Join a Summer Sweater Knitalong

I do love a good knitalong, though I have to admit that usually I’m really excited about them at the beginning and then end up either not finishing the project or never posting that I did finish the project. So it was with the “Downton Abbey” knitalong I did earlier this year, and so it would probably be with the latest knitalong to be hosted by Shannon from luvinthemommyhood.

This one is about sweater knitting, which is great because if you start a sweater now it’s a lot more likely you’ll get it finished before the weather turns cool so you can enjoy it all season.

The full details on this one will be released on Wednesday, but the idea is to knit a sweater for yourself. The knitalong will run from July 24 to around September 18, which is plenty of time to knit a sweater. You can share how your project is going and get knitterly advice through her Ravelry group, which should be a lot of fun.

I would totally do this, except I really need to finish the sweaters (yes, more than one) I started last year but didn’t finish before the weather got too warm.

Are you thinking about sweater knitting already? I’d love to hear what you’re up to!

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]

Comments

Have you read?