Make a Trivet out of I-cord

We’ve talked before about I-cords, and whether you knit them with needles, use an I-cord maker (I just broke mine a couple of weeks ago!) or make them with a French knitter/spool knitter, they’re kind of fun and meditative and a great way for kids to learn the basics of knitting.

But what to do with all those cords? Why not make useful trivets for the table? Evelyne from Nemcsok Farms has a great tutorial that shows just how to sew the cord together so that it will hold its circular shape.

It occurs to me you could also glue the yarn trivet to a piece of cork, which would keep it from sliding so much on the table and add an extra layer of protection. And remember that if you use acrylic yarn, it might melt, so make sure you keep really high temperature things away from it (or use wool or cotton yarn).

What do you use I-cord for? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

[Photo via Nemcsok Farms.]

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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