Friday Fun: Hospice Yarn Bombing, Mr. Rogers’ Sweaters and More

June 16, 2017 by Sarah White

It seems like I have a bunch of little things to talk about that have piled up from my vacation last week, so let’s do a bit of a lightning round, shall we?

The First Fall Knitty is out, which seems a little crazy when it’s not even officially summer yet, but I know we knitters need time to work on projects before the season hits. Lost of fun shawls and cowls, a knit tie, a really pretty hat and some sweaters and other good stuff, too. I like Bosco, and Romi’s gorgeous knit rainbow earrings. I might be making some today, even though I hardly ever wear earrings.

A tree and the lawn around Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court hospice in Gloucestershire were secretly decorated with knitting and crochet, apparently by someone who had used the hospice’s services. The tree was yarn bombed with flowers and little stitched people were set out beneath the tree having a tea party. What a lovely gesture of whimsy that brought lots of smiles to people’s faces.

All of us of a certain age probably love Mister Rogers, and as knitters we should love him even more for his cardigans (which his mom knit for him; cue the “awww”s). Owen Phillips at the Awl recently shared that Tim Lybarger at Neighborhood Archive has charted the colors of the cardigans worn by Mister Rogers in every episode of his show from 1979 to 2001. There were just three episodes in that time when he didn’t wear a sweater. His favorite colors? Green and red. I don’t know why we needed this information, but I’m still glad it’s available. Check it out!

[Photo: Gloucestershire Live.]

Looking for more knitting patterns for knitted Cardigans? Check out these Knitting patterns we found on Etsy.

Specific to knitters, you can join our Knitting Patterns Only group to get, well, knitting patterns, ask questions and gain inspiration for what to knit next.

Looking for Yarn online? Check out Lionbrand our preferred source for purchasing yarn online.

Have you read?

Knit a Classic Aran Cardigan with this Free Knitting Pattern

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]