Book Review: Martin Storey’s Easy Cable & Aran Knits

Martin Storey is known for his great classic British designs, which include a lot of cables and rustic, tweedy yarns.

These loves of his are combined in the book Martin Storey’s Easy Cable & Aran Knits: 26 Projects with a Modern Twist.

The title may leave you asking yourself, what’s the difference between cable knits and Aran knits? I don’t know that there’s a definitive answer to that, but Storey seems to put cable crossing that happen with both knit and purl stitches into the second category, while cables worked entirely of knit stitches are in the first.

Each section of the book includes three easier patterns for people who are new to these techniques, and then there is a gallery of the other projects followed by the pattern instructions. There are pillows, cowls, mitts and scarves, and of course classic sweaters. The projects are photographed in natural and home settings (Storey and his niece are two of the models, which is fun) and they are really classic cable patterns that mostly seem less daunting because they aren’t all over the project or there’s only one cable type in the project.

A couple of my favorite patterns include the Garter Twist Cowl pictured on the cover; the Links Cable Cardigan, with panels of cables on each side of the sweater opening; and the Aran Wrap, which features long strips of cable patterns paired with Seed Stitch.

I just looked and only a couple of the projects from the British version of the book are on Ravelry, but you can see many of the patterns (including those I just mentioned) in a book trailer on the American publisher’s website.

About the book: 128 pages, paperback, 26 patterns (they have a star rating; 13 are 1 star, 11 are 2 star and two are 3 star), paperback, published by Trafalgar Books, suggested retail $22.95.

New to knitting? Not sure what Aran Knitting is?

The Aran pullover is a style of jumper that takes its name from the Aran Islands off the west coast of Ireland. Yes, they own claim to Aran as much as Champagne the town, own Champagne the drink. A traditional Aran Jumper or pullover as it is called is usually is off-white in colour, with cable patterns on the body and sleeves. Of course, today’s Aran designs are multicoloured and extend into beanies and accessories. Looking for more Aran Knitting patterns? Check these out on Etsy.

Next Pattern:

This swirly square stitch knitting pattern from Studio Knit is a lot of fun, and it looks kind of complicated without being difficult at all.

The swirly nature of the block comes from regularly placed increases, as the pattern is worked in rounds from the center out. Switching between sections of all knit stitches and all purl stitches (which gives you stockinette and reverse stockinette respectively when worked in the round) adds to the off-kilter flair but makes it really easy to knit.

You can work it in a single color or change colors regularly. This isn’t really a change colors randomly kind of pattern just because it looks better if you work a full repeat in a single color, but you know there are no rules so you can do whatever you want.

You can also make it any size you like, and indeed use any yarn you want. This one is blanket sized and used five colors of worsted weight yarn, but you can use any yarn and corresponding needles (you’ll need double pointed needles and circulars of various lengths, depending on how big you want to make your square).

For a start, why not grab some cotton yarn and stitch up a swirly washcloth? You could still use a couple of colors if you want, jsut for fun.

Once you try that, you’ll probably want to make a bigger version, and you could definitely use more colors than Kristen did (or just one color if you prefer), you just need to make sure you change colors at the beginning of the pattern repeat to keep everything looking good.

If you’re ready to start (and I know I am!) you can grab the free pattern and check out a video to help you get started at Studio Knit.

[Photo: Studio Knit]

Next Pattern:

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