A few years ago, when I was still living in Phoenix, Arizona, I suddenly got really into knitting wool sweaters: an interesting choice for a person who lives in a place where the average winter temperature is still warm enough for shorts. When I moved to Chicago in 2023 and then Denver last year, I was finally able to break out some of these bad boys for daily wear.
When I was early on in my knitting journey, I fell in love with this fade set from Etsy and searched for a simple pattern that would show off the yarn colors. Enter the Louisiana Sweater by PetiteKnit. This was one of my first top-down knits with raglan increases and my first time doing a folded collar. The end result was exactly what I wanted: a simple silhouette with a chunky stitch that showed off this beautiful fall-colored yarn.
Why I chose this pattern:
PetiteKnit is a fairly well-known designer in the knitwear community and often one of the first places I look for patterns. Because she is so well-known, her patterns often have plenty of fit reviews. I was limited in what I could make by the amount of yarn I had purchased, so when my size fell within the yardage requirements, I was in.
I would say that this pattern is very approachable for beginners or someone new to sweater-knitting in general. The basic skills you will need or learn are raglan increases, knitting in the round, a foldover collar, and ribbing.
The chunky gauge (10 sts × 14 rows = 10 cm on US13/9 mm) means the fabric grows fast, giving a sense of progress. If you also opt to do a fade kit, like I did in mine, it’s even more satisfying to knit to the next color and watch the colors change.
Yarn & sizing choices:
For my version, I selected this Apple Cinnamon Spice Speckle fade set from WIP Yarns. I used the worsted weight and about 1.5 skeins of each color (give or take), holding the yarns double the entire time.
When knitting sweaters, I usually opt for a size Large. I chose a large in this as well, but may knit an extra large in the future to give more positive ease in the bust and have it feel a bit more oversized around my hips.
Construction highlights
As I mentioned earlier, this was my first time doing a folded neckline. The written instructions were a bit confusing for me, but I think it had more to do with visualizing the step than it had to do with her instructions. I watched one YouTube tutorial, and it was all downhill after that.
As with almost all raglan sweaters, you begin the construction at the neckline, use raglan yoke increases for the shaping, and then work body and sleeves in the round, dividing stitches for sleeves/front/back as you go.
The pattern recommends using the Italian bind-off for cuffs and hem, but I definitely used a classic bind-off with no issues.
For the ombre look in my sweater, I measured how long I wanted the sweater to be and divided that length into color sections. The “sections” were as follows (all yarns held double):
- Color 1 and Color 1
- Color 1 and Color 2
- Color 2 and Color 2
- Color 2 and Color 3
- Color 3 and Color 4
- Color 4 and Color 4, body ribbing only
- Color 4 and Color 1, sleeve only
- Color 1 and Color 1, sleeve only
This meant I had 6 sections for the body and 8 sections for the sleeves. I’d knit each section until its desired length and then switch to the next color. I tried to randomize where in the body I switched colors so it didn’t feel like it was all happening in the same exact spot.
What I enjoyed and final thoughts:
Bulky sweaters can sometimes feel a bit unwearable. I have a few chunky sweaters that I love, but they’re too big to layer under a coat when it’s cold. This sweater has the chunky feeling that I love, but without the bulkiness that makes it hard to wear.
With this knit, you also get the perks of knitting with bulky yarns: fewer stitches, fewer rounds, and a relatively fast finish compared to finer‐gauge sweaters. Dividing the sweater into color sections gave me ADHD brain tangible goals to hit each day, which also helped this sweater come together faster.
I’d add a bit of length next time and maybe even a few inches in the body, but overall, I loved this pattern.
If you’re looking for a quick and simple knitting project, the Louisiana Sweater by PetiteKnit is a great option. Its chunky gauge, seamless raglan design, and relaxed silhouette make for a satisfying knit and a piece you’ll reach for often. It’s a great basic pattern to add fun details to as well, whether that’s showing off hand-dyed yarn or adding a duplicate stitch pattern.
Happy Knitting!
