Your step-by-step guide to knitting the Suzie Jumper
Hey there, stitch superstar! You’ve just unlocked the secret sauce to making your very own Suzie Jumper — and we’re so excited to be stitching it out with you.
This guide will be your BFF through the entire journey. Whether you’re brand new to knitting or just here for a refresh, we’ll take you from “how do I hold these sticks?” to “look what I made!” — one cozy row at a time.
Firstly, let's look at what's covered in this blog.
INCLUDED IN YOUR KIT
Your kit comes with everything you need to make your masterpiece. Inside your drawstring bag you'll find:
🕺 12mm & 15mm needles |
We'll use 12mm and 15mm needles (or sticks as we like to say!) for this pattern. |
🧶 Cardigang Chunky Yarn |
In either Everyday or Premium depending on your order. You will have received enough to complete the size you ordered. |
🪝 Stitch marker |
To mark the beginning of a round when you knit the neckline. |
👆 A darning needle |
To sew your masterpiece together. |
🤓 Your printed pattern |
We assume you've got that since you made it here! |
🫶 A 'Made By Me' tag |
You can sew into your finished knit. |
You'll also want to have a pair of scissors, a pen and a tape measure handy.
Let’s Start with Some Practise
Before we dive into the good stuff, let’s warm up those hands and needles. Think of this like stretching before a workout — except comfier, cuter, and way more fun.
Grab some of the yarn from your kit (just a little, you’ve got enough to spare!), and get familiar with the motions. Try out the stitches you’ll be using in this pattern. This is your time to mess it up, try again, and feel things out — no pressure, no judgement, just you and your new fave hobby.
Bonus: practising now = fewer headaches later (trust us on this one).
Here’s what you’ll need to know for this pattern — we’ve linked each tutorial so you can follow along step-by-step:
Take your time, replay the videos as many times as you need, and don’t stress if it feels a little awkward at first — every knitter starts here 💖
Time to Test Your Gauge
Once you’re feeling comfy with the stitches, it’s time to check your gauge. We know, we know — it sounds technical, but it’s really just about making sure your tension matches the pattern.
Why? Because different knitters = different stitch tightness. And we want your finished masterpiece to fit like a dream.
So grab your measuring tape, knit up a little swatch (there’s a guide for that at the link below!), and let’s make sure you’re on track before the main event begins.
THE SUZIE JUMPER
If done correctly, your 10x10cm knitted swatch should be 7 stitches wide and 9 rows high when knitted in stockinette stitch on your 15mm needles.
Sizing and measurements
You can make your jumper in five sizes. Your pattern is read like this; 1 (2, 3, 4, 5). Depending on the size you ordered you'll follow the corresponding number.
It can help to highlight the numbers that correlate to your size in your pattern before you begin. The circles are also there you help you keep track of your knitting. The dashed circles are for the larger sizes.
FAQs A.K.A. Fast Answers, Quick!
⚡ No time to purl? We got speedy support for you over on our FAQs page. No gatekeeping, no silly questions — just fast, friendly help to keep you stitching with confidence. It's the best place to go to get answers quick-smart so you'll be knitting again in a flash.
Ready to take your knitting and crochet game to the next level?
Join The Cardigang Click on Facebook. It’s THE place to share your creations, ask for advice, and get inspired by fellow yarn lovers. Whether you’re a newbie or a seasoned pro, you’ll find a supportive and fun community eager to help and cheer you on.
Stitch out in style.
Whether you’re deep in a knitflix binge or vibing with your needles on a Sunday arvo, we’ve curated the ultimate Spotify playlists to match your mood and your project. From mellow loops to main-character anthems, it’s the soundtrack to your next DIY moment.
Let's Knit Up A storm
It's time to dive into our pattern. The Suzie Jumper is perfect for crafty queens looking for a bit of a challenge!
BODY
We knit our masterpiece in the round which might be something a bit new. Don't worry, it's not as hard as it sounds!
Knitting in the round is a way of knitting that lets you create a seamless tube, perfect for things like beanies and jumpers. Instead of working back and forth (like a scarf), you knit in a continuous spiral.
You’ll use circular needles (two needles joined by a cord) to knit in the round.
Why you'll love it:
🫶 No seams to sew together later (yay!)
🫶 You’re always knitting from the right side of your work – so it’s easy to see what’s going on.
🫶 It’s great for creating neat, professional-looking pieces, even if you’re new to the game.
⚠️ Heads up: The first few rounds can feel a little fiddly (like wrestling an octopus), but once you’re a few rows in, it’s smooth sailing.
STEP 1:
Using your 15mm needles cast on the correct number of stitches.
💭 Your stitches will run down onto the plastic tube connecting your needles. That's totally fine!
Hot tip: your piece will 'grow' as you knit so don't be alarmed if it looks like you're knitting a baby's jumper to start with!
Join your stitches in the round before you begin knitting the rib stitch.
STEP 2:
First up, we'll knit 6 rows of 1x1 rib stitch. To create a rib pattern, we knit 1 stitch, then purl the next, then knit the next, then purl the next and repeat.
🧶 Make sure you’re moving your yarn tail from the back to the front of your work between each stitch (bring the yarn in through the middle of the needles) to ensure the rib is executed correctly.
💭 One of the things we found the hardest when we were learning to knit was keeping track of our rows. Before we were able to easily identify a row of stitches we used a pen and paper to keep track. That's why we've included handy circles in our patterns - you can tick them off as you go. The dashed circles are for the larger sizes.
STEP 3:
We're going to start working in knit stitch from here. Before you start this round though, you're going to change to colour 2.
We knit 6 rounds of knit stitch, so our little 'v's are facing out and the little bumps are on the inside of our jumper.
Make sure you're moving your stitch marker each round to you continue to keep track of your rounds.
STEP 4 to 5:
Change back to colour 1 and we're going to knit a band in reverse stockinette stitch. We complete one round in knit stitch - this is like our establishing row. Then we'll purl the next 6 rounds.
STEP 6 to 9:
You'll alternate the bands of stockinette and reverse stockinette stitch as you work up the body. At step 8 you'll see that the different sizes will knit a different number of rounds.
BACK
Here we’ll split the body in half and work up the front and back panels separately. This means we’re knitting back and forth now, instead of in the round. We’ve been alternating between stockinette stitch and reverse stockinette stitch, (colour l makes up the reverse stockinette (the purl bumps) and colour 2 makes up the stockinette (the little v’s)), now that we’re knitting flat, the way you do this will change slightly.
You’re only going to work half your stitches - 42 (45, 49, 53, 56) as we knit up the back. The rest of the stitches will hang out on your needles until we’re ready to come back to them.
⚠️ Heads up: make sure you're following the instructions for your specific size because the number of rows and colour changes will differ.
Follow the instructions to knit up the back panel (working with just half the stitches on your needles).
When it's time to cast off you'll cast off just the stitches you've been working on for the back. When you've got just one stitch left, simply cut your yarn from the ball (leaving about 20cm) and thread it back through your last stitch to secure it.
FRONT
The good news! The front is knitted using the same techniques as the back so these will be a cinch now! 😎
When you reach the last 6 rows you'll split your work to knit up both shoulders are create a space for the head hole.
The first step for all sizes is to cast off the middle stitches for your neck hole.
Then, you'll reduce some stitches in the following few rows to create a tapered edge around the neckline.
We'll start by working up just the first shoulder. Depending on the size you're making this might be the left or right shoulder, and depending on the side you'll use one of two techniques to decrease stitches. Here's how to knit or purl two together.
Heres how to slip slip knit or purl to together.
Once you've worked up the first shoulder you'll reattach your yarn by tying a knot around the stitch closest to the end of your left needle. And let's work up the second shoulder. For this side you'll also knit or purl some stitches together - we're going to mirror the shaping we did on the previous shoulder.
And that's the body of your jumper D.O.N.E! 🕺 Time for a happy dance!
SEWING TOGETHER
Now it’s time to get to work with the darning needle to sew your shoulders together.
Line up your shoulder seams and seam them together using the technique in the video below. It's best if you work from the edge of the piece and sew inwards.
We use a technique called the invisible seam technique which gives us a nice neat join. In the video below, we cover two variations of the technique - you can pick which you prefer!
🎥 How To Sew Cast Off Edges Together
💭 If you're anything like us you might find seaming a bit of a pain and hard to make super neat. It's a common beginner challenge! The main principle with seaming is no matter what seaming method you use, be sure you're entering into the same place on each stitch along the seam. This consistency makes it harder to see the seam.
SLEEVES
We knit our sleeves from the top down, meaning we're going to start with our 15mm needles.
STEP 1:
Using your 15mm needles you'll pick up stitches from around the arm hole.
STEP 2 to 6:
You'll knit in rounds as the pattern instructs. You'll be good at this by now!
STEP 7:
📉 Time to decrease some stitches! To get the shape in our sleeves, we're going to decrease some stitches in the row before we knit the cuff.
Knit two stitches together along the row as instructed - note the different sizes will follow a slightly different sequence so just make sure you're following the correct size.
STEP 8:
You'll finish the sleeve with a 1x1 rib stitch before casting off your stitches. Change to your 12mm needles and knit your rib.
💭 To change needles, simply hold the new needle in your right hand and knit your stitches onto the new needle. When all your stitches are transferred from your left needle onto your right you've officially swapped needles!
💡 When you cast off don't do it too tightly or you'll have a very tight hole for your wrist to squeeze through!
Remember you need two sleeves! Should be kinda hard to forget 😂
NECKLINE
We're SO CLOSE! I can see the finish line 🎢🙌
Okay knitting QWEEN we're going to finish our gorgeous jumper with the neckline.
Using your 12mm needles you'll pick up an even number of stitches from around the neckline.
Mark the beginning of your loop with your stitch marker and then knit 4 rounds of 1x1 rib stitch.
Cast off your stitches. Now this part is critical... don't cast your stitches off too tightly or your cute little head won't fit through the head hold! We've been there and trust us, it's super frustrating!
FINISHING
The last thing we do for every piece is weave in the ends. That’s basically just tidying up the piece so all loose ends are trimmed down and tucked into the inside of your work. You use your darning needle and weave those ends into the seams so they are nicely hidden away.
BLOCKING
The final step in finishing a knitted piece is to block it. This step is optional and not all beginner knitters will block their work (we didn't! 🤣) but it can improve the overall shape and finish of your piece.
Blocking your knitting is a process where you wet your piece to set the finished size and even out the stitches.
You can choose to block your work before you seam it together, or after. If you block before seaming together you might get a better result with your seaming because the stitches will be more lined up.
STEP 1
Soak your knit in cool water. You only need to let your piece sit in the water for a few minutes and make sure the full piece is completely wet.
💡 You can also use a spray bottle and spritz the knit with cool water if you'd prefer.
STEP 2
Remove your knit from the water and dry it off by rolling it in a towel. You want to get us much of the moisture out of the knit as possible at this point but be gentle! You don't want to stretch the knit.
STEP 3
Transfer your damp knit to a flat surface to block it on. If you've got a blocking mat - great! otherwise a towel will work. The surface needs to be somewhere where your knit can lie flat and can stay there until it fully dries so that the shape sets properly. Make sure it's not a surface that can be easily damaged by having something wet sitting on it!
STEP 4
Arrange your piece so the right side is facing up and the shape is as you'd like it. If you've got a measuring tape you can measure and adjust the piece so it's the correct size.
STEP 5
Allow the knit to air dry - this can take a few days. You can also use a hair dryer to speed up the process, just use a light heat and don't concentrate the air in one spot.
In a bind and need a little more help?
Email us at stitchup@cardigang.com.au and we'll be able to help! Whether you're just starting out, or you've got a specific question or problem (dropped a stitch, no stress!), we're here to get you out of a bind.
WEAR, SHARE AND FLAUNT YOUR MASTERPIECE
You stitched it. You slayed it. Now it’s time to share it! 💖 Tag us @cardigang_knits so we can lose our minds over your masterpiece. Compliments guaranteed. 💅🧶
