Knitting

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Get Great Texture with the Ropes and Twines Cardigan Knitting Pattern

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This is probably just a personal problem, but I always feel like cable patterns need to be knit in a solid color of yarn. If I’m going through all the work of making cables, I want them to be seen!

But the Ropes and Twines Cardigan from Joji Locatelli shows me that a yarn with a little bit of color to it can still make pretty cables that stand out.

This top down cardigan features a cable that runs across the back and down the sleeves, and the fronts and back panel have a lot of texture on their own worked in broken rib, but after the knitting is done, I-cords are braided into the fronts and back, adding another cable-like look without cabling.

These I-cord forms being added on top of the knitting makes them stand out even more for a really dramatic look.

The pattern is worked in worsted weight yarn and is available in 10 sizes, to fit a bust circumference of 33 to 60 inches (83.8 to 152.4 cm). The actual measurement of the sweater ranges from 34.5 to 70.5 inches in the chest, or 86 to 176 cm. It’s meant to be worn with 4 to 6 inches/10-15 cm of positive ease, but you can alter that depending on how you like to wear your cardigans.

This project looks like it would be a lot of fun to knit and to wear, and you could make a version in wool for colder weather and try it in a cotton blend for warmer months.

You can get your copy of this pattern on Ravelry.

And if you’re wondering about knitting all that I-cord, I wrote a post not too long ago that includes three different ways to make I-cord: by hand with needles, using a French knitter or spool knitter, and using a crank-powered I-cord machine. Joji actually used a DK weight yarn for her cords, so you could make them on a machine if you have one handy!

[Photo: Joji Locatelli]

Comments

  1. I understand the plane wool re cables, I have knitted in the amazing Donegal Aran wool, which is like a tweed effect, and is just super looking, I might give this multi colour ago, for my next project, I am just finishing a lovely Aran , knit from a cotton acrylic mix, as ,y son is unable to wear wool, pity, I love knitting cables, I love to knit a lot of Aran jumpers xx enjoying this post

Have you read?

Beyond Basic Pumpkin Knitting Patterns

Over the years I have shared a lot of pumpkin knitting patterns, and I’ve knit and crocheted a lot of pumpkins myself. But it feels like there are always more fun things to try with knit pumpkins, so this year I wanted to look a little more beyond basic stockinette or ribbed pumpkins and share some pumpkin patterns with cables, bobbles and colorwork. 

In the cable collection we’ve got these cute little basic cable and ribbed pumpkins from Elly Bear Knits. There are two sizes that make a wide, flat pumpkin and a taller round pumpkin. Both are worked in the round as a tube that’s cinched top and bottom when you’re done, and they use bulky weight yarn. 

Another cute cable pumpkin knitting pattern comes from Gray Bear Akswokrat. This one is knit flat and it looks like a chunky yarn but you could use other weights to make pumpkins of different sizes. This one also has an I-cord stem and uses yarn to cinch up the sections of the pumpkin, giving it a more natural look. 

Add some bobbles to your pumpkins with this design from Autumn Shelter Makes. Also worked in the round in a tube, it features a repeating pattern of bobbles and uses yarn wrapped around the outside to make segments. This one looks like worsted weight yarn to me. 

Of course there’s nothing that says your pumpkin has to be a single color, so let’s throw in some colorwork. I love the look of the Cozy Fall Pumpkin knitting pattern from South Stitch Girls. The little leather loop adds a rustic touch but you could also just add a stick. These pumpkins have five colorwork options and are worked in worsted weight yarn in the round. 

There’s also the Autumn Fair Isle Trio pumpkins pattern from Equestriann Style, which has three different sizes of pumpkins with four colorwork designs. They are worked in super bulky yarn in the round and look good with high contrast or more muted color combinations.