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]

Fall will be here before we know it, and that means there are holidays coming right behind where we might be entertaining at home. It’s always fun to have a hand knit touch in your home for other people to see, and if you’re going to be in the kitchen all day you might as well have some nice knit dish cloths to use.

I love this little plaid hand towel from Darling Jadore. Use a little bit of leftover cotton yarn from another project for the plaid portion. It looks like the horizontal stripes are worked as you knit and the vertical stripes are done with duplicate stitch, making this a quick and easy project even newer knitters can make.

Combine garter stitch and an easy eyelet pattern worked sideways to make the Annette Dish Towel from Cluck Cluck Boots, which is meant to be reminiscent of flour sack towels. It calls for DK weight yarn and you can work it in one color or two (or even three!).

Add a little more texture with this set of kitchen towels from Whileberry Creative. They’re mostly worked in garter stitch with borders in easy knit/purl patterns, and you can work them in sport or worsted weight yarn.

Two of Wands Shop has another cute allover knit and purl pattern they call the Seersucker Textured Tea Towel. It’s an easy repeating pattern worked in worsted weight yarn, and there’s a chart in the pattern you can use, but don’t have to, if you want to practice knitting from a chart.

The Classic Cloth dish towel from Handmade Home by Connie is another one that can use a little leftover yarn in a contrasting color, or you could color block it our use stripes throughout the pattern. This one uses worsted weight yarn and another easy repeating knit purl stitch pattern.

If you like to hang your towel on the oven handle or elsewhere but it’s always falling off, try the Stay Put kitchen towel from Fancy Step Knits. This project is worked in garter stitch and includes a hole partway through so you can pull the towel through itself over a rod or handle. Stripes are optional but a nice addition.

Have you read?