Join Very Shannon’s Summer Sweater Knitalong

I love a good knitalong (though I’m notoriously bad at finishing things for knitalongs), and Very Shannon’s Summer Sweater Knitalong is a good one. It encourages people who’ve never knit garments before to give it a try, and for everyone else it’s a reminder that fall isn’t that far off after all.

This year’s knitalong will run from July 30 through Sept. 24, and all you have to do is sign up and at least start knitting or crocheting a sweater of any style, any size (including for children) during the knitalong period.

You can talk about your project, get or give advice and show off your finished projects in the Ravelry group, get inspiration on the Pinterest board and share your work on social media with the hashtag #sskal14.

At the end of the knitalong some participants will receive lovely prizes from the sponsors, so you’ll want to sign up and play along.

Does this sound like something you’d be interested in? Have you participated in this or other knitalongs before? I’d love to hear about it!

[Photo via Very Shannon/Brooklyn Tweed.]

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]

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