Fade Your Pattern with This Fun Sweater Knitting Pattern

I love the idea behind the Igneous Sweater from Knitting Expat Designs. We probably all know about the trend of fading yarns to produce an ombre effect or just to combine colors in a harmonious way in a project, but have you ever thought about “fading” the stitch pattern in a project?

That’s what she did in this design, and it’s really pretty cool. The pattern starts allover the bottom of the sweater and fades to Stockinette at the top. You could probably fade colors as you went, too, if you wanted, though the effect in a single semisolid yarn is nice, too.

The design comes in 14 sizes ranging from a chest measurement of 32 inches to 66.5 inches and was designed to have 4 or 5 inches of positive ease.

The base price on Ravelry is £10 but there are codes on the pattern page for a pay what works system. (You can also buy it on Etsy if Ravelry isn’t working for you right now.)

[Photo: Knitting Expat Designs.]

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It’s been well documented that I love a knitting pattern with a bit of whimsy, so when I saw the Mine! Pullover from Sarah L. Kelly recently I knew I had to share it with you.

I mean, who wouldn’t want to knit a sweater with a yoke full of seagulls? And another seagull at the waist? Chasing little crabs?

The story behind the sweater (and you knew there had to be one, right?) is that while Sarah was traveling around Europe there were a lot of cheeky seagulls about. They reminded her of the scene in Finding Nemo where the seagulls say “mine, mine, mine” and thus the Mine! series of patterns was born.

Oh yes, there’s a whole set. It was the sweater I saw first but there’s also a pair of socks (and the pattern says there’s a cowl, too, but I couldn’t find it as of this writing. If you see it let me know and I’ll add the link here!) so you can totally deck yourself out in pesky seabirds if you want.

But back to the sweater for now. This is worked in DK weight yarn from the top down in the round. The yoke and a section at the bottom are worked in stranded colorwork, with stripes on the body, though you could make the body a single color if you wanted. Details like the beaks and eyes are added with duplicate stitch to make the knitting a little easier.

The colorwork sections are charted. The pattern comes in 10 sizes, with a finished chest circumference ranging from 32 to 68 inches, or 80 to 170 cm.

The socks are worked in sock yarn and come in three sizes. There worked from the cuff down and change needle sizes to accommodate the less stretchy nature of stranded colorwork. You can choose from a side profile or a seagull that’s looking out from the sock. Make a matching pair or mix it up.

Both patterns are available on Ravelry: sweater and socks. If you make them I’d love to hear about it!

[Photo: Sarah L. Kelly]

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