Join the Swatch Club

There are so many fun programs for knitters, crafters, kids and just about anyone else who loves getting samples or curated collections of fun stuff these days. You can get a box of just about anything delivered to your home on a regular basis to inspire your creativity.

I recently got word that British crafty company Minerva Crafts has started a swatch club for knitters, which will get participants access to about 30 small samples of yarn every three months for a year. (Each sample is only about a foot long, so it’s not enough to knit with, just a sneak peek at all the goodies on offer.)

In all that’s about 120 different yarns to check out. This could be a lot of fun because you might be sent something you wouldn’t ordinarily choose at the store but playing with it you’ll find that it’s actually something you really like or that you want to use for a particular pattern. It’s all about broadening your knitting horizons.

You can choose a natural palette if you’re a fan of neutrals or a mixed option for bolder choices. Each set costs £18, and deliveries are made in September, December, March and June. For a limited time you can use the coupon code SWATCH50 at checkout to get 50 percent off your order.

Would you sign up for a program like this? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

[Photo via Minerva Crafts.]

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]

Have you read?