Get a Brioche Checkerboard Look with the Ginny Cardigan

I share a lot of knitting patterns here at Craft Gossip, and the vast majority of the time I haven’t seen the actual pattern I’m writing about. If the pattern is free sometimes I will download it to verify that the project is constructed the way I expect or to check on sizing, but for patterns that are not free I don’t usually own them when I write about them (even if they are something I want to knit).

But with this one I’m super tempted to buy the pattern just to be able to better explain what’s going on here. Not that it’s confusing, I’m just interested in how it comes together.

The Ginny Cardigan from Susanne Sommer combines blocks of brioche and garter stitch to make a patchwork gingham design that’s also striped, so it changes color and texture throughout the piece. It’s super clever and I’m pretty sure it’s easier than it looks if you have a handle on basic brioche knitting.

This boxy cardigan has a modified drop sleeve design and is meant to be worn open at the front. It’s knit from the top down and includes afterthought pockets.

The bust and hip measurements are the same on the garment and range from 35.5 to 70.75 inches (that’s 90 to 180 cm) and comes in six sizes. It is meant to have between 4 and 12 inches/10-30 cm of positive ease. It calls for four colors of DK weight yarn.

If you like the look of this pattern and want to add some accessories, or try the technique on a smaller project first, the designer also has a cowl (which is actually a pretty big project, but has no shaping) and a bandana cowl pattern that use this same stitch pattern with worsted weight yarn.

You can find all three patterns on Ravelry: cardigan | cowl | bandana cowl.

[Photo: Susanne Sommer]

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I know knitting a dress sounds like a major time commitment. And that’s before I even tell you that this particular dress, the Sixth Ave Skater Dress by Briana Luppino, is worked in light fingering weight yarn.

But would you just take a moment to look at it and tell me if it doesn’t look like it would be worth all the time you would spend knitting it? And it’s miles of stockinette stitch so it’s actually beginner friendly and a great semi-mindless knit you can take with you on your travels this summer and wear when it is done.

The dress is worked from the top down with tank straps, a scoop neck, waist shaping and a flowy skirt for a fun and comfortable fit.

The pattern has 10 sizes, with finished bust measurements ranging from 28 to 64 inches, or 71.5 to 163 cm. The sample shown was worked with 4 inches/10 cm of negative ease at the bust, and the designer says most people like between 2 and 6 inches/5 to 15 cm of negative ease in the bust and around 10 inches/25.4 cm positive ease in the hips.

(To refresh your memory, negative ease means the measurement of the garment is smaller than your actual body measurement, while positive ease is bigger than your body.)

To pick a size you’d work from the bust measurement because you can always add more or fewer decreases as you need to get your desired fit at the waist and hips. And because it’s worked from the top down you can try it on as often as you like to make sure it’s the perfect fit.

The I-cord edgings give the dress a super casual feel, and I think this would be a great one to add to your summer rotation. (Yes, even with a wool blend yarn.)

You can see lots of cute finished versions and grab a copy of the pattern for yourself on Ravelry.

[Photo: Briana Luppino]

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