🎙️ Pattern Spotlight: “Sweetheart” Bomber ❤️
This one is all about the details.
A double collar. A proper stabilized button band. Pockets you can use. The kind of finishing that makes a handmade garment feel like something you'll keep reaching for year after year.
Inspired by vintage casualwear and the iconic style of the vintage letterman jacket, this cardigan has the look of a classic bomber with the comfort of a handknit. Think french fries at the diner, cozy bonfire nights, and milkshakes. ❤️
A Little Old-School, A Lot of Details
The “Sweetheart” Bomber takes a familiar vintage silhouette and gives it the thoughtful details we obsess over.
The double collar shaped with short rows gives it a distinctive finish, while the faced button bands create a clean, polished look. And, of course, there are pockets.
The cardigan uses a nearly seamless saddle-shoulder construction, with shaping that creates its distinctive fit. The double collar, faced button bands, and practical pockets bring the whole design together.
This is a project for knitters who appreciate the little details that make a garment feel finished.
🧶 What's the Construction Like?
The “Sweetheart” Bomber is worked in DK-weight yarn and designed with a relaxed fit.
The pattern includes:
Sizes XS (S, M, L) [1X, 2X, 3X, 4X]
Nearly seamless saddle-shoulder construction
A distinctive collar
Faced button bands
Practical pockets
Detailed finishing techniques
🎥 video tutorials for trickier steps
The pattern is rated 4 out of 5 for difficulty, making it a good choice for knitters ready to take on a more involved garment project!
❤️ Make It Part of Your Wardrobe
The “Sweetheart” Bomber is a natural fit for a vintage-inspired wardrobe, but it doesn't have to be styled head to toe in vintage.
Wear it with high-waisted jeans, a band tee, and your favorite sneakers for an easy everyday look. Pair it with a denim skirt and boots for a little more attitude. Or layer it over a dress when the weather calls for some wool.
Choose your colors, pick your yarn, and enjoy the details as they come together.
The “Sweetheart” Bomber is a more involved knit; that's part of the appeal. From the saddle shoulders to the double collar and finished button bands, every step contributes to a garment you'll be proud to wear.
For knitters who appreciate vintage style, thoughtful construction, and a little old-school charm, this one's worth a closer look.
You Might Also Like
If you love the “Sweetheart” Bomber, you might also enjoy:
“Soundtrack” Cardigan — A vintage-inspired cardigan with a musical colorwork yoke and gently puffed sleeves. Make the everyday version or try the optional “Scaredy Cat!” Expansion.
“Chelsea” Cardigan — A versatile layer with a relaxed silhouette, worked seamlessly from the top down.
“Hellcat” Cardigan — A cardigan with a bold leopard yoke and puff sleeves.
💌 Share Your Project
Finished a Poison Grrls pattern? We'd love to see it!
Share your photos, tell us about your yarn choice, and show us how you made the pattern your own. Your project could be featured on our website, Instagram, or in a future 🎙️ Pattern Spotlight newsletter.
As a thank-you, you'll receive 15% off your next Poison Grrls pattern purchase.
XOXO,
The Poison Grrls Team 💋
The Story Behind the “Hard Candy Christmas” Cardigan
Dolly Parton's “Hard Candy Christmas” has a way of staying with you. It's a song about finding your footing when life doesn't go quite the way you planned, and holding onto hope through it all. We loved the idea of bringing that feeling into a Christmas cardigan, with our own Poison Grrls twist: a fitted pink silhouette, a little vintage glamour, and knitted candy canes you can take off when the holidays are over.
A Little Vintage Christmas Kitsch
We wanted this cardigan to feel like the kind of Christmas decorations we love to pull out every year: old-fashioned, a little over the top, and full of personality.
The cardigan has a classic V-neck, button front, long sleeves, and a cropped, fitted shape. We added embroidered starbursts and four red-and-cream candy canes, arranged in two crossed pairs at the yoke.
The candy canes are removable, so you can dress up the cardigan for Christmas and wear it plain for the rest of winter. Pair it with high-waisted jeans, a pencil skirt, or your favorite full skirt. It's a holiday sweater with a life beyond the holidays.
The Details Make It
The candy canes are knitted from striped I-cord and shaped with wire to create their little hooks. We wanted the stripes to look tidy without having to cut the yarn at every color change, and the pattern includes a video tutorial showing how to carry the unused yarn neatly inside the cord.
We embroidered the starbursts directly onto the knitting for some dimension. They're a simple addition, that gives the fabric a little extra sparkle and a mid-century Christmas feel.
The pattern includes video tutorials for making the candy-canes and embroidering the starbursts. The candy canes are basted in place so you can remove them after Christmas and bring them out again next year.
Knitting the Cardigan
The “Hard Candy Christmas” Cardigan is worked seamlessly from the top down, with shaped set-in sleeves and waist shaping for a fitted silhouette. The cropped length and button-front V-neck give it the vintage shape we love.
We knit the sample in Ewe & Billy DK by Knit Picks, a DK-weight blend of 75% merino wool and 25% kid mohair, with 273 yards per 100 grams. It was perfect for this design because it’s soft, still has shape, and gives the subtle mohair halo we just love.
The pattern comes in sizes XS–4X. It's best suited to intermediate/experienced knitters comfortable with short rows, set-in sleeve shaping, and working multiple shaping instructions at the same time. The 🎥 video tutorials help with the decorative details, so you can follow along as you make your own candy canes and starbursts.
Counting Our Blessings
Dolly passed away in August, and it feels especially meaningful to be sharing a design named for one of her songs this Christmas. Her voice, her songwriting, her unmistakable style, and her generosity left a mark on generations of people. Her legacy will live on in her music, and may her memory continue to be a blessing.
Christmas is a time to celebrate, gather with the people we love, and count our blessings. Life isn't always easy, and the season doesn't have to be picture-perfect to be meaningful. It's the familiar songs, the old decorations, the handmade things, and the people around the table that make it special.
That's part of what we love about “Hard Candy Christmas.” It's a reminder to keep a little hope, find joy where we can, and make room for the blessings even when life gets complicated.
So put on your favorite Dolly Christmas album, get the yarn out, and make a little room for Christmas knitting.
The “Hard Candy Christmas” Cardigan knitting pattern is available now in the shop.
Sizes XS–4X. Video tutorials included with the pattern.
xo,
Poison Grrls 💗
🎙️ Pattern Spotlight: “Soundtrack” Cardigan
For all the music lovers out there. 🎶
“Soundtrack” was inspired by favorite movies, train rides, road trips, and those little moments in life that stick with you. It's the kind of cardigan that belongs in the background of a good story — twisting the night away, eating banana splits at the diner, or hanging around in a parking lot having a conversation that somehow lasts for hours.
And, of course, it looks pretty damn good while you're doing it.
A Little Bit of Old-School Charm
“Soundtrack” has all the details we love about a good vintage-inspired cardigan: a classic crew neck, beautifully detailed colorwork yoke, gentle puffed sleeve caps, and shaping throughout for a flattering fit.
It's got that old-fashioned charm without feeling like a costume.
Wear it with a dress. Throw it over a tee and jeans. Layer it over a lightweight knit when the weather calls for another layer. It's an easy piece to work into the wardrobe you already have.
Let the Yoke Do the Talking 🎸
The colorwork yoke is the star of the show.
The main color keeps the cardigan grounded while a small amount of contrast color gives the yoke its punch. That means you can keep things classic with a high-contrast combination or play around with colors that feel a little more unexpected.
And with only about 10 yards of contrast color required, it's a good excuse to dig through that stash and find something fun.
Knit It Top Down
“Soundtrack” is worked seamlessly from the top down, with short-row shaping for the shoulders and sleeves. It's rated 3/5 — intermediate.
Sizes are:
XS (S, M, L) [1X, 2X, 3X, 4X]
It's designed for worsted-weight wool or wool blends, with a gauge of 19 stitches x 27 rows = 4".
The pattern also includes instructions for making covered buttons, because sometimes the little details are what make a cardigan feel like yours. The sample uses six approximately 5/8" buttons.
Add a Little Halloween Magic 🎃
This is where things get fun.
The “Scaredy Cat!” Expansion was made specifically for “Soundtrack” and takes the original cardigan in a whole new direction.
Inspired by iconic vintage Halloween decorations, the expansion gives you a new chart and a sleeve variation to create a spooky version of the cardigan — while using the “Soundtrack” pattern you already have.
So you can knit “Soundtrack” as an everyday vintage cardigan, or add the “Scaredy Cat!” details when you want to get a little spooky.
And yes, the expansion is meant for Halloween babes and anyone who keeps it spooky year round. 🎃
Important: The “Scaredy Cat!” Expansion is not a complete pattern. You need the “Soundtrack” Cardigan pattern to use it.
Make It Yours
That's really the point of “Soundtrack.”
It's a vintage-inspired cardigan, but where you take it is up to you. Choose colors that remind you of an old favorite movie. Go classic with a simple contrast. Make the everyday version you'll wear constantly, or add the “Scaredy Cat!” Expansion when you're in the mood for something a little more mischievous.
However you knit it, make it part of your own soundtrack. 🧶
👉 Shop the “Soundtrack” Cardigan
👉 Shop the “Scaredy Cat” Expansion
You Might Also Like
“Hellcat” Cardigan — If you like your vintage knits with a little more attitude, “Hellcat” brings the same Poison Grrls spirit to another classic cardigan shape.
“Sodapop” Sweater — A vintage-inspired sweater that's right at home with jeans, skirts, and the rest of your old-school wardrobe.
“Sweetheart” Bomber — For another vintage-inspired layer, the “Sweetheart” Bomber brings a little more structure and plenty of personality.
💌 Share Your Project
Finished a Poison Grrls pattern? We'd love to see it!
Share your photos, tell us about your yarn choice, and help inspire fellow knitters by showing how you made the pattern your own.
As a thank-you, you'll receive 15% off your next Poison Grrls pattern purchase, and your project could be featured on our website, Instagram, or in a future 🎙️ Pattern Spotlight newsletter.
XOXO,
The Poison Grrls Team 💋