORT OVERVIEW OF THE FRONT PIECE:
The front piece is worked back and forth with circular needle bottom up. First a loose piece is worked for the hat and is later combined with the front piece on the last row of the pattern; it hangs outside the jumper.

Let’s start knitting!

HAT (loose piece): Cast on 3 stitches with needle size 5.5 mm and raspberry Air or deep red Nepal (colour b).

ROW 1 (= wrong side): Knit.
ROW 2 (= right side): Knit 1, Knit 2 in each of the last 2 stitches (= 2 stitches increased).
ROW 3 (= wrong side): Knit 2 in first stitch (= 1 stitch increased), knit until there are 2 stitches left, knit 2 together (= 1 stitch decreased).
ROW 4 (= right side): Slip 1 stitch as if to knit, knit 1 and pass the slipped stitch over the knitted stitch (= 1 stitch decreased), knit until there are 2 stitches left, knit 2 in each of the last 2 stitches (= 2 stitches increased).
Repeat rows 3 - 4 six more times, then repeat row 3 one time = 12 stitches on the row.
Knit 2 rows, last row = wrong side (when this loose piece is worked together with the front piece, work from the right side). Lay to one side and work the front piece. If you would like a hat on the back piece work 2 hats.

FRONT PIECE:
Cast on 70-74-78-82-86-90 stitches with circular needle size 4.5 mm and medium grey Air or grey Nepal (colour a). Purl 1 row (= wrong side).

The next row is worked as follows from the right side: 1 edge stitch in GARTER STITCH – read description above, * knit 2, purl 2 * work from *-* until there is 1 stitch left on the row and finish with 1 edge stitch in garter stitch. Continue this rib for 4 cm – adjust so the next row is worked from the right side. Knit 1 row where you decrease 12-12-12-14-14-14 stitches evenly spaced – read DECREASE TIP = 58-62-66-68-72-76 stitches.

Change to circular needle size 5.5 mm. Work stocking stitch (edge stitches on each side worked in garter stitch on every row) for 1-1-4-4-6-8 cm (the piece measures approx. 5-5-8-8-10-12 cm from the edge). Now work stocking stitch (edge stitches in garter stitch) and pattern in the different sizes as follows from the right side REMEMBER THE KNITTING TENSION!:

SIZES 2 – 3/4 – 5/6 years:
Work 1 edge stitch in garter stitch, 6-8-10 stitches in stocking stitch, A.1 (= 44 stitches) – read PATTERN, work 6-8-10 stitches in stocking stitch and finish with 1 edge stitch in garter stitch.

SIZES 7/8 – 9/10 – 11/12 years:
Work 1 edge stitch in garter stitch, 11-13-15 stitches in stocking stitch, A.2 (= 44 stitches) – read PATTERN, work 11-13-15 stitches in stocking stitch and finish with 1 edge stitch in garter stitch. When the piece measures 11-16-20 cm work pattern A.1 over pattern A.2.

ALL SIZES:
When the piece measures 20-23-26-29-32-35 cm – adjust so the next row is worked from the right side, cast off 2-2-2-3-3-3 stitches at the beginning of the next 2 rows for the armholes = 54-58-62-62-66-70 stitches. Continue with stocking stitch, A.1 (only in the smallest sizes) and 1 edge stitch in garter stitch in each side AT THE SAME TIME on the next row from the right side decrease for RAGLAN – read description above. Decrease for raglan every other row (meaning each row from the right side) a total of 13-14-15-16-17-18 times – AT THE SAME TIME when 2 decreases are left for raglan (piece measures approx. 31-35-39-42-47-52 cm mid front), put the middle 22-24-26-24-26-28 stitches on 1 thread for neck and each shoulder are worked separately.
Left shoulder – start from the right side: 1 edge stitch in garter stitch, decrease for raglan as before, knit 2 stitches together, turn work. Purl from the wrong side, 1 edge stitch in garter stitch, turn work. 1 edge stitch in garter stitch, decrease for raglan, turn and cast off stitches by purling.
Work right shoulder from the right as follows: knit 2 stitches together, decrease for raglan, 1 edge stitch in garter stitch, turn work and work 1 stitch in garter stitch, purl from the wrong side, turn work. Decrease for raglan, 1 edge stitch in garter stitch, turn work and cast off stitches by purling.

Diagram

	= knit from right side, purl from wrong side with medium grey/grey (colour a)
	= knit from right side, purl from wrong side with off-white (colour c)
	= purl from right side, knit from wrong side with off-white (colour c)
	= knit from right side, purl from wrong side with wheat/light beige (colour d)
	= knit from right side, purl from wrong side with raspberry/deep red (colour b)
	= purl from right side, knit from wrong side with raspberry/deep red (colour b)
	= on this row (= from right side) work the loose hat together with the front piece
	= lay the loose hat (= 12 stitches) over these 12 stitches, * knit together 1 stitch from the hat and 1 stitch from the garment using raspberry/deep red (colour b) (= 1 stitch) *, work from *-* a total of 12 times.

Finished

Front of the jumper

Backside of the front of the jumper

Now we are done with the front and the first step of this KAL is completed - are you ready to continue? Then click below on Next > to get to the next step of the jumper.

And don’t forget to send pictures of your progress to our gallery. Click here to submit a link!

Need some help?

Here’s a list of resources to help you with the front of the jumper:

• Lesson: How to cast on
• Lesson: How to knit stitches
• Lesson: How to work purl stitches
• Lesson: How to increase/decrease evenly
• Video: How to decrease by knitting 2 stitches together (K2tog)
• Video: How to cast on with the continental method
• Video: How to knit a rib (K1, P1)
• Video: How to knit stockinette stitch back and forth on a circular needle
• Video: How to knit garter stitch
• Video: How to bind off from the right side(RS)
• Video: How to knit with 3 skeins at the same time
• Video: How to work the Santa hat in DROPS Children 32-20
• Video: How to work the Santa hat together with the Christmas jumper in DROPS children 32-20
• Video: How to finish raglan decrease in the front piece in DROPS Children 32-20
• Video: How to work raglan decreases from right side - back and forth