# How to Knit Pockets on a Sweater: 3 Methods

There's a particular kind of joy in slipping your hands into a hand-knit sweater and finding an actual, functional pocket waiting there. It turns a cozy garment into a genuinely useful one, and it's one of those details that makes a handmade sweater feel more considered than anything off a rack. If you've ever skipped a pattern's pocket option because the instructions looked intimidating, this guide is for you.

There are three main ways knitters add pockets to a garment, and each has its own look, level of difficulty, and best use case. We'll walk through patch pockets, in-set (horizontal) pockets, and vertical slit pockets, so you can pick the right one for your next project and knit it with confidence.

Before You Start: Choosing the Right Pocket for Your Project

All three pocket styles are worked with basic knitting skills you likely already have — knitting, purling, picking up stitches, and a little bit of seaming. What changes is when you add the pocket and how much planning it takes.

  • Patch pockets are the easiest and most forgiving. You can add one to a sweater that's already finished, even one you didn't knit yourself.
  • In-set pockets need to be planned before you start the body, since you place a lining behind the fabric as you go.
  • Vertical slit pockets also need to be planned ahead, since you split the knitting into two separate pieces for several inches.

If this is your first time adding a pocket, start with a patch pocket. Once you're comfortable with that, in-set pockets are a natural next step.

Method 1: Patch Pockets (Knit Separately, Sewn On)

A patch pocket is exactly what it sounds like: a small rectangle (or any shape you like) knit on its own and then sewn onto the outside of the finished garment. It's the most versatile method because it doesn't require any planning in the original pattern — you can add one after the fact to correct a sweater that came out pocket-less.

Steps:

  1. Measure and swatch. Decide how big you want the pocket to be — a common size is around 5–6 inches wide and 6–7 inches deep for an adult sweater, but let the wearer's hand size guide you. Knit a small swatch in the same yarn and needle size you used for the body so your gauge matches.
  2. Cast on and knit the pocket panel. Cast on the number of stitches needed to match your target width at your gauge. Work in stockinette (or a pattern stitch that complements the sweater) for the desired depth.
  3. Finish the top edge. Switch to your ribbing or seed stitch pattern for an inch or so at the top of the pocket, then bind off. This edge won't be sewn down, so it needs to look neat and lie flat on its own.
  4. Block the pocket piece. Blocking before sewing makes a huge difference — it flattens curling stockinette edges and makes the piece much easier to pin in place accurately.
  5. Pin it to the garment. Try the sweater on (or use a similarly sized form) to decide on placement. Pin the pocket in place, checking that it's level and that both pockets (if you're doing two) are symmetrical.
  6. Sew it down. Using a length of the same yarn and a tapestry needle, sew around the sides and bottom of the pocket with mattress stitch or a whip stitch, leaving the top edge open. Weave in your ends on the wrong side.

The main thing to watch for with patch pockets is symmetry — small placement differences are much more noticeable on a garment than they are on a swatch, so take your time pinning before you commit to stitches.

Method 2: In-Set (Horizontal) Pockets

In-set pockets are the pockets you'll find on most commercially designed cardigans and pullovers: the opening sits flush with the fabric, and the lining is invisible from the outside. They look more polished than patch pockets, but they do require you to plan ahead, because you build the lining into the body as you knit.

Steps:

  1. Knit the pocket lining first. Before you reach the pocket's position on the body, cast on stitches separately and knit a small lining piece — typically a rectangle worked in stockinette, roughly matching the width you want the opening to be. Set it aside on a spare needle or stitch holder.
  2. Knit to the pocket placement on the body. When you reach the row where the pocket should sit, knit across to the point where the opening begins.
  3. Put the "background" stitches on hold. Slip the stitches that would otherwise be knit at the pocket opening onto a stitch holder or waste yarn instead of working them. This is the fabric of the sweater that will eventually sit behind the lining.
  4. Knit across the lining stitches instead. In place of the held stitches, knit across the live stitches from your pocket lining, then continue across the rest of the body as normal. From here, you're knitting through the lining rather than the original body stitches for that section.
  5. Continue the body as normal for the depth of the pocket bag, working the lining stitches as part of every row.
  6. Return to the held stitches for the opening edge. Once the pocket is deep enough, put the working lining stitches on hold and knit an edge — usually a few rows of ribbing — from the held "background" stitches to create the pocket opening trim. Bind off this edge.
  7. Seam the lining. Once the garment is finished, turn it inside out and sew the sides and bottom of the pocket lining closed with mattress stitch, so the pocket forms a bag on the inside without showing on the front.

This method is popular because the finished result has no visible seams on the right side — the opening simply appears as ribbing set into the fabric, which is a hallmark of a professional-looking sweater.

Method 3: Vertical Slit Pockets

Vertical slit pockets run up and down rather than side to side, which makes them a great option for A-line cardigans or garments where a horizontal seam would interrupt a stitch pattern. Instead of holding stitches for a lining, you temporarily split the fabric into two separate working pieces.

Steps:

  1. Knit to the pocket's starting row. Work the body as usual until you reach the point where you want the slit to begin.
  2. Divide the stitches. Work across to the stitch count marking one edge of the slit, then place the remaining stitches (through the other side of the body) onto a holder. You'll now be working only the first section.
  3. Knit each side separately. Work back and forth on just the first section for the height of the pocket opening, then break the yarn, return to the held stitches, and work the second section to the same height using a separate ball or strand of yarn.
  4. Rejoin the two sides. Once both sections reach the top of the slit, knit across all the stitches from both pieces together in a single row to reunite the fabric, and continue the body as one piece.
  5. Add a lining. Because a slit pocket has no built-in bag, pick up stitches along the inside edge of the opening and knit a lining rectangle, then sew it to the inside of the garment so it doesn't show through the slit.
  6. Finish the opening edge. Pick up stitches along the slit and work a few rows of ribbing or a garter band to stabilize the opening and keep it from stretching out with use.

Because this method briefly turns your project into two separate pieces, stitch markers and careful row counting are essential — it's easy for the two sides to end up a row or two off from each other if you're not paying attention.

Final Tips for Pocket Success

  • Always swatch and block before adding a pocket, especially a patch pocket, so you know your gauge matches the body.
  • Reinforce pocket corners with an extra few stitches of seaming — they take the most stress from hands going in and out.
  • If a pattern doesn't include pocket instructions, patch pockets can be added to almost any finished sweater as a simple modification.
  • Use a smooth, sturdy yarn (even a strand of matching sewing thread doubled with your yarn) for seaming pocket linings, since this is a high-wear area.

With any of these three methods in your toolkit, you'll never have to leave a sweater pocket-less again — and you'll have a technique on hand no matter what kind of garment you're knitting next.

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