Knitting soul warmers - instructions and tips

Soul warmers, also known as sleeve scarves or capes, are flexible garments that can be used to warm the back and shoulders. Knitted from light wool in summer, they can spice up any of your outfits and become a fashion accessory. In winter, on the other hand, they are a great way to protect you from the cold. Combinable with jeans, skirts and dresses, they are real all-rounders in the wardrobe. Especially great: Soul warmers are very easy to knit and are therefore also perfect as beginner projects. In this article you will learn everything about knitting soul warmers for beginners.

All soul warmers are worked according to the same basic principle. First you knit a large rectangle with the measurements given in the pattern. When you're done, fold all four corners toward the center. You can imagine it like a paper rectangle from which you want to make a plane. Now sew the left side together, the two halves of which should now face each other. You do the same with the right side. Make sure to sew from the center of the rectangle outwards. The outermost centimeters remain open - these are your armholes.

With that, your soul warmer is actually already finished. In many models, only cuffs on the sleeves and around the edge are added. As you can see, it is really very easy to knit a soul warmer. Since you only have to work one rectangle for the basic model, you can concentrate entirely on the desired pattern, which is always knitted in rows, and do not have to struggle with increases or decreases. Basically, the main part is like a very wide, short scarf. Knitting soul warmers as a beginner is therefore highly recommended.

Even if knitting the soul warmer is perfect for beginners, you still have to pay attention to a few things so that your knitted piece succeeds according to your ideas. The dimensions are particularly important when knitting the soul warmer. To do this, you first have to think about how you want your cape to fall in the end. There are no limits to your imagination here. The soul warmer can cover just the shoulders and upper back, or it can reach down to the waist or even beyond. It can be knit so that you can hold it loosely together in the front with a brooch or your hands, or so that your front is barely covered. The length of the sleeves must also be considered in advance. Normally these are not worked separately, but there are also instructions for knitting soul warmers with sleeves that can be downloaded free of charge.

If you are undecided which shape you like best, you can make a sample out of an old linen sheet or other leftover fabric. Simply cut a rectangle that might fit and simulate sewing with safety pins or clothespins.

In general, the squarer the rectangle, the more fabric you will have on your front. Models that are significantly wider than they are tall are more likely to leave your front uncovered.

Once your desired measurements have been determined, you are spoiled for choice. If you want to knit a summer soul warmer, thin, light yarns are particularly suitable, for autumn or winter the wool can be a little fluffier. The color should also be carefully considered. Gradient yarns are particularly suitable for knitting soul warmers, as they can develop their full potential when knitting a rectangle. In addition, they can be adapted very well to the desired pattern. While very elaborate patterns harmonize with tone-on-tone gradients that have gentle transitions, simpler patterns can also have unusual color gradients that make the soul warmer an absolute eye-catcher.

We at Chiemseegarn are guaranteed to have the right yarn to fall in love with for your soul warmer!

If you haven't been knitting that long, you should be modest when choosing a pattern. Striking, large-scale patterns are eye-catchers, but they also require a high degree of concentration and a certain amount of practice. Especially when knitting the soul warmer, you can also achieve impressive effects with just knit and purl stitches in combination with a great color gradient yarn . And because knitting the soul warmer with simple instructions quickly becomes addictive, we offer you an unbeatable selection of exclusive yarns according to your wishes!

Before you start knitting, you should definitely do a stitch test. On the one hand, you can see whether the dimensions given on the banderole match your knitting type, and on the other hand you get a first impression of the pattern in combination with your wool. Depending on how tightly you knit, this has an influence on the size and also on the pattern. If you knit very tightly, it may be advisable to choose half or a full needle size larger than indicated, for very loose knitting a smaller needle size is recommended.

You can use stitch markers so that you don't lose track of how many rows of your rectangle you have already knitted. Simply insert a marker into the first stitch every fifth or tenth row. So you only have to count and multiply the number of markers used later.

In this section we present you the most beautiful free knitting instructions for knitting soul warmers as simple instructions.

The large moss stitch is very suitable for beginners, as it only works with knit and purl stitches. These free instructions for knitting soul warmers are also well suited as a starter model, as no cuffs are worked at the end. Instead, the first and last 20 cm of the rectangle are worked in rib. A striking gradient yarn makes the sleeve scarf an eye-catcher that you will surely be envied for.

Lace patterns are particularly suitable for summer knitting, as the knitted piece ends up being nice and airy. Nevertheless, this model is suitable for knitting soul warmers as a beginner, since only knit and purl stitches are used here. Other techniques you should master are yarn overs and knitting two stitches together. Don't worry if you haven't done this before. The Seelenwarmer knitting instructions are free and also illustrated, so you can get started right away, even without prior knowledge. If you would like to knit a soul warmer for large sizes, this model is also suitable, because the number of stitches given in the instructions refers to size 44. However, like all models, you can adjust the size to suit you by doing a bit of math.

Now we present you a soul warmer guide with which you can conjure up a particularly effective piece of knitting. The special thing about it: The pattern used is absolutely beginner-friendly and still an eye-catcher! The cuff and rib pattern are used, which achieve a great effect with little effort. With the measurements given, which are already available in several sizes, you can knit an XXL soul warmer because the cape ends up being very large. Combined with a gradient yarn, impressive effects are created here. In contrast to classic sleeve scarves, this one is made in two pieces that have to be sewn together at the end.

This model is a great way to knit a warmer for larger sizes. It is worked as an oversize rectangle and flatters the figure in a particularly flattering manner. In addition to knit stitches in back and forth rows, the cable pattern, which further stretches the body silhouette, is also used. Gentle color gradients that are subtly coordinated with each other further reinforce this effect.

With this model we present you with another guide to knitting a soul warmer in PDF format in different languages. It is worked as a particularly large rectangle that will casually play around your contours. The simple moss stitch is used, which only consists of alternating right and left stitches. Color gradient yarns can really come into their own here, since the base of the cape is so extensive. In addition, the generous surface also creates quite long sleeves without you having to make them separately.

If you are already a bit more experienced, you can try this piece of jewelry . The Seelenwarmer pattern is free and conjures up a fantastic sleeve scarf as a great summer accessory, but with yarn overs, increases and decreases and repeats, more advanced techniques are also used. However, if you are already more experienced, you should definitely try this model. A subtle gradient yarn brings out the waves contained in the pattern particularly well. Also special: In contrast to conventional capes, the sleeves here are worked with increases.

First of all: Size charts cannot be made for knitting the soul warmer because there are so many different factors that influence the measurements. After all, the trend parts can be made as long and wide as you like, depending on how you want them to fall in the end. Instead, we will give you instructions on how you can determine the measurements for your desired model yourself for knitting the soul warmer:

• Using your desired yarn, first make a swatch in the pattern that you want to use for your soul warmer. That means you knit a square measuring 10x10 cm.
• Write down how many stitches you cast on for the square and how many rows you had to work to reach 10 cm.
• Measure yourself! Measure the desired width with your arms stretched out to the sides. Remember: the more sleeves you want, the longer the soul warmer should be so that it falls nicely in the end.
• Now divide the number of stitches in your stitch sample by 10 and then multiply it by the desired width. This is how many stitches you have to cast on for your soul warmer.
• Then divide the number of rows of your stitch sample by 10 and multiply it by the desired length. This is how many rows you have to knit for your soul warmer.

If you would like to use the simple instructions that we have presented to you to knit the soul warmer, you will already find the widths and lengths used. Here you only have to do the stitch test and calculate the required number of stitches and rows with your yarn.

To give you an idea, we will briefly introduce you to the classic techniques used in the instructions.

In the large moss stitch, alternating knitted and purled stitches create large nubs that are reminiscent of pearls and give the pattern its name.

• Row 1: K 1, P 1 to end of row
• Row 2: Knit all sts as they appear.
• Row 3: P 1, K 1 to end of row
• Row 4: Knit all sts as they appear.

Repeat rows 1 to 4 continuously.

Depending on the design, the rib pattern creates more or less wide ribs like a classic waistband.

• Row 1: K2, P2 to end of row
• Row 2: Knit all sts as they appear.

Repeat rows 1 to 2 continuously.
Depending on how many knit or purl stitches you knit in one piece, the ribs will be narrower or wider.

Rib pattern is a collective term for all variations used to start or end a piece of knitting. The simplest version is stockinette stitch, i.e. rows on the right side, rows on the back left. This variant is particularly suitable if the actual pattern consists of ribs, as is the case with the XXL soul warmer.

The cable pattern is also a term that is not fixed, as the width of the knitted cables can vary. Basically, you work the braids by putting a certain number (e.g. 5) of stitches on hold, knitting the next same number of stitches and only then working on the stitches on hold.

This pattern is the small variant of the large moss stitch, so smaller nubs are created. It is very easy to knit:

• Row 1: K 1, P 1 to end of row
• Row 2: Work another knit stitch on each knit stitch and another purl stitch on each purl stitch.

Repeat rows 1 to 2 continuously.


Have you already decided on one of the beautiful models and can't wait to finally get started? Then quickly get the right wool from Chiemseegarn to make your soul warmer a unique eye-catcher!