Knit the Perfect Argyle Cardigan

Confession time: I have had the yarn to knit an argyle vest for longer than my daughter (who is about to be 14) has been alive.

It’s a pattern from the book Picture Perfect Knits by Laura Birek, which came out the year before she was born. I know I bought the yarn around the same time because it’s the actual yarn called for in the pattern (and even some of the same colors the designer used).

I don’t know why I haven’t knit it.

I just unearthed the yarn the other day because I’ve been cleaning out my yarn cabinet. Maybe this is the year I actually knit it.

This project is on my mind not just because I just found the yarn again, but also because I recently came across this super cute argyle cardigan knitting pattern, which also might need to be on my to-knit list.

It’s a pattern from Marly Bird, and it’s a great one if you’ve never done an argyle pattern before, because it has a lot of detailed instructions and links to videos to help you with the intarsia if you haven’t used that technique before.

Intarsia is different from Fair Isle or stranded knitting because, instead of carrying the unused yarn across the row, you work a section in a color with one piece of yarn, then pick up a new ball for the next section and leave the old yarn where you finished working with it. Because of this it’s easiest to work intarsia in flat pieces rather than in the round, so a cardigan is perfect for that.

This one uses four colors, and the back and sleeves are plain knitting and a solid color, so the cardigan fronts are the only colorful bit. The pattern comes in seven sizes, with a finished chest measurement of 40 to 70 inches, and is meant to be worn with 4-6 inches of positive ease.

You can grab the free pattern on Marly’s website.

[Photo: Marly Bird]

Knit a Single Color Argyle-Style Vest

As we get into the part of the year with a lot of food-forward holidays, it might be time to start thinking about knitting some new things for your table. While a few of these are more fall/Thanksgiving focused, just changing up the colors would make others work for Christmas, or keep it neutral and use them all year long.

What got me started thinking about this was the lovely and simple Fresh Bread Dishtowel, a free pattern from Purl Soho. Worked in a lovely cotton and linen blend, the towel is mostly stockinette stitch with a bit of texture on the borders.

You could use this same kind of pattern to make anything from placemats to a table runner, but let’s look at some specific patterns for those kinds of projects as well.

The easy moss stitch table runner from Glass Bird Knits is beginner friendly can can easily be modified to fit your table (or, again, to make placemats instead of or in addition to a runner). This version is worked in macrame cord, but you could also use bulky yarn.

Emielle Design has a garter stitch runner pattern that’s made with braided cotton cord for a lot of texture without a lot of work. But be sure to take a lot of breaks when knitting with cord because it can be rough on your hands!

I also love the diamond pattern on the Hamilton Table Runner from Wyndlestraw Designs. It calls for a DK weight cotton and linen blend yarn and comes in three sizes with different widths and lengths. The pattern has both written and charted instructions.

Amy Marie’s Table Pumpkins (on Ravelry) is a fun mosaic knitting pattern that would be great to use as a table runner through the fall and for Thanksgiving. It uses a worsted weight cotton yarn in two colors, and you can make it as long as you like for your table.

The no cable knit placemats from Yarn Culture Studio have a fun faux cable look that would be great for the table through the fall and winter.

Or here’s another pattern from Wyndlestraw Designs, this time for an easy knit and purl stitch placemat pattern that looks different but still good on both sides. It calls for worsted weight cotton and comes in two sizes for placemats, but also has instructions for coasters, a hot pad and a table pad all using the same stitch.

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