Keep it Simple with This Ribbed Cardigan

My love of cardigans is well documented, and I think I’m about to add another one to my must-knit list. While sometimes I love some good colorwork or fancy techniques, sometimes it is awesome to keep it simple. Summer, for instance, but really pretty much any time when you’re feeling like there’s a little too much going on and you need a bit of comfort from your knitting.

And if you can knit something that will give you even more comfort as the weather gets cooler, so much the better.

Enter the Leruo cardigan from Noma Ndlovu. This pretty little cropped, ribbed, V-neck, open front cardigan is worked in one piece from the top town and includes raglan shaping for a comfy fit. To add sleekness to the open fronts, the edgings are worked in double knitting for a smooth stockinette look that doesn’t curl.

The rest of the body and sleeves are worked in 2 by 2 ribbing, so it should be a pretty quick and easy project and even great travel knitting if you’re planning to do any of that this year.

As shown, the length is a bit cropped but you can always add a little length depending on how you plan to wear it. The suggested yarn is wool, but if you made it in a cotton blend, for example, the shorter length would be perfect for wearing over sun dresses. Add a little length (for me, anyway) and it’s perfect for layering in the cooler months.

However long you make it, the pattern comes in 10 sizes with finished bust measurements ranging from 34 to 60.75 inches, or 86.5 to 154.5 cm. It’s meant to be worn with 0-4 inches, or 0-10 cm, of positive ease, and the fronts don’t meet in the middle so there’s a wide range of fit options built into those sizes.

You can grab the pattern on Ravelry.

[Photo: Noma Ndlovu]

Knit a Super Cozy Boxy Cardigan

A Lovely Cardigan to Knit for Summer

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It felt like it had been a while since I’d done a roundup of knitting patterns involving sheep, and if search is any indication, that is true. I found a roundup of patterns for knit sheep from a few years ago, but the only one with v I could find is from 2015. So it’s definitely time to revisit this fun genre of knitting patterns.

This all started with a headband. Alyssa Kaat’s Icelandic Sheep Headband (free on Ravelry) to be specific. Ravelry showed it to me as a pattern highlight and I couldn’t resist taking a closer look. It’s worked with two colors of worsted weight yarn and alternates sheep with stars around your head.

Another great sheepy headband is this one from Loch Fyne Crafts on Etsy. These sweet little sheep are worked in bulky yarn and you can make the background look like field and sky or work it in a solid color.

Or make a headband (or a hat, cowl, or all three) covered with a flock of sheep with this set of patterns from New Age Knitting CA. These pieces also use the field/sky coloring, but you can use whatever colors of worsted weight yarn you like.

Speaking of hats, there’s also the sheep hat from Lynann Knits Designs. The sample was worked in Icelandic wool to make the sheep and the hat extra fuzzy and warm, but any worsted weight yarn will work.

There’s also the Wandering Sheep hat from Kat Hudon (on Ravelry), which features a fun collection of speckled sheep that can be worked in different yarn weights to make different sizes of hats for kids and adults.

And lest you think sheep need to be knit in traditional stranded colorwork, check out the Rebel Sheep Mob blanket by Deborah Moore. This one is worked in mosaic knitting using fingering weight yarn. In mosaic knitting you’re only working with one color per row so it’s pretty easy. You can find this pattern on Ravelry.

I can’t possibly share sheep knitting patterns without mentioning the amazing Black Sheep Shadow Shawl by Mark Jamieson. Shadow knitting is a technique I want to do more of, but it involves working two rows alternating in two different colors and the pattern emerges when you look at the design from an angle. It’s so cool and the sheep on this one are amazing! It’s not a beginner project but well worth the work. You can find it on Ravelry or at the designer’s website.

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