Purlgrid Studio · free pattern
Christmas sweater knitting pattern, in 25 sizes.
Free Fair Isle Christmas jumper pattern · kids 2 to men 5X
Pick your size, stack the Fair Isle bands you like and choose three colours. Studio works out every stitch for your size from standard body measurements, checks every round, and gives you the whole pattern as a free PDF with a 3D preview. Cut it open the Norwegian way or knit it with no cutting, and make the same design for the whole family.
How it works
Your sweater, sized for you.
Many free Christmas jumper patterns come in one size, with a chart you fit yourself. Studio does the sizing and the counting for every size.
- 01Pick a size and a fitWomen XS–5X, men S–5X, kids 2–16, from the Craft Yarn Council's body measurements. Classic, relaxed or oversized adds 10, 15 or 22 cm to the chest (two thirds of that for kids).
- 02Stack the bandsFair Isle bands on the lower body, the chest, the cuffs and the sleeve tops, with a background pattern between them. Motifs are centred on the front and on top of each sleeve.
- 03Check it in 3DThe 3D sweater is built from the pattern itself. The engine checks every round for two colours at most and floats of 9 stitches at most, and that the sleeves fit the armholes and the neckband goes over the head.
- 04Download the PDFMeasurements, yarn per colour, written instructions, charts, a schematic with the cutting lines, and a QR code that reopens your design. Knit-along mode marks your place round by round on your phone.
Sizes & yarn
All 25 sizes, all free.
Body chest is the wearer's measurement; finished chest includes the ease of the relaxed fit. Yarn is the engine's estimate for the default design (three colours, DK) with a margin; your own bands change it, and Studio shows the figure for your design.
| Size | Body chest | Finished chest | Length | Snow | Cranberry | Pine |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women · XS–5X · 15 cm ease | ||||||
| Women XS | 73.7 cm29 in | 87.3 cm34¼ in | 59.6 cm23½ in | 690 m755 yd | 195 m213 yd | 35 m38 yd |
| Women S | 83.8 cm33 in | 101.8 cm40 in | 60.8 cm24 in | 790 m864 yd | 220 m241 yd | 40 m44 yd |
| Women M | 94 cm37 in | 109.1 cm43 in | 61.7 cm24¼ in | 865 m946 yd | 235 m257 yd | 40 m44 yd |
| Women L | 104.1 cm41 in | 116.4 cm45¾ in | 62.1 cm24½ in | 920 m1006 yd | 255 m279 yd | 40 m44 yd |
| Women XL | 114.3 cm45 in | 130.9 cm51½ in | 62.9 cm24¾ in | 1020 m1115 yd | 275 m301 yd | 45 m49 yd |
| Women 2X | 124.5 cm49 in | 138.2 cm54½ in | 63.3 cm25 in | 1050 m1148 yd | 280 m306 yd | 50 m55 yd |
| Women 3X | 134.6 cm53 in | 152.7 cm60¼ in | 63.3 cm25 in | 1155 m1263 yd | 305 m334 yd | 50 m55 yd |
| Women 4X | 144.8 cm57 in | 160 cm63 in | 65 cm25½ in | 1250 m1367 yd | 330 m361 yd | 55 m60 yd |
| Women 5X | 154.9 cm61 in | 167.3 cm65¾ in | 65 cm25½ in | 1280 m1400 yd | 335 m366 yd | 55 m60 yd |
| Men · S–5X · 15 cm ease | ||||||
| Men S | 88.9 cm35 in | 101.8 cm40 in | 63.3 cm25 in | 925 m1012 yd | 260 m284 yd | 40 m44 yd |
| Men M | 99.1 cm39 in | 116.4 cm45¾ in | 68.8 cm27 in | 1085 m1187 yd | 300 m328 yd | 45 m49 yd |
| Men L | 109.2 cm43 in | 123.6 cm48¾ in | 71.3 cm28 in | 1205 m1318 yd | 320 m350 yd | 45 m49 yd |
| Men XL | 119.4 cm47 in | 130.9 cm51½ in | 75 cm29½ in | 1335 m1460 yd | 350 m383 yd | 50 m55 yd |
| Men 2X | 129.5 cm51 in | 145.5 cm57¼ in | 77.5 cm30½ in | 1485 m1624 yd | 390 m427 yd | 55 m60 yd |
| Men 3X | 139.7 cm55 in | 152.7 cm60¼ in | 80 cm31½ in | 1570 m1717 yd | 415 m454 yd | 55 m60 yd |
| Men 4X | 149.9 cm59 in | 167.3 cm65¾ in | 80 cm31½ in | 1695 m1854 yd | 445 m487 yd | 60 m66 yd |
| Men 5X | 160 cm63 in | 174.5 cm68¾ in | 82.5 cm32½ in | 1825 m1996 yd | 480 m525 yd | 60 m66 yd |
| Kids · 2–16 · 10 cm ease | ||||||
| Child 2 | 53.3 cm21 in | 65.5 cm25¾ in | 31.7 cm12½ in | 305 m334 yd | 80 m87 yd | 25 m27 yd |
| Child 4 | 58.4 cm23 in | 65.5 cm25¾ in | 34.2 cm13½ in | 350 m383 yd | 90 m98 yd | 25 m27 yd |
| Child 6 | 63.5 cm25 in | 72.7 cm28¾ in | 36.7 cm14½ in | 385 m421 yd | 105 m115 yd | 30 m33 yd |
| Child 8 | 67.3 cm26½ in | 80 cm31½ in | 42.1 cm16½ in | 480 m525 yd | 130 m142 yd | 30 m33 yd |
| Child 10 | 71.1 cm28 in | 80 cm31½ in | 45.8 cm18 in | 550 m601 yd | 145 m159 yd | 30 m33 yd |
| Youth 12 | 76.2 cm30 in | 87.3 cm34¼ in | 48.3 cm19 in | 600 m656 yd | 170 m186 yd | 35 m38 yd |
| Youth 14 | 80 cm31½ in | 87.3 cm34¼ in | 49.6 cm19½ in | 630 m689 yd | 180 m197 yd | 35 m38 yd |
| Youth 16 | 82.5 cm32½ in | 94.5 cm37¼ in | 50.8 cm20 in | 710 m776 yd | 195 m213 yd | 35 m38 yd |
Gauge 22 sts × 24 rounds = 10 cm in Fair Isle on 4 mm needles, after blocking. Sizes from the Craft Yarn Council standards; the sweater length is our own rule from those measurements.
Why do some neighbouring sizes share a width? The body has to hold a whole number of every band repeat. With the 16-stitch reindeer, the body grows in steps of 16 stitches (7.3 cm), so Child 2 and Child 4 both get 144 stitches. Studio takes the count nearest your target and tells you how far it is; bands with a smaller repeat give finer steps.
Two ways to make it
Cut it open, or don't.
Studio writes the pattern both ways; you choose under Making it. The Norwegian way is the classic: the body is one tube from the hem to the shoulders, so every round of the Fair Isle is knit on the right side, in the round, and then you reinforce and cut the armholes and the front neck. It sounds scary; it is how Norwegian sweaters have been made for generations.
- Mark. A contrasting thread down the side at each armhole, 21.8 cm deep for women M (Studio gives the number for your size), and a smooth U at the front neck.
- Stitch twice. A short straight machine stitch, or small hand backstitches, one column each side of the thread and across the bottom. The two lines lock every stitch.
- Cut. Between the lines, with sharp scissors. Wool is a little sticky, so the stitches hold; a sticky wool yarn makes it easiest.
- Sew in the sleeves. Each sleeve top is exactly twice the cut depth, 43.6 cm around for women M, so it fits the armhole without easing. A facing at the top of the sleeve folds over the cut edge and hides it.
For the cut version you will need a sewing machine or a needle and thread, contrasting waste yarn, and sharp scissors.
No cutting
Choose No cutting and the body is knit in the round only up to the underarms. There it divides: the back and the front are worked separately in rows to the shoulders, the front neck is shaped on the needles, and the sleeves are sewn in. For women M that is 52 rows above the underarm; the neck binds off 24 stitches at the centre and decreases 8 times on each side, leaving 40 stitches on each shoulder. The engine checks this version in all 25 sizes too.
The trade-off: in the default design the chest bands sit above the underarm, so you work them in rows and purl with both colours on the wrong-side rows. Many knitters find that slower than knitting in the round, so swatch a few rows back and forth first.
Family set
Same bands, every size.
Open the same design, change only the size, and the engine re-centres every band for the new stitch count. A family of four in the default design (Men L, Women M, Child 10 and Child 6) takes about 3005 m Snow, 805 m Cranberry, 145 m Pine.
Questions
Before you cast on.
Sweater or jumper?
The same thing. In the US it's a Christmas sweater, in the UK a Christmas jumper. The pattern uses US terms with metric and imperial measurements.
Is it really free?
Yes, every size. Designing, the 3D preview, knit-along mode and the PDF are free while Purlgrid grows. No account, and we don't ask for your email.
What yarn do I need?
DK (8 ply) wool or wool blend, about 210–230 m per 100 g, in three colours. The table above gives metres per colour for every size.
Do I have to cut it?
No. Choose No cutting in Studio: the back and front are worked in rows above the underarm and the sleeves are sewn in. The PDF changes with it, with no cutting steps.
Can I put a name on it?
Not in the sweater yet. You can chart a name or initials to any stitch count with the free knitting alphabet chart generator and add it with duplicate stitch after knitting.
Are there baby sizes?
Not yet. The smallest size is Child 2 (53.3 cm chest).
Do I need to be experienced?
It suits a knitter who has done some two-colour knitting. Every round uses at most two colours and long floats are marked on the chart. If you are new to colourwork, a Fair Isle hat is a good first step.