Machine Knit Elf on the Shelf Sweater

I know it’s February, and actually almost March. Consider me very early for next Christmas, not late for this past one. I made this in December for our visiting elf, but never got around to writing up the pattern until today. Here are a couple of photos of the sweater:

As you can likely see, it’s a very simple roll-neck pattern. The front and back are exactly the same, and there is no shaping anywhere. For those keeners who might want to recreate this and need no further instruction, here is the (hand-drawn, not to scale) schematic:

I didn’t note it on the diagram, but the rectangular sections at the bottom of each drawing are to indicate the ribbing. You can do as much or as little ribbing as you prefer.

If, however, you’d like a little more detail, you can find the full instructions in my free Ravelry pattern. It’s very easy – if you can knit rectangles, you can knit this.

You could knit this by hand as well if you were so inclined. If you are OK with a bit of math, you could knit it in any yarn of your choice. The stitch counts will differ from the pattern, of course, but that’s why you always do a tension swatch anyway, right? RIGHT?! OK good, glad we cleared that up. If you wanted to use a mid-gauge or bulky machine, I’m sure it would work fine in a DK or worsted-weight yarn, although on such a small elf, a thick yarn might be a little heavy.

I had heard that you can leave little sweaters around your house in December, during the elves’ visiting times, and they will accept them as gifts. Although I didn’t see ours put the sweater on, I would assume it has to be done like a Barbie outfit – feet in first, pulled up over the body. I also took the advice I had seen on the internet somewhere, and left a pair of tweezers (needlenose pliers would also work) out next to the sweater, in case he had a tough time getting his arms through the sleeves. That must have done the trick, as when we found him the next day, he was all warm and toasty in his little sweater.

I had planned to knit him several, but life just got in the way and I didn’t get to it this year. But maybe for next year. I have some tiny little fair isle designs in mind that I think would be quite charming on an elf sweater. I may or may not have also planned to bend some tiny little coat hangers for him so that I can leave a selection of sweaters out for his perusal on a Barbie clothing rack. Who doesn’t like wardrobe choice, right? I also had a couple of other construction methods and variations rattling around in my brain, but they’ll have to wait for now. Too many things to do, not enough time to knit elf sweaters, I tell you.

Merry Christmas! (in February)