Free Knitting Pattern: Pierre de Coubertin’s Mustache

Now that the Fourth of July is over, the next big even ton the minds of Americans and many others around the world is the Olympics, which start three weeks from tomorrow (July 27).

The founder of the modern Olympics is said to be Pierre de Coubertin, a French aristocrat who founded the International Olympic Committee and is credited as being one of the people who helped restart the Games (and, according to Wikipedia, he was awarded a gold medal for literature at the 1912 games for his poem “Ode to Sport.” Now there’s an Olympic contest I can get behind!).

All of this does have something to do with knitting. A little bit. Isabelle Dutailly, the bilingual knitter behind Aiguilles magiques (Magic needles), designed a mustache chart inspired by de Coubertin’s prolific facial hair that you can use to embellish all sorts of knitting, from a simple dishtowel or washcloth to a pair of wrist warmers or a hat. I’ve been wanting to do a coffee cup cozy with a mustache on the side, and this chart may just inspire me to get started.

Are you excited about the Olympics? What event is your favorite? Spill it!

[Photo by Aiguilles magiques.]

Not too long ago I did a test knit for another designer that was for a cabled cardigan. It’s really cozy and nice but it just about broke me in a ton of different ways. I couldn’t get gauge, which I suppose is my own problem, but mainly I was somehow both bored and forced to pay attention at the same time.

Because it used the same cable all over, I always had to know what row I was on, but nine out of ten of those rows, nothing in particular was going on. So I couldn’t stop paying attention, but what I needed to attend to was boring.

It may have ruined me for knitting cabled sweaters, but maybe I just need something that’s more engaging. Like this Modern Aran Cardigan pattern from Lion Brand Yarn.

This is a reworking of an old pattern from their archives, and you can tell that form the classic look of the cables and the oversized feel (nothing cropped about this one!). It has allover cables, but like a classic Aran sweater it’s not the same cable, so you’ll have to pay attention to what row you’re on and what cable turns happen for which cables on that row.

Because of this, it’s considered an intermediate knitting pattern, but if you’re comfortable working from multiple charts at once it shouldn’t be a problem for you. There are three different charts and seven different cable moves.

Also because the pattern is so big and boxy there are only two sizes available, with a finished chest measurement of either 49 or 63 inches (that’s 124.5 or 160 cm). It’s up to you to decide how much ease you would like and whether that will work for your body.

The pattern uses worsted weight yarn (and calls for another classic, Lion Brand Fisherman’s Wool). It calls for six buttons and includes pockets to make it extra cozy.

This one looks like a great winter project to make and to wear if you’re up for a bit of a challenge. You can grab the free pattern or buy a kit with the yarn needed direct from Lion Brand Yarn.

[Photo: Lion Brand Yarn]

Have you read?