Knitting

Patterns, projects and techniques

Go Bold with the Goran Sweater Knitting Pattern

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One of my goals for 2024 (yet to be started on, I should mention, but there’s still time!) is to knit a sweater with a lot of detailed colorwork. I haven’t yet decided if a colorwork yoke is “enough” to fulfill this goal or if it really needs to be colorwork all over. (Probably the second one, because that’s something I’ve never done before and I really want to try it.)

If you’re new to colorwork on garments, designs like that can be pretty intimidating. I mean, I’m still a little intimidated and I’ve been knitting for decades.

But the good news is there are a lot of sweaters and other garments — and projects in general — that allow you to play with color without having to pay attention to so many details.

The Goran sweater from Justyna Lorkowska is a great example of this.

The bold zigzag colorwork on the yoke and body of this sweater is relatively easy to accomplish, because most of it is just stripes, with a little bit of stranded colorwork needed to make the zigzags when the colors change. This pattern does use a chart for the colorwork, but it’s also a repeating pattern around the body so once you get the hang of it, it should be pretty easy.

The sweater is worked from the top down in four colors of worsted weight yarn. You could also work both of the wide stripes in the same color and just use three colors if you prefer.

Short rows are used to shape the back neck, and the sweater has a circular yoke design. It’s meant to be roomy, with 8-16 inches, or 20 to 40 cm, of positive ease.

Sizes range from bust measurements of 40.5 to 73.25 inches or 101 to 183 centimeters.

You can learn more and grab a copy of the pattern on Ravelry.

[Photo: Harmonia Zdj??]

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Bucket Hat Knitting Patterns

As I was starting to write this post I thought that it was true that I’d never done a roundup of bucket hat knitting patterns before. But then I looked, and I actually did one last year (which you can find here) but there are plenty of cute bucket hats to do another post about, right? 

The one that made me want to write about this (again) is the Red Heart Knit Fanfare Bucket Hat from Yarnspirations. This cute striped hat can be worked in team colors, and while I might prefer a non-acrylic yarn for a summer hat, it would be fine when it’s not too hot outside (or try a cotton yarn instead). 

Claire Slade’s Sunlit Bucket Hat has an angled brim to help keep the sun out of your eyes. It’s worked from the bottom up using worsted weight cotton yarn, and comes in three sizes. You can find the pattern on Ravelry. 

Get a little air flow in your bucket hat with the Shady Bucket Hat from Wool & Beyond. This one uses DK weight yarn and an eyelet pattern throughout the body to keep it cool. It comes in sizes ranging from newborn to adult large, and is worked in one piece from the top down. You can grab the pattern (in English or Swedish) on Ravelry. 

If you’re looking for a fun, floppy sun hat for kids or adults, this pattern from Muki Crafts is a little more slouchy than a traditional bucket hat but it’s super cute. It comes in baby, toddler and bigger kid sizes and adult. I uses worsted weight yarn and is worked from the bottom up. 

Another variation on the classic bucket is this one that’s more of a cloche style. Made by branda, it uses bulky yarn so it’s more of a winter bucket hat, but now’s a fine time to knit it if you live somewhere that’s warm right now (or even more so if you live somewhere that’s cold right now). 

Another one to get you ready for colder weather is Tirmety, a two-layer bucket hat from ViTalina Craft, which has a textured stitch pattern on one side and stockinette on the other. You can wear either side out or even make them different colors if you want. The pattern is sized for toddlers, kids and adults. 

And if you want to add some extra cuteness to your bucket hat, I love this (of course totally optional but also totally adorable) embroidered deatila on the New York Bucket Hat from Pauline Fanguin. It uses two strands of DK weight yarn held together for extra sturdiness, and uses changes in needle size to shape the hat. Of course you could also knit stripes or use different textures of yarn to change up the look. This pattern is made to fit your head and is available in French and English.