Review: Tweed Yarn Knitting

There’s just something about tweed yarn. The shifting colors are always a surprise on the needles, and the texture of the yarn is great for accessories and garments.

Tweed Yarn Knitting: Over 50 Sumptuous Woolen Projects from Landlust magazine (based in Germany) is a celebration of these fun yarns and includes a ton of projects that would be really great for gift knitting.

The book includes 52 patterns for hats, scarves, cuffs, sweaters, vests, dresses, skirts and home accessories, all made with Irish tweed yarn. Each chapter begins with large pictures of the projects followed by the patterns, which makes it fun to browse for the patterns that catch your eye.

There are so many cute projects here, including headbands, hair ties, wrist warmers and boot cuffs that would be perfect little stocking stuffers. I also love the Jacquard Corset (pictured at top left on the cover) and the father and son Fair Isle pullovers, a sweater for dad and a vest for the little one. There are fantastic, colorful dresses for little girls, and a tunic dress with pockets for women. There’s also a nice range of pillows and bags.

The only problem I see is that there aren’t a lot of sizes for the patterns. The kid’s patterns, for instance, only have one size for each, while the women’s dress comes in two sizes and the men’s sweater in three. A few patterns have three or four sizes, but you need to check carefully before you get your heart set on a pattern, or be willing and able to alter the designs to fit you or their intended recipient.

Still, this is a really fun collection and there are a lot of great patterns that don’t rely on sizing. This book will keep you in fun knits to gift for a long time, and you’re sure to find some things you want to knit for yourself as well.

About the book: 128 pages, paperback with interior flaps, 50 patterns (no skill levels are given, but most are good for advanced beginner to intermediate knitters). Published by Trafalgar Square Books, June 2016. Retail price $23.95.

Looking for more Knitted Headband Patterns? Check these patterns out on Etsy. Headbands are a great gift idea as they knit up fast and are well received by friends and family. Everyone loves wearing Knit headbands right?

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I guess the trend of little scarves and bandanas isn’t going away, and there’s a good reason for that. These little projects are fast, and they’re good for beginners because of the low commitment and they make something that doesn’t necessarily look like a beginner made it.

And when you can combine a simple pattern with some super luxurious yarn, it’s a little treat that even more experienced knitters can get behind.

The Little Dot Bandana from Purl Soho (designed by Gianna Mueller) is a project like that. It’s a simple eyelet triangle, worked from the long side down to the point, so there’s a lot of decreasing happening but it’s a really easy project.

It calls for a hank of silk yarn and one that’s silk mohair, which gives the project a fuzziness and a little bit of a silky glow.

Of course you can use different yarn to get a different look. A linen yarn would be fun for a summer kerchief, or combine wool and mohair for a warm and cozy kerchief for cold mornings.

The pattern comes in two sizes, so you can stitch up a kerchief or a simple triangle shawl. The stitch multiple is 8 plus 23 stitches, so you can use that to make a triangle of any size you like, or you can use a heavier weight of yarn to make a different size if you prefer. The two strands held together as called for in the pattern makes a sport weight gauge, so you could try DK or worsted for a bigger and warmer project if you want.

This pattern is available for free from Purl Soho, or check out the pattern notes on Ravelry to find how other people made this project.

And if you need more options for kerchiefs to knit, check out this collection of kerchief knitting patterns.

[Photo: Purl Soho]

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