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?

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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