Polo Sweater Knitting Pattern Review: My Gemma Polo Journey

Last year, I suddenly became obsessed with a collared knit sweater I saw at Zara, and I spent ages looking for a polo sweater knitting pattern. There’s something I really like about a knitted collar: it makes a sweater look a little more polished while still being easy to wear. That’s how I found the Gemma Polo by Cookie the Knitter. It looked quite different from the Zara sweater, but its thick, cozy collar immediately caught my attention. I loved the drop shoulders and stripes, too, and thought it would be the kind of sweater I could throw on all the time. I was also curious to try double knitting for the first time.

You can also see how Gemma Polo came together in my Gemma Polo knitting vlog, including the colorwork restarts and the progress toward the finished sweater.

Project Info

Duration: May 2 – October 23, 2026
Pattern: Gemma Polo by Cookie the Knitter
Yarn: Berroco Vintage, 5101 Mochi (white) / 5136 Bird’s Egg (mint)
Needles: Lantern Moon interchangeable needles, ChiaoGoo Shorties
Method: Top-down
Details: Stripes, a change in the base color, and a cozy, relaxed fit

The calendar makes this look like an almost six-month knitting project, but there were some very long breaks between actual knitting sessions. What stayed with me most was how enjoyable the fabric felt in my hands whenever I finally picked it up again. Even after several restarts and a very inconvenient yarn delay, I was still excited to work on it.

Gemma Polo Pattern

As I mentioned earlier, the collar was the main reason I chose Gemma Polo. I also loved its relaxed silhouette and drop shoulders, which have always been among my favorite sweater details. I like how naturally they fall over the shoulders, and this looked like exactly the sort of roomy knit I enjoy wearing.

Originally, I had planned to start Gemma Polo as soon as I finished my Nia Sweater. I’d even prepared yarn for swatching. But I suddenly had to finish a shawl I’d planned to give as a gift much sooner than expected. I shared the full story in my Frost shawl knitting post. I ended up knitting two shawls, so Gemma Polo was pushed back. Although my project notes say I started on May 2, I barely worked on it that month. I made much more progress in June.

Pattern Difficulty

Was this an easy pattern? Not particularly, at least for me! There were quite a few new techniques to learn, and keeping track of the colorwork added another thing to think about. I also had to get used to the way the instructions were organized.

I normally read a couple of lines, knit that part, and move on. With Gemma Polo, though, I sometimes discovered an explanation later in a section that would have helped me understand something I’d already done. I found myself going back to reread previous instructions. After a few of those moments, I started reading each section all the way through before knitting it. Understanding the sequence ahead of time made things much easier.

First Time Double Knitting

This was my first time working double knitting for a collar and button band. I wasn’t sure how complicated it would feel, but I actually enjoyed it! Watching the fabric form a tidy double layer was satisfying, and it was fun to learn a technique I hadn’t used before.

Yarn and Needles

The pattern recommends Lana Gatto Super Soft, but I had a hard time finding it when I was ready to buy yarn. I spent quite a while looking for an alternative with a similar weight, the cozy feel I wanted, and shades that would work for my white-and-mint color combination. After comparing a few options, I settled on Berroco Vintage. I also spent some time deciding which needles would work best and eventually chose my Lantern Moon set.

Berroco Vintage: Softness, Colors, and a Long Wait

I used Berroco Vintage, in 5101 Mochi and 5136 Bird’s Egg. I loved the combination of white and mint even before I cast on, and I liked it more once the stripes started taking shape. The mint feels calm and soft, while the lighter color makes a lovely contrast.

I was happy with the yarn I used for my Nia Sweater, and Berroco Vintage was another favorite. It was cozy to knit with, and the finished fabric had just the soft, substantial feel I’d wanted. I’d gladly use it again in another color.

There was, however, one major problem: Mochi went out of stock when I needed more. I placed an additional order, but it was on backorder, and I ended up waiting close to two months before I could continue properly. Maybe the color is particularly popular! Either way, it put the project on hold much longer than expected. It was a shame to lose my momentum just as I’d started knitting more consistently in June.

Luckily, I wasn’t in a huge rush. This was a warm sweater that I’d started in the summer, and I thought that as long as I finished before the colder weather arrived, the timing would still work out. I finally completed it on October 23—just in time. Looking back, the long duration was much more about scheduling, the shawls, and waiting for yarn than about six months of continuous knitting.

Lantern Moon Needles

I used Lantern Moon needles for this project, and the contrast between the dark needles and the light yarn was one of my favorite little details. The stitches really stood out against the dark wood, which I loved.

The feel of the needles seemed to work well with this yarn, too. I had a feeling that my ChiaoGoo steel needles might have felt a bit slippery with it, although that’s only my personal impression, not something I tested side by side. In this case, I was very glad to be using the dark wooden needles. I’ve written more about how they feel and perform in my Lantern Moon knitting needles review, if you’re curious about the needles themselves.

ChiaoGoo Shorties for Sleeves

I also bought ChiaoGoo Shorties while working on Gemma Polo, and I absolutely loved them. They were especially convenient for knitting small circumferences like sleeves. If you make sweaters regularly, I think you’d get plenty of use out of short needle tips.

That little experiment was surprisingly useful. I talked about the experience in my review of affordable short knitting needles from Temu. Once I’d confirmed that short needles suited the way I knit, I felt much more confident buying the ChiaoGoo Shorties. I’m glad I did. I use both sets, and for anyone who knits sweaters regularly, I can see why short interchangeable needles become such a favorite tool.

Travel and Starting the Project

Gemma Polo also became memorable for another reason: it was the first knitting project I’d ever taken on a plane. I had a long-haul flight ahead and really wanted something to knit during the journey. I kept the supplies as simple as possible, left my scissors behind, and even knitted a couple of rows before leaving because I’d heard that carrying a project already on the needles could make the experience at security easier. I got through TSA without a problem on that trip, although of course that doesn’t guarantee the same result for every traveler or airport.

I was very conscious of the people around me in the cabin. The yarn wasn’t especially prone to shedding, but I didn’t want loose fibers or a pile of unraveled yarn drifting into anyone else’s space. As it turned out, the person beside me also knitted, which was a rather lovely coincidence and made me feel a little less self-conscious.

Switching the Base Color

One of my earliest do-overs was completely intentional. I initially started the stripes with white as the main background, but after seeing the fabric develop, I decided that I liked the idea of a mint background better. So I unraveled what I’d done and began again with the colors switched.

It was frustrating to undo something I’d already knitted, but I knew the color distribution would influence how I felt about the finished sweater. Changing it early seemed worth the effort. And once I saw the new arrangement, I was glad I’d trusted that instinct. I felt much happier watching the mint become the dominant color.

Another Colorwork Mistake

Unfortunately, that wasn’t my last restart. I later realized I’d worked the color placement incorrectly and ended up unraveling almost everything again. This time it wasn’t a design decision—it was a mistake I needed to fix. There was definitely a moment of staring at the knitting and wondering how I’d managed to do it twice!

I had to unravel some of it on the plane. I was worried about bothering nearby passengers, so I waited until the restroom was quiet and brought a zip bag to catch the yarn. I couldn’t finish unraveling everything there, though, and ended up completing the job after getting off the plane. I kept the yarn and needles close to the bag to avoid getting loose fibers everywhere. Knitting on a flight was fun, but I definitely found myself worrying about the people around me!

The trip home was a completely different story. I came down with a pretty bad cold and felt too miserable to knit. I packed the project in my checked bag and spent most of the flight sleeping instead. So my first airplane-knitting experience was half a success, half an unexpected reminder that sometimes all you can do on a long flight is rest.

Finished Fit and Details

Once the last stitches were done and I could finally try Gemma Polo on properly, I understood even more clearly why the collar and relaxed shape had caught my attention in the first place. The sweater looked cozy while it was on the needles, and the finished fit was every bit as cozy as I had hoped.

A Relaxed, Substantial Fit

The drop shoulders are still one of my favorite features. I like how they soften the whole silhouette and make the sweater look comfortable without needing a complicated shape. The finished fabric has some weight to it, which contributes to that enveloping feeling when I wear it.

The weight seems to have caused the sweater to grow a little longer after washing. Since the original design is relatively short and I’d actually wanted some extra length, I was pleased with how it turned out. It ended up being just the length I wanted.

The Collar and Double-Layer Button Band

The collar is still my favorite detail! It has the cozy thickness I was hoping for, and it feels quite different from the other sweaters I’ve knitted. The edge isn’t perfectly straight in one spot, but I think that slight unevenness is part of its handmade charm.

I also really like the button band. The double-layer finish makes it look neat and sturdy. I hadn’t realized how much difference a detail like that could make until I finished it.

More Collared Knitwear

Now that I’ve knitted Gemma Polo, I find myself paying more attention to how collars and button bands are constructed in other patterns. I enjoyed trying double knitting, so I’m curious to see how other designers use it.

I’d happily use Berroco Vintage again. Next time, though, I’ll probably check whether there’s enough yarn in stock before I start—I don’t particularly want another two-month wait!