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.

It’s a common complaint among women and femme dressing folk that our clothes do not include enough (and enough useful) pockets. And even if your clothes do have good pockets, there’s always a chance that you’d rather have another pocket to put some essentials in rather than having to carry a whole bag.

But because we are knitters, we can take this problem into our own needles and knit ourselves some auxiliary pockets.

Beatrice Mase did just that, with a kind of fancy toolbelt pocket accessory that they call VELVET Pockets.

The stitch pattern has a plush, sort of velvet effect, thus the name, but it’s worked with regular fingering/sock weight yarn. (The sample uses wool, but you could experiment with other fibers, too.) It calls for 776 yards of 710 meters, which you might just have in your sock yarn stash.

The pattern includes several pockets of different sizes, with the main body of the pocket worked flat in one piece and the exterior pockets sewn on at the end. You also have the option of adding screw rivets and a coordinating clasp that make it look even more toolbelt chic.

The design is worked with a loop of knit fabric at the top so it can slide onto a belt. The pattern includes explanatory diagrams, photo and video tutorials and is adjustable to fit different sizes of belts.

It’s almost enough to make me want to start wearing belts again, even though I haven’t for years. Because who wouldn’t want a few extra little pockets to hold things when you don’t have enough to really justify carrying a bag around?

The pattern is available in English and French on Ravelry and you can also buy a kit complete with the yarn, rivets and clasp (the pattern is not included in the kit) direct on Etsy.

[Photo: Beatrice Mase]

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