Book Review- 50 Fabulous Knit Aran Stitches

An ardent collector of knit patterns, Rita Weiss was always fascinated with the beautiful Aran sweaters that supposedly came from the Aran Islands off the coast of Ireland. She loved the stories that accompanied them and the idea that each stitch had a special meaning. Even though historians now are saying the stories were all a myth used as a marketing tool, Rita never stopped loving the patterns. You can purchase this book as a digital download here.

She shares 50 favorites here. Each can be worked in any yarn you choose, either in ‘multiples’ (the number of stitches needed to complete one unit of the pattern) or in ‘panels’ with a specific stitch count. Patterns include Cathedral Cables, Rapunzel’s Cable, Tied Ropes, Desert Sand, Blarney Kiss, Quilted Cables, Diamond Windows, and more.

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One of the hardest things about winter for me is the lack of color. It’s like the whole world ran out of toner, and often our clothes reflect the muted landscape outside, which just makes everything more drab.

This year I’m trying to use and wear all the fun colors of yarn I have in my stash, and I think the Minas Sweater from Cecilia Lalanne & Gabriella Calderini for Manos del Uruguay would be a great way to use a lot of colorful yarn on a sweet sweater.

This cropped sweater uses 1×1 stranded colorwork where the colors change as you work the pattern, which makes it look more complex than it is. The project calls for five colors of worsted weight yarn, but you could probably even use more (or use a multicolored yarn as one or some of your options) to bring even more color to the party.

It’s a simple drop shoulder crewneck with straight sleeves, so pretty much all you have to focus on is changing your colors when you need to.

There are seven size options in the pattern, ranging from a bust circumference (on the sweater, not the wearer) from 42.75 to 69.25 inches, or 108.5 to 176 cm. It’s intended to be worn with around 8 inches or 20 cm of positive ease for a casual, oversized look.

You can go bold with the color choices like the sample shown here, or pick a couple of more neutral colors to combine with some brighter shades if that’s more your style. Either way this project should be as easy to knit as it is fun to wear. And of course those bright colors make me think a teenager in your life might love it, but of course there’s no rule that says you have to stop wearing fun colors at a certain age. Thank goodness.

The pattern is free to download from Ravelry and is available in both English and Spanish.

[Photo: Cecilia Lalanne & Gabriella Calderini]

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