Mix-It-Up Sweater in Lion Brand Homespun and Color Waves - 40021

Mix-It-Up Sweater in Lion Brand Homespun and Color Waves – Knit Pullover Pattern (Free Download)

This pattern delivers a bold, texture-rich knitted pullover that lives up to its name by combining five different Lion Brand yarn lines in a single garment. The result is a striking, multi-texture "knockout" pullover that is as enjoyable to knit as it is to wear. Because the pattern is a free downloadable PDF from Lion Brand Yarn, it is an excellent choice for knitters looking to use up partial skeins of coordinating yarns or explore the creative possibilities of yarn mixing.

What Is Being Made

The project is a knitted pullover sweater worked in multiple sizes to fit a range of bodies. Finished chest measurements span 38 inches (Small) through 54 inches (2X), and finished lengths range from 22 to 24 inches depending on size. The pattern is written for the smallest size with changes for larger sizes noted in parentheses, following standard knitting pattern convention.

• Sizes available: S, M, L, 1X, 2X
• Finished chest: 38 (42, 46, 50, 54) inches
• Finished length: 22 (22, 23, 23, 24) inches
• Skill level: Intermediate

Yarns and Materials Used

What makes this sweater truly distinctive is its use of five separate Lion Brand yarn lines, each contributing a different color story, weight, and surface texture. Mixing bouclé loops, smooth gradients, tweedy homespun texture, and painted colorways creates a fabric that is visually layered and deeply tactile. The yarns specified in the pattern are:

• Lion Brand Lion Bouclé – 4 (4, 4, 5, 5) balls in #208 Parfait or color of your choice. Lion Bouclé is a loopy, textured yarn that adds soft, cloud-like dimension to the fabric surface.
• Lion Brand Color Waves – 2 (3, 3, 4, 4) skeins in #398 Pebble Beach or colors of your choice. Color Waves is a self-striping or gradient yarn that introduces sweeping color transitions without the need to change skeins frequently.
• Lion Brand Homespun – used in three colorways: #369 Florida Keys Green, #362 Quartz, and #371 Boston Rose, each in 1 (1, 1, 2, 2) skeins, or colors of your choice. Homespun is a beloved bulky-weight yarn with a rustic, woven-look texture that knits up quickly and adds warmth.
• Lion Brand Watercolors – 1 (1, 2, 2, 2) balls in #347 Purple Haze and 2 (3, 3, 4, 4) skeins in #313 Sunset Rose or color of your choice. Watercolors yarn features soft, painterly color shifts that blend harmoniously with the other yarns in the mix.

The deliberate combination of these yarns means knitters have significant creative freedom — the pattern explicitly invites substitution with colors of your choice, making it highly customizable while still following the same construction structure.

Techniques and Construction

The pattern is rated Intermediate in skill level, meaning it is well-suited to knitters who are comfortable with basic shaping, reading multi-size patterns, and managing multiple yarn types. The mix-it-up concept requires the knitter to switch between yarn types at designated intervals or sections, which demands attention to yarn management and tension consistency across different fiber textures.

• Yarn mixing: Working with multiple yarn types in a single project teaches knitters how different fiber contents and textures behave together, a valuable intermediate-level skill.
• Multi-size pattern reading: The pattern uses the standard convention of listing the smallest size first with larger sizes in parentheses, and recommends circling all numbers relevant to your size before beginning — a best practice for avoiding errors.
• Pullover construction: The garment is a pullover (no front opening), which typically involves knitting flat pieces (front, back, and sleeves) and seaming, or working in sections that are joined during